The Red Cross continues to provide hope, shelter and meals to those affected in Louisiana.

If you are asking yourself, “How can I help them?” Well, it’s as easy as sending a text (if you can’t do it yourself, may I recommend finding your nearest 5-year-old as they are shockingly amazing at it.) Simply text LAFLOODS to 90999 and a ten dollar donation to the American Red Cross will appear on your next cellular phone bill. Those with iPhones can also make a $5-$200 donation through iTunes and the App Store.

This donation will help us provide services and relief items to those affected by flooding in Louisiana.

Seven days in to the response, Red Cross shelters have hosted over 42,000 overnight stays. Nearly 2,800 remain in shelters. This is a number not typically seen this many days into an operation.

We have distributed 250,000 meals and snacks in shelters and communities.

Many are starting the work of rebuilding their lives; this is the next phase of a disaster response. Teams of Red Cross workers, including more than a dozen volunteers from Northeast Ohio, are in communities where the waters have receded, surveying the damage done and helping families navigate available financial and well-being assistance. Red Cross trucks from around the country are out providing meals and cleaning supplies to those tackling the job of repairing their homes.

The current estimate for the Red Cross response in Louisiana stands at $30 million.

August 19, 2016. Denham Springs, Louisiana. Destiny, 8, helped carry a Red Cross clean-up kit to her home. (Her mom Hope and Aunt Linda are in the background). Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross

August 19, 2016. Denham Springs, Louisiana. Del Ruiseco gives Red Cross relief supplies, including clean-up kits and water, to Melanie Taylor. Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross

August 19, 2016. Denham, Louisiana. Project Homecoming relief workers Karin Peri-Ramos (l) and Christina Drake (r) deliver Red Cross clean-up kits to families beginning to recover from the flooding in southern Louisiana Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross

August 19, 2016. Denham Springs, Louisiana. Judy and Randy Bergeron show Red Cross relief worker Lynette Nyman their home after the flood. Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross

August 19, 2016. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Red Cross volunteer Greg Clover from San Diego, CA, surveys relief supplies, including water and clean-up kits, ready for distribution to families affected by the flooding in southern Louisiana. Clover serves as manager at the main relief supply warehouse in Baton Rouge. Photo by Marko Kokic for the American Red Cross

August 18, 2016. Denham Springs, Louisiana. “I can’t cry in front of my family,” says Navy veteran Benjamin Bonin, who tells the harrowing story of floodwaters rushing through his neighborhood in Denham Springs to Red Cross relief worker Lynette Nyman. “I heard screams from across the street,” says Bonin. He evacuated with his family as soon as he could, but not before helping others who were more vulnerable and unable to get out alone. “I pulled people out all day and all night.” Bonin welcomed iced water from the Red Cross during flood relief efforts. Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross

August 18, 2016. Denham Springs, Louisiana. Tears fill Fonda’s eyes as she ran, arms opens, from her flooded Louisiana home. Her first request? “I want a hug,” says Fonda Buckley as she embraces Red Cross volunteer Cora Lee. Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross

August 19, 2016. Denham Springs, Louisiana. Red Cross volunteer Sarah Carman delivers relief supplies in Denham Springs, Louisiana. Photo by: Marko Kokic/American Red Cross