ST. GEORGE – The American Red Cross is asking the Southern Utah community to support their efforts in helping those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Sunday night, more than 3,000 people were forced to stay at 112 Red Cross shelters in nine states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Conneticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Massachusetts. The number of people who will seek Red Cross shelter services is expected to grow in the coming days.

Nearly 100 blood drives have already been cancelled due to the storm, which means a loss of as many as 3,200 blood and platelet products.

The Red Cross has already deployed more than 1,300 disaster relief workers from all over the country to help those affected by the storm. As many as 160 emergency vehicles are ready to respond when it is safe to do so and more than 230,000 ready-to-eat meals have been sent into the area.

Financial donations, which help the Red Cross provide shelter, food and other assistance to those affected by the disaster, can be made by calling 1-800 RED-CROSS, texting the word REDCROSS to 90999, or online.

“The donations we receive for Red Cross Disaster Relief are put to good use,” said Margie Woodruff, Development and Community Relations Director for the Red Cross in Southern Utah. “It’s important to know that 91 cents of every dollar is used to support disaster victims.”

Those with family and friends in the disaster area can use the Red Cross Safe and Well website to connect with them. The site connects with users’ Twitter and Facebook accounts for prompt and secure updates.

Red Cross of Southern Utah: 

St. George Office

Submitted by: Margie Woodruff, Red Cross of Southern Utah

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews