Photos: Kurt Warner visits Cedar Rapids, 7.8.08

Photos available to the media for download. Courtesy Dave Knoer/American Red Cross.

Photos: Cedar Rapids 7.7.08

Photos available to the media for download. Courtesy Dave Knoer/American Red Cross.

Press Release: Iowa 7.7.08

RED CROSS TAKING ASSISTANCE STRAIGHT TO CLIENTS

Contact: (571) 918-5585

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Monday, July 7, 2008 – The American Red Cross service delivery center at Westdale Mall will close at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Outreach teams will take over emergency assistance casework in flood-affected communities in eastern Iowa and the Quad Cities area.

Outreach teams will make appointments to meet face-to-face with individuals and families to assess their emergency needs. Flood-impacted residents with disaster-related needs can call 1-866-GET-INFO (1-866-438-4636) toll-free to access services.

Red Cross assistance may include providing the means to pay for groceries, clothing or medications. It may also help cover rent or minor repairs that will help people get back into their homes more quickly. Individuals or families who apply to the Red Cross for assistance must have some form of identification showing their address, as proof that they lived in the area affected by the disaster.

Red Cross volunteers will be at the client service center in the former Osco’s store next to JC Penney at Westdale Mall, 2600 Edgewood Road SW, Cedar Rapids, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, governmental and social service agencies are making arrangements for accommodations for flood evacuees remaining in two Red Cross shelters at Viola Gibson Elementary School and Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids. Once those residents are moved, school personnel will begin preparing the buildings for students and teachers to return in the fall.

The Red Cross will continue to adjust services across Iowa and the Quad Cities area as needs change for shelters, meals, snacks, cleanup supplies, physical and mental health services and individual client assistance.

In Iowa and the Quad Cities area, through July 6, the Red Cross has:

• Opened 36 shelters with its partner organizations and provided nearly 6,600 overnight stays.
• Served some 683,000 meals and snacks
• Opened nearly 6,650 emergency assistance cases.
• Sent 44 emergency response vehicles and 1,630 Red Cross workers.
• Made nearly 17,000 first aid and mental health contacts.
• Distributed more than 28,500 clean-up kits.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of flooding and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

Photos: Cedar Rapids, Iowa 6.26.08

Photo available for download by the media. Courtesy Dave Knoer/American Red Cross.

Photos: Cedar Rapids 6.27.08

Photos available for download by the media. Courtesy Dave Knoer/American Red Cross.

Press Release: Iowa 6.28.08

RED CROSS FINISHES BULK DISTRIBUTION IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Contact: (571) 918-5585

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Saturday, June 28, 2008 – American Red Cross will wrap up distribution of flood cleanup supplies Sunday at the Westdale Mall, 2600 Edgewood Road SW, and Sam’s Shopping Center, 2605 Blairs Ferry Road NE in Cedar Rapids. The sites will open at 1 p.m. and close at 6 p.m.

“Since we are seeing fewer people coming to these two sites in Cedar Rapids, we are closing them. But we will continue to meet the immediate need for disaster supplies at our other locations and with mobile distribution,” said Red Cross bulk distribution volunteer Dena Skelly, from Dallas, Texas.

Red Cross volunteers will continue to hand out cleanup supplies, such as gloves, buckets and bleach, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1-6 p.m. Sundays at:
• Sycamore Mall, 1676 Sycamore St., Iowa City
• L&M Elementary School, 14506 170th St., Letts
• Solid Rock Baptist Church, 14041 Locust St., Wapello
• West Burlington Arnold Junior/Senior High School, 408 W. Van Weiss Blvd., West Burlington

Four Red Cross shelters remain open in eastern Iowa:
• University of Northern Iowa, West Gymnasium, 2501 Minnesota St., Cedar Falls
• Viola Gibson Elementary School, 6101 Gibson Drive NE, Cedar Rapids
• Prairie High School, 401 76th Ave., Cedar Rapids
• Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4261 Oakcrest Hill Road SE, Building A, Iowa City

Meanwhile, Red Cross workers continue to meet with flood-impacted residents to provide assistance for their emergency needs. All service delivery sites will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at:
• Westdale Mall, 2600 Edgewood Road SW, Cedar Rapids (former Osco’s next to JC Penney)
• Sycamore Plaza, 1600 Sycamore St., Iowa City
• American Red Cross of Quad Cities, 1100 River Drive, Moline, Ill.
• L&M Elementary School, 14506 170th St., Letts
• West Burlington Arnold Junior/Senior High School, 408 W. Van Weiss Blvd., West Burlington

Emergency assistance may include providing the means to pay for groceries, clothing, medicine or
transportation. It may also help cover rent or minor repairs that will help people get back into their homesmore quickly. Individuals or families who apply to the Red Cross for assistance must bring some form of identification showing their address, as proof that they lived in the area affected by the disaster.

Disaster victims, who because of age, physical difficulty, or similar reasons cannot come to a Red Cross Service Center, may call 1-866-GET-INFO (438-4636) toll-free to discuss assistance.

The Red Cross will continue to adjust services across Iowa as needs change for shelters, meals, snacks, cleanUp supplies, physical and mental health services and individual client assistance.

Red Cross assistance to date in Iowa (as of June 28):
• With its partner organizations, opened 36 shelters with more than 5,880 overnight stays.
• Served 510,000 meals and snacks.
• Opened more than 4,300 emergency assistance cases.
• Sent 48 emergency response vehicles and more than 1,626 Red Cross workers.
• Made more than 9,800 first aid and mental health contacts.
• Distributed more than 25,100 clean-up kits.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of flooding and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

Photos: Cedar Rapids Iowa 6.21.08

Photos available for download by the media. Courtesy Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross.

Photos: Cedar Rapids, Iowa 6.16.08

The following photos are available for download by media outlets. Courtesy Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross.

Audio: Service delivery site in Cedar Rapids

Service delivery site at mall in Cedar Rapids. Chance for individuals to sit down with a case worker to talk about their situation and family needs. Here’s where the Red Cross registers those impacted, checks on the status of homes, and helps provide for needs that begin their recovery.

LarryPIO‘s Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Photos: Red Cross Responds to Iowa Flooding

The following photos are available for download by media outlets. Courtesy Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross.

Photos: Service Delivery Site 6.17.08

Red Cross client service area at the Westdale Mall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

These photos are available for download by media outlets. Courtesy American Red Cross.

Photos: Returning Home in Cedar Rapids

Red Cross Shelter Resident Veronica Johnson Returns Home for the First Time Since the Flooding:

Read more about Veronica’s Story.

Audio: Cedar Rapids Resident Patricia Edmonds Returns Home

“When I entered my home and damage was almost inconceivable. The refridgerator was laying on the floor in the kitchen. The computer had actually floated off the desk and onto the floor. My dining room table, a huge heavy thing, just floated into another room.”

LarryPIO‘s Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Audio: Cedar Rapids Resident Robin Cooper Goes Home

LarryPIO‘s Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Audio: Shelter resident Veronica Johnson describes going home

Note: You will need to turn up your computer or mp3 player volume for this one.

LarryPIO‘s Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Audio: Assisting Residents with Return to Homes

“You could tell the family was going through their normal lives and had no time to prepare for this devastation.”

LarryPIO‘s Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Audio: Witnessing residents’ return to homes in Cedar Rapids

In Cedar Rapids entering the homes of individuals who have been affected near the river. The authorities have come and killed the electricity allowing people to come back safely.

Just entered a home and saw the devastation, the furniture in disarray, rugs saturated, mud everywhere. People’s lives and their history clearly destroyed.

The neighbors are pulling in now.

LarryPIO‘s Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Photos: Cedar Rapids, IA 6.14.08

The following photos are available for download by media outlets. Courtesy American Red Cross.

Photos: Blimpies Update

On 6.13.08 we shared a photo of the Blimpies off I-380 in Cedar Rapids:

This photo, taken 6.15.08 shows the flood waters have receded since then:

Video: Cedar Rapids 6.12.08

Slide show created by Dave Martin, Parish Manager of St. Wenceslaus Church in Cedar Rapids. The pictures are taken near and around his church and the surrounding neighborhood: