Dear Red Cross partners and friends,

There have been several disasters affecting the Central and East Texas areas in the past 24 hours. I’d like to offer a quick update on the events and the American Red Cross response made possible by your support.

What’s Happened:

  • Brazos County – A tornado touched down in Bryan, TX Thursday afternoon and there has been significant flooding. Dozens of homes have been damaged or destroyed.
  • Travis, Lee, Grimes, Bastrop, Fayette, Waller, and Montgomery Counties – Major storm and Colorado River flooding and evacuations, with affected areas receiving up to 18 inches of rain. One of the hardest hit communities is Brenham, Texas.

Our Response:

  • American Red Cross staff and volunteers have opened or supported eight shelters in the affected areas, where we’ve had up to 36 displaced individuals per location so far.
  • Our Emergency Response Vehicles are deployed in heavily-affected areas, providing meals, water, snacks, and bulk cleanup items free of charge to affected residents.
  • Our dedicated Disaster Assessment and Casework teams will be canvassing affected areas and directly providing for the immediate needs of those affected.

Please understand that none of this critical response and recovery work is possible without your generous support. Sincere thanks for your championship of our mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies like these.

On behalf of the American Red Cross and the communities we serve, I hope you have a safe Memorial Day weekend.