DES MOINES, IOWA (April 9, 2025) — As part of a massive multi-state relief effort, the American Red Cross is rushing critical emergency support to thousands of families pummeled by relentless floods and tornadoes across the South and Midwest. This support includes eighteen Iowans who have deployed or soon will deploy. Severe storms, strong winds, tornadoes, and heavy rains have inundated communities leaving a trail of heartbreak with damaged homes, roadways, and critical infrastructure. The threat of flooding isn’t over as rivers continue to rise.
The Iowans are joining more than 600 trained Red Cross responders. These Red Cross responders are working alongside our partners to provide safe shelter, nutritious meals, and emergency supplies in storm-impacted communities across an area stretching from Texas to Illinois and Indiana. Already, the Red Cross has provided hundreds of overnight stays in more than thirty shelters across ten states, along with more than 16,300 meals and snacks and thousands of relief items. In shelters, trained Red Cross volunteers are helping families cope during this challenging time and replacing prescription medications, eyeglasses, or critical medical equipment like canes and wheelchairs.
This unfolding crisis is part of a years-long trend of worsening extreme weather. Today, the Red Cross is responding non-stop to new major disasters about every fifteen days versus every month a decade ago. 2025 already witnessed a significant number of big disasters, like storms and wildfires, following 2024, which recorded the second-highest number of billion-dollar disasters in a single year.
Iowans can support Red Cross Disaster Relief and help people affected by disasters like floods, storms, and countless other crises by making a financial gift or by joining the Red Cross as a volunteer. Visit RedCross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) to learn more.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about forty percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
