Community Corner
As Hurricane Sandy Hits, St. Louis Red Cross Volunteers Are There
Flights have been canceled at Lambert airport; the American Red Cross Greater St. Louis Region has dispatched 14 volunteers and five emergency response vehicles; Ameren is also dispatching utility workers east.
As the East Coast begins to be hammered by Hurricane Sandy, the St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross has dispatched regional volunteers and emergency response vehicles to the storm-battered area.
The American Red Cross Greater St. Louis Region, based in Creve Coeur, has now sent 14 volunteers and five emergency response vehicles, as the storm is already leaving tens of thousands without power.
More from the Red Cross:
Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
These volunteers from around the region are serving in the relief efforts in New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. They are driving the emergency response vehicles, working in shelters, and assisting in the areas of mental health and staff health.
At this time, all further deployments, with the exception of possibly emergency response vehicles, are being halted until at least Wednesday due to hurricane and travel conditions.
Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Right now, the Red Cross is opening four mega shelters in New Jersey. Each can house up to 600 people and allows the organization to deliver disaster services more efficiently. There are also shelters open in North Carolina and Virginia; more shelters could be opened soon.
ALSO: Do you have friends or family being affected by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast?
You can click on to any of our Patches up and down the East Coast—part of our national Patch community—and get live local updates from communities in the path of the storm including:
- TomsRiver.Patch.com
- Matawan-Aberdeen.Patch.com
- Stonington.Patch.com
- Ridgewood.Patch.com
And contact us with your messages as well—we will share them here and there as the communities brace for the storm.
Meanwhile, FOX2now.com reports that at least 82 of Lambert’s 500 flights were cancelled Monday morning as Hurricane Sandy threatened the East Coast. (Check your departing flight status.)
FOX2now also reported that an Ameren spokesperson says more than 50 utility crews were dispatched to the northeast.
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