American Red Cross offering emergency financial assistance to Iowans in need

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The American Red Cross will be offering emergency financial assistance to those whose residences sustained major damage or were destroyed due to last week’s derecho storm.

The Red Cross said its Immediate Assistance will allow eligible households to apply for $450 to support emergency needs, with funds being made available through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

People will be allowed to make their own decisions about how to use the funds based on what they need as they recover from storm damage. The Red Cross gave examples of replacing clothes or food, offsetting transportation costs, or using the money for other immediate needs.

The Red Cross defines major damage as significant structural damage to a home that will require extensive repairs, including failure of the roof, walls or foundation. And it defines destroyed homes as those that are considered a total loss due to damage so extensive that repair is not considered feasible.

To apply call 1-800-REDCROSS, and select prompt 4. The American Red Cross said the application requires a valid text enabled phone number and/or an email address for processing.

For information about other resources Red Cross provides, call 211 or visit redcrossdisasterresources.auntbertha.com.

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