As relentless atmospheric rivers once again inundate California, the American Red Cross continues to provide vital support. Along with sheltering, our volunteers are out in communities delivering essentials like warm meals and cleanup supplies to people as they complete the arduous task of mucking out their homes. Thursday night, some 165 evacuees took refuge in 5 Red Cross shelters across Central California.
SHELTERS ARE OPEN:
Central Valley Chapter
NEW: Tulare County: Tulare Fairgrounds Gate 7, Building 5 (215 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, Tulare, CA 93274)
Tulare County: Porterville College Gym (100 E College Ave, Porterville, CA 93257)
Tulare County: Exeter Veterans Memorial Building (324 N Kaweah Ave, Exeter, CA 93221)
Kern County & Eastern Sierra Chapter
Kern County: 11th Street Community Center (200 W. 11th Street, Delano 93215)
Mono County: Mammoth Middle School (1600 Meridian Blvd, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546)
In coordination with Kern County, the shelter at Kern Valley High School (3340 Erskine Creek Rd, Lake Isabella, CA 93240) was closed yesterday.
Californians will see a brief break in the seemingly endless severe weather this weekend before a new major storm system arrives late Monday and affects conditions in the Golden State until Wednesday.
Next week’s storm could bring as much as 4 inches of new rain and heavy snow to the already saturated region. With 14 atmospheric rivers striking California since late December, a new storm has occurred every 6.5 days. The state has gotten between 400% and 600% of its average rainfall since Christmas and the southern Sierra Nevadas have recorded its largest snowpack ever — more than 600 inches of snow.
Our workers will do all they can to accommodate service animals and domesticated pets comfortably. If you go to a shelter, please bring your own animal crate, supplies, medications and food whenever possible. Depending on the situation, pets may need to be housed in a different location with support from animal welfare groups such as County Animal Services and Central California Animal Disaster Team.
Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or citizenship status, and all disaster assistance is free. We don’t require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter, just their name and where they were living before the disaster.
If an emergency threatens your neighborhood, be prepared to evacuate quickly and leave the area if local officials tell you to do so. We encourage people who plan to stay in a Red Cross shelter to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don’t forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, or for family members who have unique needs. Cots, hygiene products, blankets and comfort items will be provided at the shelter. Red Cross volunteers are onsite to support evacuees with their basic needs, as well as health services.
Be safe and listen to the advice of emergency officials. If you need a safe place to stay, find open shelters on the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).
As many as 675 trained Red Cross disaster workers have been deployed for the most recent set of storms to work with local and state officials to help ensure people get the assistance they need. You can help people affected by disasters like floods, fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief or by signing up to become a volunteer at redcross.org
Taylor Poisall (she, her)
Regional Communications Director
American Red Cross
Central California Region
(559) 513-1656 (c)
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