Red Cross closing Mobile Co. shelters

MOBILE, Ala. - Due to the rapidly improving weather conditions following Tropical Storm Ida, the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter is closing the two emergency evacuation shelters in Mobile County at 9:30am.

Overnight, 23 clients stayed at Satsuma High School and 35 stayed at Theodore High School. Shelter clients were provided with food, emotional support services, and health services. The Red Cross is not providing financial assistance.

The Red Cross offers the following tips for those in the affected area to stay safe as they return home:

Continue listening to local radio or television stations or a NOAA Weather Radio for updated information and instructions. If you are away from home, return only when authorities say it is safe to do so.

• Avoid damaged areas as your presence might hamper rescue and other emergency operations and put you at further risk from the residual effects of tornadoes.
• Stay out of damaged buildings.
• Carry a map to help you route around heavy traffic or impassable roads.
• When it is safe to return home, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes when examining your walls, doors, staircases and windows for damage.
• Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately.
• Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline, or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.
• Take pictures of the damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims.
• Use the telephone only for emergency calls. Telephone lines are frequently overwhelmed in disaster situations. They need to be kept clear for emergency calls to get through.
• Watch your animals closely. Keep all your animals under your direct control. Your pets may be able to escape from your home or through a broken fence. Pets may become disoriented, particularly because tornadoes and the heavy rains that accompany them will usually affect scent markers that normally allow animals to find their homes.

The Red Cross depends on the generosity of the American people to fulfill our mission. To help disaster victims please contact the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross at (251) 438-2571 or visit www.redcrossalcoast.org.