British Red Cross activates disaster fund for areas hit by floods

The British Red Cross has released £50,000 from its Disaster Fund to help people who have been most affected by the flooding in Yorkshire and the Midlands.
The British Red Cross has released 50,000 to help people across parts of the Midlands and South Yorkshire hit by devastating floods last week.The British Red Cross has released 50,000 to help people across parts of the Midlands and South Yorkshire hit by devastating floods last week.
The British Red Cross has released 50,000 to help people across parts of the Midlands and South Yorkshire hit by devastating floods last week.

The money will be used to help people's immediate circumstances in hard hit communities, and will be distributed based on need by local organisations through the Community Foundation network.

Red Cross chief executive Michael Adamson said: “This money will go some way to meeting really urgent needs that our volunteers and staff are seeing on the ground. For example, we have families forced to leave their homes and given accommodation by councils, but who are struggling with their cash flow for basics like food.

“We know first-hand from our work in the UK and internationally that when you’re caught up in a disaster, your needs can be very different from the next person’s. Thanks to the generosity of the public and our corporate donors, we can listen and help identify individual needs and work with local groups to ensure that we’re supporting in the best way possible."

He added: “It’s because people give to our Disaster Fund that we can help when disaster strikes. We’re grateful to the public and donors who give all year round to make sure we’re there when the worst happens.”

The charity has been working in partnership with community foundations, other charities and local authorities to support the emergency response since the floods first hit.

It is also working closely with the recently launched National Emergencies Trust, which is advising on the regional appeals and distribution of funds to those most affected by flooding.

Money from the British Red Cross Disaster Fund will be shared between the South Yorkshire Community Foundation and the Derbyshire Community Foundation.

Ruth Willis, chief executive of the South Yorkshire Community Foundation, said: “This funding support from the British Red Cross is gratefully received.

"Right now, people across the region have been left devastated and this contribution to the South Yorkshire Flood Disaster Relief Appeal will help so many people to regain a little normalcy back into their lives.”

The Red Cross responds to an emergency in the UK approximately every four hours. The charity and its volunteers carry out first aid, run rest centres and provide safe spaces where they offer emotional and practical support.

Every year, the Red Cross helps around half a million people in the UK to prepare for, respond to and recover from a crisis.

To donate to the disaster fund, go to donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund.

Related topics: