Help from Utah is on the way!

Volunteer Lourdes Mariscal




Volunteer Heather Stoddard







Four local Red Cross Volunteers Deploy to Help in Devastating Disasters

Salt Lake City, UTAH (Wednesday, May 05, 2010) — While so many of us are watching the devastation due to tornadoes and flooding in the South on the national news this week, a few Utahns are en route to help the thousands displaced from the comfort of their homes. One Red Cross disaster-trained volunteer from the Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter, two from the Mountain Valley Chapter based in Provo and one from the Northern Utah Chapter based in Ogden have been deployed to help with disaster relief efforts including sheltering, feeding and clothing those people affected in the disaster zones.

Disaster Volunteer Heather Stoddard (see photo) is flying to Nashville this afternoon. This is her very first national deployment with the Red Cross. She is a nurse and will be helping with health services and sheltering for the people affected by the flooding there. Heather said, “I’m excited to deploy. I’ve volunteered with the Red Cross since about 1992 and have done everything from teaching First Aid and CPR courses to helping people affected by local disasters like apartment fires with some comfort and care when they need it most.” One volunteer from Northern Utah, Laurita Smith, is a communications National Reserve Member. She left yesterday for Tennessee. She will be working with the Emergency Communications Response Vehicles (ECRV) that are deployed in the areas of mass power outages. From the Provo area, disaster-trained volunteers Lourdes Mariscal and Chris Doty will be flying from Salt Lake City to Tennessee this afternoon. The American Red Cross has opened more than two dozen shelters in response to the powerful weather system that generated tornadoes and caused severe flooding across the South.

How You Can Help: People can send a $10 donation to help those affected by disasters across the country by texting the word ‘REDCROSS’ to 90999. The donation will appear on your next mobile phone bill.

About the American Red Cross Utah Region: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; supplies blood to 30 area hospitals; and supports military members and their families. The organization also provides emergency utility assistance and international family tracing services. The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization, not a government funded agency, which depends entirely upon volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. Donate your time or resources to your local Red Cross: Northern Utah Chapter/Ogden (801) 627-0000, Cache County Office/Logan (435)752-1125, Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter 801-323-7000, Mountain Valley Chapter/Provo (801) 373-8580. Visit www.utahredcross.org and click “Across Utah.”