August 26, 2017. Victoria, Texas. Luisa and her husband Rene made the decision to evacuate their home and bring their family to a Red Cross shelter. “I was glad we had somewhere we could go. The kids are safe.” Luisa said. Photo: Daniel Cima / American Red Cross
The threat from Hurricane Harvey is far from over as extremely dangerous flooding continues in Texas and parts of Louisiana. The American Red Cross is working around the clock to provide safe shelter and comfort for the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by this disaster.
There are numerous reports of people stranded in their homes and water rescues are ongoing. Roads are flooded, rail lines are shut down, airports closed and hundreds of thousands have no power. Numerous hospitals, nursing facilities and dialysis centers are closed.
Harvey will continue to produce an additional several feet of rain over the next several days and millions of people are facing flash flood warnings, including the entire Houston metro area.
The number of people in shelters continues to fluctuate but on Saturday night more than 1,800 people took refuge from the deadly storm in 34 Red Cross and community shelters in Texas. These numbers are expected to grow and dozens of additional shelters could open.
The Canadian Red Cross maintains close ties with the American Red Cross and has opened an appeal to support the response. Canadians are encouraged to support Red Cross relief efforts by making a financial donation to the Hurricane Harvey Appeal. Money raised will enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.
About the Canadian Red Cross
Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 190 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and throughout the world.