Over the last two weeks, communities across Texas have been battered by a series of severe storm systems, resulting in tornadoes, flash flooding and power outages. From severe weather systems to Hurricane Patricia, residents across the state of Texas  have been forced out of their homes and railways and roadways have been shut down. Tornadoes and heavy rain impacted Central Texas on Friday. Multiple towns were affected by tornadoes and up to 16 inches of rain fell on parts of Central Texas. The same thunderstorms impacted the Gulf Coast Region in and around Houston on Saturday. Tornadoes and heavy rain forced evacuations and caused damage to homes.

The severe storms are moving east through the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic which could see flash flooding over the next few days. The Red Cross is monitoring the storm and will respond if needed.

American Red Cross Response

The American Red Cross is helping people in Texas after tornadoes and severe thunderstorms slammed into the state over the weekend. More than 100 people spent Sunday night in five Red Cross and community shelters. Over 220 Red Cross staff and volunteers have been hard at work serving nearly 1,300 meals and snacks to residents in need. We continue to work in close collaboration with government officials and community partners to coordinate ongoing and future response efforts. Through our long-standing partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Red Cross and the Southern Baptists have set up a kitchen to provide mobile feeding and ensure families across the state have a hot meal to eat.

The latest severe weather comes on the heels of flooding which occurred recently in Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia. The Red Cross has been helping people since the flooding began, including:

• Opening a total of 24 shelters with more than 650 overnight stays
• Providing more than 7,000 meals and snacks
• Distributing more than 1,890 relief supplies
• Providing more than 300 health and mental health services
• Deploying more than 200 disaster workers and 18 emergency response vehicles to help those in need.

While the storm systems have mostly cleared in Texas, our work is just beginning. The Red Cross will be there in the weeks and months ahead to help residents with one-on-one casework support so they can begin their journey on the road to recovery. As flood waters recede and residents begin to return home and assess damage, the Red Cross will be there to help them navigate paperwork, get access to financial assistance and start returning to normal life.