Northern Nevada Red Cross sends 17 volunteers to provide disaster aid

RENO - The Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross continues to deploy trained volunteers to provide support to families displaced from their homes in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and North Carolina due to the tornadoes and floods.

Five volunteers from various communities around Northern Nevada left Wednesday for Northern Mississippi to help provide a variety of services to those in need as a result of recent tornados and floods. Two more volunteers will be deployed later this week, one to Northern Mississippi and one to Tennessee.

"We are very pleased with the response we've gotten from our volunteers who are willing to travel to these disaster areas and provide the help and support the American Red Cross is so famous for providing," said Caroline Punches, executive director of the Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross. "The commitment and compassion of our volunteers is remarkable."

Northern Nevada volunteer deployments began as early as April 19 when one person was deployed to North Carolina and another to Mississippi. A third volunteer was deployed to Alabama 10 days later on April 29. An additional four volunteers were dispatched to Alabama the next day (see attached list).

May has been equally busy for volunteers. As floods began to threaten Tennessee, three volunteers were deployed there on Saturday with one more scheduled to depart later this week.

Red Cross volunteers provide a number of services which are designed to ensure those people impacted by the tornados and floods are receiving the support they need. Volunteers provide comforting words, hot meals, and shelter until residents find a more permanent situation. Additionally, volunteers are staffing emergency operation centers or acting as community liaisons working with our partners. Other volunteers are providing emotional support and distributing hygiene supplies and clean-up kits.

The American Red Cross, Northern Nevada Chapter covers 87,000 square miles with a population of more than 670,000 people. Our chapter territory is from Tonopah north, with our main chapter in Reno and branch offices in Elko, Incline Village and Winnemucca.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information about becoming a volunteer, health and safety classes, or making a donation to support your Northern Nevada chapter, call 775-856-1000 or visit www.nevada.redcross.org.

American Red Cross, Northern Nevada Chapter volunteers currently deployed to disaster areas include:

Mississippi (Tornados)

Trudy Myers, Carson City

Tennessee (Floods)

Kevin Schaller, Gardnerville