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Tonya Papanikolas reportingThe American Red Cross is busy responding to 11 major disaster relief operations around the country. Though the disasters are not in Utah, Utahns' help is needed.
The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross says it needs more volunteers and money to help these disaster victims across the country. Flooding alone may impact more than half a million people, and Red Cross leaders are hoping Utahns will step in and help.
"We're responding to floods right now. We're responding to tornadoes right now. We're responding to wildfires right now," said Susan Thomas, communications director for the Red Cross' Salt Lake chapter.
From severe flooding and tornadoes in the Midwest to wildfires in California, Mother Nature has not been kind. She's left a lot of duties for the American Red Cross.
"It's the biggest flood response for the American Red Cross in 15 years. We have 1,500 workers and 4,000 volunteers who are on the scene helping people," Thomas said.
Among those teams in the Midwest are five Red Cross volunteers from Utah. One Utah volunteer spoke with us over the phone. "The water is receding in some places, but there is a lot of cleanup work, an awful lot of cleanup work, that has to be done," George Muller said.
Muller is helping flood victims in Wisconsin, where the nation has seen video of homes falling right into the river. "We evacuated some people into shelters, got them situated for a place to stay. We have food-serving shelters," he said.
"We have to be ready and able to respond as soon as we're needed and as quickly as we're needed," said Neva Baker, development director for the Red Cross' Salt Lake chapter. "The monetary donations enable us to make sure we have volunteers who are trained to do this."
The Red Cross says it will end up spending around $15 million to help recent disaster victims. That means not only does the organization need volunteers from Utah, it also can't do without donations.
The American Red Cross is stretched. It's not because we're seeing a decrease in donations, it's simply because we're seeing an increase in need," Thomas said.
That $15 million will go toward essentials like finding shelter for those who have lost their homes, giving out food and distributing cleanup supplies.
If you're interested in finding out more about volunteering or donating, click the related link.
E-mail: tpapanikolas@ksl.com
