Red Cross Deploys Volunteer from Moon to Assist With Flood Relief Efforts in Illinois

Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania has deployed Mary White of Moon Township to Peoria, IL to relief as floodwaters continue to affect people in the Midwest.

In her role, White will recruit and place Red Cross workers and equip them with the tools they need for their positions. She will also track their assignments and make their lodging arrangements, among other tasks.

The American Red Cross may have to continue its national relief efforts as residents in Minnesota and North Dakota are preparing for the Red River to overflow its banks sometime next week.

White joins several other volunteers who have been deployed from the Western Pennsylvania Region.

The Red Cross has shelters in three Midwestern states for people who cannot return home because of flooding. In Illinois, the Red Cross has opened shelters across the state as part of its largest sheltering operation in recent years for the area.

Workers are providing emotional support as well as food and water to people forced from their homes and personnel fighting the floodwaters. Workers are also handing out relief items like comfort kits, cleaning supplies, buckets and mops.

The Red Cross has hundreds of volunteers on the ground across the Midwest that have served more than 42,000 meals and snacks and handed out more than 3,000 relief items to date. The Red Cross will be providing help for weeks to come and has additional volunteers and supplies on standby.

Over the past 10 years, the Red Cross has launched 127 large relief operations to help people affected by floods in 38 states. The organization has learned that floods can be especially long and costly relief operations as communities wait for floodwaters to recede before they can begin cleaning up their homes and neighborhoods.