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.