
Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere. In fact, every eight minutes, someone is affected by a disaster in the U.S. This year, the Red Cross and its partners helped thousands of people whose lives were upended by disasters across the country, including here in Louisiana after the impact of Hurricane Barry.
Hurricane Barry made landfall in Southeast Louisiana on July 13th as a category 1 storm. Residents across much of the state experienced a significant amount of rain, strong winds, tornadoes and storm surge inundation along the coast.
Through the help of more than 300 volunteers, the Red Cross mobilized thousands of supplies and provided shelter to 185 individuals seeking refuge from the storm. After the storm had passed, those same volunteers provided care, comfort and assistance to more than 650 residents who sustained impacts to their property and lives, including serving more than 10,200 meals and snacks and distributing more than 4,800 relief items like gloves, trash bags and brooms. Additionally, disaster health and mental health volunteers tended to the physical and emotional needs of those impacted.
Donations are key to saving lives because they fund nearly 100 percent of these disaster relief activities. Donations of time are also critical, as volunteers comprise of more than 90 percent of the Red Cross’ humanitarian workforce. The commitment of donors and the compassion of volunteers not only prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies, but also provides the ever-important offering of hope to communities faced with rebuilding after a disaster.