Red Cross Responds to Climate Disasters Thousands of Miles Apart

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Red Cross disaster responders Cheryl Petry and Mahogany Covard hand relief supplies including tarps, gloves, cleaning supplies and more to Steve Lanier of Yankeetown, Florida. The small town suffered massive damage from Hurricane Idalia. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.)

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Red Cross disaster worker Taylor Poisal comforts Jim Hurley as he shows the damage Hurricane Idalia caused to his home in Yankeetown, Florida. His home took on 43 inches of water during Hurricane Idalia. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.)

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Red Cross disaster responder Mahogany Covard delivers relief supplies to Yankeetown, Florida resident Jerry Jaez. The storm surge brought floodwaters up to the windows of his home. Jaez has lived through several hurricanes but says Idalia was the worst he’s experienced. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.)

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American Red Cross volunteer Ned Worman comforts Elaine Goode at the Red Cross shelter at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku on Maui. Goode lost everything when a wildfire destroyed her home in Lahaina. The Hawaii wildfires are the deadliest fires in the United States in more than 100 years. It destroyed as many as 2,200 structures, most of which were homes, leaving thousands of residents without somewhere to live. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.)

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Edwin Heilscher chokes up while telling American Red Cross staff member Doyle Rader how he, his wife, son and his neighbor escaped the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina on the island of Maui. The deadliest wildfire in the last century, thousands of people have lost everything they held dear. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.)

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Arthur Valencia, his wife, Tara, and their three children, Maele, Gabriel and Mia speak with Red Cross staff members Doyle Rader, Shari Frank and Ned Worman at an emergency shelter at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku on Maui. The Valencias drove through the flames to escape the tragic fire in Lahaina. (Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross.)

September 29, 2023

In a span of just 22 days in August, tens of thousands of people’s lives were affected by two major U.S. disasters — the tragic wildfires in Hawaii and the extensive damage left behind from Hurricane Idalia.

The American Red Cross responded immediately to both disasters and continues to offer help and support today in both areas that are more than 4,600 miles apart. The Red Cross is ready to respond effectively to multiple events at the same time through our network of more than 21,000 trained disaster workers and nationwide system of warehouses stocked with relief supplies.

Combined, the fires and storm displaced thousands of people as more than 5,600 homes were either destroyed or sustained major damage. The Red Cross is providing shelter, food, health and mental health services and relief supplies. In addition, the organization is helping those affected plan their next steps as they begin to recover. This can include financial assistance for qualified households.

Since the fires began on Maui and Idalia made landfall, more than 2,300 disaster workers from all over the country have responded, either on the ground or virtually. They have helped provide more than 260,000 overnight shelter or hotel stays and distributed more than 43,700 relief items. With our partners, we have served more than 1.1 million meals and snacks.

This year has already seen records broken for the number of U.S. weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1 billion each, and with months to go, there is the potential for additional devastating disasters. According to a September 11 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have been 23 billion-dollar disasters. In comparison, the U.S. experienced 18 disaster events exceeding a billion in disaster-related losses in 2022.

CLIMATE CRISIS The climate crisis is disrupting lives and entire communities as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather rapidly increases across the globe. Today, the American Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many large disasters as we did a decade ago. These disasters include strengthening storms, record floods and widespread wildfires. As these extreme weather disasters increase, more people will need help from the Red Cross. Find out more about the Red Cross and its work on the climate crisis here.

HURRICANE IDALIA While life is returning to normal in some Florida communities, residents in other areas are still trying to piece their lives back together. Thousands of people in the Southeast are facing a long road to recovery. Red Cross disaster workers are with them, providing comfort, support and relief.

More than 2,100 homes were destroyed or received major damage. Particularly hard hit is the agricultural industry. Early estimates report losses could be more than $78 million in that area alone.

Since Idalia made landfall, more than 980 trained Red Cross disaster workers have deployed to help people impacted by Idalia. The Red Cross has provided almost 3,000 overnight stays in 33 shelters across Florida and Georgia. With the help of our partners, we have provided more than 291,000 meals and snacks, and served some 21,000 households with more than 37,300 relief items.

HAWAII WILDFIRES ─ Almost two months after the tragic Hawaii wildfires, the Red Cross continues to work 24/7 with partners to make sure people have the support they need. Every day, generous financial donations are being used to provide hotel lodgings, food, emotional support and cash assistance to people in need.

The Red Cross is helping to care for some 7,600 people — about 78% of the pre-disaster population of Lahaina — who are staying in dozens of hotels. This support includes making sure each family has nutritious meals, health and mental health services and access to recovery resources.

Since the fires began, more than 1,300 trained Red Cross disaster workers have deployed to Hawaii or helped virtually. Together, the Red Cross and the county government have provided more than 257,000 overnight emergency shelter and hotel stays on Maui and Oahu. With our partners, we have provided more than 875,000 meals and snacks.

YOU CAN HELP people affected by disasters like storms, wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Financial contributions enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Our volunteers are at the heart of our mission and represent 90% of our workforce. Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to sign up for opportunities with your local chapter. Our most-needed disaster positions include supporting shelters and providing health services.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost.

ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Best Buy; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale ; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PayPal; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; CarMax; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Dollar General; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Merck; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation Barclays; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Foundation; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LHC Group; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Martin Marietta; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; The Middleby Corporation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Organon; Pacific Life Foundation; Prudential; Raytheon Technologies; Reckitt; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Project, a project of New Venture Fund; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Zurich

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.