WNY Red Cross Volunteer Deploying to Oklahoma

Tornado relief will continue over Memorial Day Weekend

BUFFALO, NY, May 24, 2013 – An American Red Cross volunteer from Western New York is deploying to assist in the tornado relief efforts in Oklahoma. Tom Daley of Tonawanda is scheduled to leave Saturday and will serve in Client Casework, meeting one-on-one with affected residents to determine their needs. 

 A Red Cross volunteer gives supplies to a soldier from
Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma who is helping
families clean up after the tornado.
Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross 

The American Red Cross tornado relief effort in Oklahoma will continue through the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Emergency aid stations and shelters will be open and disaster workers will be handing out food and relief supplies to those affected by this week’s devastating storms.

Ten emergency aid stations are open where people can come to get food, relief supplies, health and mental health care and information about what other help is available. In addition, meals are available at feeding sites and being distributed throughout the community, along with relief supplies.

Red Cross and community shelters are open in Oklahoma and Texas following tornadoes over the past week, and more than 600 people spent Thursday night in those shelters. The Red Cross has also:

• Provided more than 24,000 meals working with its partner, the Southern Baptist Convention.
• Distributed more than 5,000 relief items including personal toiletries and recovery items like coolers, buckets, gloves, dust masks, trash bags, flashlights, tarps, shovels, rakes and blankets.
• Provided more than 200 health and mental health contacts. Health services volunteers are working with the Medical Reserve Corps to visit the injured in local hospitals and helping people replace prescriptions and other medical items at emergency aid stations. Mental health workers are providing emotional support in shelters and emergency aid stations.
• Mobilized more than 350 Red Cross workers from all over the country to help the people in Oklahoma.
• Deployed 41 Red Cross emergency response vehicles to distribute food and relief supplies throughout neighborhoods.
• Helped comfort those affected through its spiritual care teams.

HOW TO HELP Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes, floods and other crises can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters.