Over 20 Arizona Red Cross members deployed to Texas for relief efforts
With Hurricane Harvey being the first Category 4 Hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in over a decade, Texas was going to need all the help it could get.
Miguel Debernardis cleans up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Katy, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
PHOENIX — With Hurricane Harvey being the first Category 4 Hurricane to make landfall in the United States in over a decade, Texas was going to need all the help it could get.
That’s where the American Red Cross comes in, and more specifically, Texas’ near neighbors in Arizona.
A group of 30 from the American Red Cross were deployed to help with the relief efforts by Saturday, a mix of staff and volunteers. Of the 30 members, 23 will be from the Arizona Red Cross. The additional seven are from New Mexico and El Paso.
By Sunday, that number had risen to 40 from the region, with 34 from Arizona.
The American Red Cross’ 24 community shelters took in over 1,400 people that were taking refuge from the storm. They have 28 emergency response vehicles responding and 40 more on their way to the region.
The storm hit Texas Friday afternoon as a Category 4 Hurricane but 24 hours later has been downgraded to a tropical storm. Even with that in mind, the storm is expected to stay in the area for days to come and could bring catastrophic flooding. Some regions could see as much as 40 inches of rain.
Reports of the damage done by the storm began to flow in Saturday morning. A Coast Guard official said helicopters rescued 18 people from boats and barges. While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said there are no confirmed deaths, the storm has shelled out nearly three inches of rain an hour at times and left some streets in Houston submerged.
Nearly 300,000 customers were without power as of Saturday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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