Each year, the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 67,000 disasters nationwide, including house or apartment fires (the majority of disaster responses), hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made disasters. Here in Central Mississippi, our volunteers respond daily to help people in their hour of need.

What does the American Red Cross do in disasters?

• Provides emergency shelter, food, and mental health services to address basic human needs.
• Provides basic assistance, e.g., groceries, new clothing, temporary housing, medicines.
• Serves as an information and referral source to help those affected obtain other resources.
• Serves as a source of emergency communication between disaster victims and family members located outside the disaster area.

The American Red Cross responds to disasters in central Mississippi almost every day.

With the support of our communities, Red Cross volunteers and staff respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout central Mississippi to assist families devastated by fires and other local disasters. The Central Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross provides food, shelter and clothing in addition to meeting other emergency needs for families. After taking care of their emergent needs, we also help families develop individualized disaster recovery plans and then tailor financial assistance to best meet their unmet emergency needs.

When you support the Red Cross, your support reaches far beyond a single disaster. Unfortunately, single family dwellings or multi-apartment fires happen nearly every week somewhere in central Mississippi counties. Isolated severe thunderstorms damage houses and destroy mobile homes. These disasters don’t attract the publicity or the level of public support that a major hurricane, massive flooding or multi-state tornados do. But for a family that loses their home and nearly everything they own, it doesn't matter how big the disaster is; only that they have lost everything and need emotional and financial assistance to rebuild their lives.

Our Disaster Volunteer Leadership and Emergency Services Staff are working with our government and community partners to plan for responses to the myriad of natural and man-made disasters that could strike at any time. We are better prepared for these disasters than ever before, but there is still much to do. While we can’t predict what the next disaster will be or where it will strike, the American Red Cross serving the central counties of Mississippi will always be there to help those in need!