Red Cross provides critical help in the wake of Hurricane Debby

The American Red Cross is mobilizing to help those in the path of Debby. Here's how they're helping and how you can help them.

Transcript

00:00Joining us right now is spokesperson and regional communication director Mike DeCindy. You're in

00:04Raleigh, North Carolina, and even as far north as Raleigh, you guys are getting some impacts

00:09from Debbie. Ariel, thanks for having us on. Yes, Raleigh is going to be our headquarters for our

00:16response to North Carolina. Currently, we have hundreds of volunteers down in Florida and Georgia,

00:24and we're getting hundreds more mobilized ready to deal with any of the effects of the storm

00:28that start coming through South Carolina and here in North Carolina. Yeah, you guys definitely seem

00:33prepared and ready. I'm sure you've already been able to help some people. How has the Red Cross

00:38been able to maybe help those who have been pretty unlucky to be in Debbie's path?

00:42Yeah, well, we always work with local emergency management, as well as local officials,

00:47to make sure that we're setting up our resources in the best possible locations.

00:51So we have dozens of shelters currently open where we're helping operate,

00:56and we want people to know that if they are in the need for a safe place to go, they can

01:02come to one of our shelters. Of course, we'll have food and water for them, a safe place for

01:08their family and their family's pets to stay, and also we offer mental health services.

01:15So we have that in Florida now. We're working on setting up those locations in Georgia, South

01:20Carolina, and North Carolina. Those are incredible resources that the Red Cross is bringing. Do you

01:25find any kind of specifics of a greatest need? Does it end up being that people need shelter?

01:29What do you find most in this kind of situation? Well, really, two messages. We try to get out

01:35the message of preparedness. So the Red Cross does a lot of work in getting people prepared

01:40to handle a storm like that. But yes, to your point, where we're finding the Red Cross is

01:46helping the most is helping with these shelters, working with local emergency management,

01:52making sure these people have a safe place to stay, that they're warm, that they have food,

01:57that they feel comfortable. And then also if they need that mental health services or they need any

02:03other services that we can help them with after the storm passes, we're going to still be there

02:08for them. And the Red Cross helping people. But how can viewers at home help you guys?

02:13Yeah, we love that your viewers want to help. So a couple of things. One, they need to keep

02:17watching your channel and make sure they know where this storm is going and they can be prepared.

02:23We want folks to be prepared for that bad weather. We want them to have a plan to make an emergency

02:29kit and to be informed. And we want them to know that if local emergency management says to stay

02:35off the roads and stay in their homes, they need to. But if they also recommend that people go to

02:42shelters, they should download our emergency app. On that app, they can find out where shelters are

02:49located and be connected to local resources. And then finally, for those that want to help

02:55financially, go to RedCross.org or call 1-800-RedCross and you can make a financial donation.

03:03Mike DeCente, Spokesperson and Regional Communication Director with the American

03:06Red Cross. We appreciate everything you guys do and for joining us this morning.

03:09Thank you so much.