Patricia Waldinger of Presto (Allegheny County), the Red Cross Western Pennsylvania chief executive officer, will be heading to Texas to serve as an elected official liaison for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation currently under way in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
To date, 26 total Western Pennsylvania staff and volunteers have been deployed to the area – 25 in Texas and one in Louisiana. In addition, two Western Pennsylvania Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (one from DuBois and one from Erie) are heading to Texas on Monday morning.
Last night, over 1,800 people took refuge in one of 34 Red Cross and community shelters currently operating in the area. With the risk of more severe flooding due to heavy rains over the next several days, the number of shelters and people seeking shelter could potentially rise.
Nationally, the Red Cross is mobilizing additional staff and volunteers to assist with the relief operation. Hundreds of Red Crossers are already on the ground and many more are in the process of being deployed.
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Blair County
- Josh Berkheimer of Hollidaysburg to assist with sheltering (Texas).
Clarion County
- Tim Lyautey of Knox to assist with sheltering (Texas).
Clearfield County
- Eugene Grzeda of DuBois to serve as an ERV Driver (Texas).
McKean County
- Paula Pierce of Kane to assist with sheltering (Texas).
