WNY Red Cross Members Head To Louisiana For Hurricane Help

As of Sunday, people from Western New York are deploying with the Red Cross to help Hurricane Ida victims in Louisiana.

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According to NEWS 4 (WIVB-TV) local officials with the RedCross tell us they plan to send more people south as the need for relief increases.

Ida made landfall Sunday -- on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina -- as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

More than one million customers are without power in the region.

According to an alert sent out Sunday evening all of Orleans Parish was without power "due to catastrophic transmission damage." According to city officials, the only power in New Orleans at this time is coming from generators.

The power outage was also hindering the operation of sewer pumping stations.

"Currently there is no backup power to operate any of those that were impacted," the Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans said in a statement to CNN. "We are assessing how many of the 84 stations are impacted but the number may be very significant."

Sunday night, President Joe Biden granted Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' request for a major disaster declaration, ordering federal agencies to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

The Red Cross is now looking for additional volunteers to help not only nationally with Hurricane Ida, but also to assist with disasters here in the Western New York area.

“We certainly have an ongoing need for trained volunteers, especially as we’re in the midst of a response to Hurricane Ida, and it’s still very early in what we call our disaster season,” said Meg Rossman, regional communications manager, American Red Cross WNY Region.

If you’re interested in volunteering, the Red Cross is holding a recruitment drive Monday (today), from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the organization’s Delaware Avenue location.

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Source: WNY Red Cross Members Head To Louisiana For Hurricane Help

Filed Under: American Red Cross, Hurricane Ida, Local volunteers

Categories: WNY News