The American Red Cross and our partners are helping day and night as weary Floridians once again deal with the heartbreaking aftermath of a deadly hurricane and exhausted people in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee continue to cope with the destruction left behind and support communities devastated by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

How the Red Cross Is Supporting Communities Devastated by Hurricane Milton

More than 14,000 people spent Thursday night in evacuation shelters across Florida, where the danger isn’t over. Many rivers are at flood stage and heavy rain and thunderstorms could lead to flooding over the weekend. Millions are without power, and Milton’s damage can be seen across the state from the numerous tornadoes, heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge.

The priority of the Red Cross is making sure people have a safe place to stay with food and water. As conditions improve, dozens of emergency response vehicles will begin to travel through affected neighborhoods, delivering meals and relief supplies.

If an emergency has forced you to evacuate your home, or disrupted your access to essential services, the Red Cross may be able to help. You can access these services even if you don’t need a place to sleep — anyone with a disaster-related need can visit a Red Cross shelter for assistance as the Red Cross strives to support communities devastated by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Evacuation shelters will transition to emergency shelters, and the locations may change as we find places better equipped to support people who can’t return home. If you need a safe place to stay visit redcross.org, download the free Red Cross Emergency app or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). You can also find shelters by following your local Red Cross and local emergency officials on social media, or by monitoring local news. People don’t have to stay overnight in shelters to have access to Red Cross services. If you need help getting to a shelter in Florida, call 800-729-3413 for help or visit floridadisaster.org.

Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or citizenship status. 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.

Read the full article about supporting communities devastated by hurricanes at American Red Cross.