As of Wednesday evening, 45 Iowa Red Cross volunteers have deployed to Texas and Louisiana. Dozens more will be headed south in the coming weeks.
All six emergency response vehicles (ERVs) in Iowa have also been deployed and the Iowa Red Cross is now helping other Red Cross regions deploy their ERVs.
The Red Cross expects Hurricane Harvey to surpass the response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005.
The Red Cross is preparing to shelter 50,000 people in the next few weeks. Preliminary estimates indicate at least 32,000 people sought refuge in more than 230 shelters across Texas Tuesday night. More than 1,500 volunteers are on the ground and more help is on the way. Four thousand Red Cross volunteers and staffers are expected to be in Texas by Friday. Along with its partners, the Red Cross has served more than 180,000 meals and snacks since the storm began.
