Northland Red Cross Responded To Over Four Hundred Disasters In 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, officials with the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross are grateful to the help they received from citizens over the past year.  Your contributions allowed them to respond to 407 disasters, providing relief to individuals and families when they need it most.

In a year that had deadly tornadoes, fierce wildfires and destructive floods in many states, the Northern Minnesota Region of the American Red Cross responded to 407 disasters, including 1 of the 146 large disaster relief efforts led by the American Red Cross in 42 states and territories in 2013.

“This year, the Red Cross continued to serve the people across our region through the dedicated work of its staff and volunteers,” said Phil Hansen, regional chapter executive of the American Red Cross Northern Minnesota Region. “2013 was a busy year and we are very thankful for everyone who supported our efforts to help those in need.”

During 2013, the Northern Minnesota Region responded to 406 residential fires, helping 1,972 adults and children with emergency aid, such as shelter, food, clothing, medical and emotional support. In May, the region deployed 41 disaster relief workers to the Menahga Wildfire in Minnesota and Germann Road Wildfire in Wisconsin. In addition, the region sent 59 workers to help with large disaster responses across the nation, including Oklahoma, Colorado, and Illinois.

Broken down in numbers, Red Cross disaster responses included:

• 16,700 workers—many of them volunteers—providing care, comfort and support to those in need.
• 89,000 contacts by specially trained workers with disaster victims who needed mental health support or health services, which is more people than the amount of travelers who pass through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on an average day.
• 1.8 million meals and snacks, the equivalent of feeding the entire population of Philadelphia lunch in a day.
• 29,000 overnight stays in shelters for people forced from their homes by disasters, enough to fill the largest hotel in New York City for more than two weeks.
• 1 million relief items distributed, including more than 33,700 toothbrushes.
• $74 million to more than 60 nonprofit partners to help people and communities recover from Superstorm Sandy.

For more information about the work that the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross provides, click here.