Marci Moody and her husband were just a mile or so away from their home in Alvin, Texas when the tornado tore through their community in December. They scrambled to get home to asses the damage with Ms Moody particularly concerned that her dogs might have been trapped inside the house when it hit. The impact that stared at them upon reaching home still makes her very emotional. The roof of another house within their property had been shredded. Marci’s dogs were trapped inside the house with the front door jammed shut. Marci used all her force to open it . Their floor had received quite an impact and appeared to cave in with every step. Everything had flown into different spaces. The ran into a room whose door to had been shut by the flying debris, sparing their lives in the process. The Moody’s mobile home had flown to the neighbors property together with part of their fence. Most of their windows were shattered. There was no telling if the big trees on either side of the house prevented something way worse from happening, given that their nephew was at home at the time. She says Red Cross has been amazing to them, with the timely response being particularly appreciated by the community that is just recovering from such a devastating loss. “It’s unfortunate that it took a tornado to hit our community for me to appreciate the work Red Cross does in supporting the vulnerable communities,” Ms Moody says, adding that the support shown to her has made her to seriously think of donating to their cause and volunteer. “They have been friends indeed.” It is a sentiment shared by her community. For Ms Moody and the rest, there was the added grief of losing a neighbor who was caught on tornado’s path. Across from her street is a display of the devastation, with a truck hanging upside down on the neighbor’s garage roof. Another car is trapped inside with shattered windows. The neighborhood has come together in a touching show of solidarity to help each other through the trying time. Their house is inhabitable, including the kitchen where everything is scattered all over. The family has to buy food - breakfast, lunch and dinner - to get by. Some times a neighbor brings them something. Ms. Moody says it’s the simple things that matter, like gloves, tarps and voucher/coupons for food. Red Cross has been on hand and she’s beyond grateful.

Our amazing Red Cross team has been busy the past 4 days helping the families who were affected by tornadoes and qualify for assistance, with financial aid to help them start their road to recovery. The Red Cross works with partners and community advocates to identify households whose homes were destroyed or sustained eligible damage. This outreach includes sending mobile teams of Red Cross workers into heavily damaged neighborhoods and setting up enrollment sites.

Los voluntarios son el corazón y el alma de la Cruz Roja. Cuando ocurren desastres y las personas son desplazadas de sus hogares, usted puede ser el refugio en la tormenta. Regístrese para ser voluntario del refugio hoy mismo yendo a redcross.org/volunteer

Much of our region is under a freeze warning tonight. Make sure you're keeping your loved ones safe by also staying warm tonight! 🚰 Prevent your pipes from freezing 🔥 Follow guidance for using ovens or space heaters to stay warm 🐶🐱 Bring your pets inside

Use the tips below if you're choking and alone! 👇

Every year, loved ones are separated due to armed conflict, migration and disasters. When this happens, the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network helps locate missing family members. This program is a free and confidential service. We can help if: - Families are separated internationally as a result of conflict, disaster, migration, or other humanitarian emergency. - Families have already tried normal channels of communication to reconnect. - The family member inquiring can provide information on the sought person. - The family member inquiring is a relative who had been in direct contact with the sought person before the crisis occurred. If you or someone you know is looking for a missing loved one and fits these requirements, please visit this site to learn more: https://rdcrss.org/4gcFhnE

Schedule an appointment to give blood December 13 through January 13 in order to participate in the Southwest & Rocky Mountain Battle of the Bees. All presenting donors that signed up using the blood link during this time period will receive a custom Battle of the Bees pin. 🐝 🐝 Sign up today: https://rdcrss.org/3ZkSgxo

“We didn’t know about the Red Cross until we saw their vehicles arrive,” Juan Ramirez said. “We are very grateful for their help.” Ramirez and his family lost their home during the tornado that recently hit Alvin. The Red Cross has helped the Ramirez family and others with their recovery process.

In response to the climate crisis, the American Red Cross is enhancing its support for those who need it most and its capacity to respond to the continuous pace of climate disasters. One of the organization’s new initiatives — the Community Adaptation Program — is focused on strengthening local partner networks in communities with chronic disaster risks and socioeconomic issues. To boost disaster preparedness and resilience, the Red Cross is working with hyper-local partners that focus on increasing access to food, health and housing resources.

Did you know that in the United States, it takes an average of 8 minutes for an ambulance to arrive on scene? In the event of sudden cardiac arrest, help can't wait. Each minute that CPR and use of an AED are delayed for a person in cardiac arrest, their chance for survival is reduced by 7- 10%. Timely CPR and use of an AED can make a lifesaving difference in the moments that matter. Take a #CPR class today and learn how you can be a lifesaver: https://rdcrss.org/3THYfcx #CPRSavesLives