Wildfires have forced thousands of people from their homes out west, and the American Red Cross is offering those affected a safe place to stay, food to eat and emotional support.

·         More than 355 people spent Thursday night in 9 Red Cross shelters in Colorado and Montana.

·         More than 275 trained disaster workers are helping people in Colorado and additional truckloads of supplies and response vehicles are en route to support relief efforts.

·         Red Cross workers are focused on providing emotional support and mental health services to families as they wait to learn about damage to their homes.

·         The Red Cross is also working closely with partner organizations to support our sheltering and feeding efforts, including AmeriCorps NCCC, Medical Reserve Corps, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and the Salvation Army.

·         Wildfires can be very volatile, and our first priority is ensuring that shelters are located in safe areas. The Red Cross is ready to open additional shelters if the need arises.

The Red Cross relief efforts in Colorado since June 9 have been extensive. We have:

·         Served more than 36,000 meals and snacks

·         Provided 3,800 health and mental health contacts

·         Handed out more than 7,200 relief items like cleaning supplies, ice chests, rakes, shovels, dust masks and work gloves

The Red Cross also continues to help people in Florida affected by massive floods from Tropical Depression Debby.

·         More than 240 trained disaster workers and 28 response vehicles are currently supporting relief efforts by providing safe shelter, warm meals and distributing relief supplies like flashlights, work gloves, rakes, shovels and tarps.

·         Since June 24, the Red Cross has served more than 6,800 meals and snacks in Florida.

If you would like to help people affected by disasters like wildfires and floods, you can make a donation today to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.