In 2024, extreme weather took an overwhelming toll on tens of thousands of Americans forced to cope with 24 different billion-dollar disasters — the second-highest number ever recorded. In fact, these large climate-related disasters are occurring so often that the American Red Cross is now responding nonstop to provide support and care on a massive scale.
Nationally, the scope of disasters increased this year’s demand for necessities like food and emergency lodging — both exceeding the five-year average. What’s more, this growing need for help means that for over two straight years — without a single night’s break — the Red Cross has worked with partners to provide emergency lodging for families with nowhere else to go after disasters.
Red Cross responds to 2024 disasters.
REPETITIVE STRIKES Across the country, more communities are suffering from back-to-back disasters and families are struggling with recurring losses as their efforts to rebuild are thwarted. For example, just two weeks apart, Hurricanes Helene and Milton shattered some of the same Southeast communities. To make matters worse, these storms ravaged neighborhoods that were still trying to rebuild after 2023’s Hurricane Idalia.
Here are some examples of how recurring disasters have affected families in three different states:
TRAGEDY STRIKES TWICE Clara Rice first lost her Barnsley, Kentucky, home in 2021 when tornadoes hit western Kentucky. She and her family relived that tremendous loss when powerful tornadoes hit her community again in late May 2024, destroying her home for the second time.
Despite living through this unimaginable situation, Clara is grateful she and her family survived the tornadoes. “These are just material things that can be replaced. A life can’t,” she said. Rice plans to rebuild her home for the second time.
Thanks to a Red Cross long-term recovery program, she and her family were able to ride out the latest tornadoes in a storm shelter installed through a grant to the Community Foundation of West Kentucky. “My neighbors got a storm shelter installed two months ago. That’s what we stayed in,” she said.
In June of this year, Clara had her own storm shelter installed through the same program. She said the Red Cross provided comfort when she needed to cry, food and water, and resources for her to call for financial help.
RECOVERY AND STABILITY It’s been more than a year since Hurricane Idalia destroyed Glenn Corp’s Florida house, a situation which has at times proven very difficult for him.
His house was rendered unlivable by the hurricane. Taking the first step toward rebuilding, he put in a shell driveway, only to have it destroyed by another storm. Desperation overtook him. Shock, sadness, wanting to give up, losing hope ─ these feelings would hit him without warning.
After Idalia, a team of Red Cross workers reached out to Glenn and provided everything from new eyeglasses and mental health support to refuge in a hotel, meals and $1,200 in financial assistance. He used the $1,200 to replace shoes lost in the disaster and to buy Christmas presents for his family. In short, this support provided him with a sense of stability.
Then in 2024, along came Hurricane Helene. “This last one, Hurricane Helene, they've been taking care of me again,” Glenn shared about assistance provided by Red Cross volunteers. “They moved me to a couple different hotels. They bring me food. I had no idea they would take care of me this long. No idea.”
Helene is the third storm to affect the Big Bend region of Florida in just over a year, preceded by Hurricanes Idalia and Debby. Through all three, the Red Cross has helped people like Glenn who were repeatedly affected by this trio of disasters.
WILL THE LEVEE FAIL AGAIN? On March 11, 2023, the Pajaro River in California breached a levee and flooded the town of Pajaro after weeks of relentless atmospheric rivers blanketed the state in rain and snow.
The flood damaged hundreds of structures, leaving families homeless, unemployed and traumatized — including Joanne Jackson, who fled the town with her husband and daughter in their travel trailer the day before the levee gave way. Today, they are still living in the trailer as they work to repair their house.
Joanne fears that the levee could fail again: “If it rains again, my house will be back under water. It’s like a black cloud hanging over our heads.”
The situation is taking a toll on her: “Mentally, I have my ups and downs. Everyone’s on the same page.” She added: “We love this area and want to stay here, but it’s not getting better.”
The family expressed gratitude for the financial assistance they received from the Red Cross — along with the friendship and hope provided by Red Cross volunteers.
“Boy, is that appreciated, what the Red Cross and everyone else did,” Joanne said. “I can’t even put it into words. The word ‘thank you’ was becoming shallow to me, I said it so much.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP Disasters and the need to care for people continue no matter the season. During the holidays, we expect to continue caring for many families who have lost everything. The nation’s intensifying climate crisis — on top of the ongoing threat of everyday disasters like home fires — underscores the continual need for support. Donate at redcross.org/gift to help provide emergency shelter, hot meals, blankets and more for families in need. You can also give the gift of time. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to review our most urgently needed volunteer positions.
Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help enable the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster.
ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Chobani; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; CMA CGM Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo
ADGP $500k Members: ALDI; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Boeing; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Philanthropy; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; ; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Paul Davis Restoration; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Zoetis Foundation
Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Albemarle Corporation; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar; Duke Energy; Erie Insurance; Equitable; Fifth Third Foundation; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L’Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation;; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Santander Bank and Santander Consumer USA Foundation Inc. ; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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