Contact: Jill Gorin
Cell: (615) 456-2250
Office: (615) 250-4272
gorinj@nashvilleredcross.org

Red Cross Opens Six Shelters, Begins Mass Care Operation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 31, 2008) --        The American Red Cross opened six shelters overnight to house evacuees from Hurricane Gustav. The Red Cross is currently deploying a massive mass care operation in the form of sheltering and feeding, distributing meals to the evacuees, and providing health and mental health services at all shelter locations.

Partner agencies include the Salvation Army, Second Harvest Food Bank, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief Kitchen, TEMA, OEM and the Humane Association.

 The Red Cross asks that the public DO NOT bring any items such as clothing, furniture, diapers or other items to any of these shelters. The Red Cross ONLY ACCEPTS MONETARY donations. If anyone would like to help, please make a donation at www.nashvilleredcross.org to the National Disaster Relief Fund. These activities as well as the hurricane relief effort in the Gulf will be funded through the National Disaster Relief Fund. For inquiries regarding hurricane evacuees in the Gulf or the disaster relief operation, please call 1-866-GET-INFO and visit www.safeandwell.org. This site has registered evacuees who have identified themselves as being safe and well.

The Red Cross partners with agencies who do accept items such as clothing, furniture, etc. Anyone wishing to donate those items are asked to call 2-1-1 for the appropriate agency.

**For media inquiries, please contact Jill Gorin, Spokesperson for the Nashville Area Red Cross, at (615) 456-2250 BEFORE arriving at a Red Cross shelter.

 (MEDIA: Please Note, you MUST get permission from a Red Cross spokesperson before entering any Red Cross shelter. You will have the opportunity to interview evacuees, but ONLY if they are willing to be interviewed. We ask that you please understand the evacuees’ emotions could be running high and please have consideration for them at this time.)

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.