For 139 Years, the American Red Cross has been a helping hand during uncertain times and 2020 has been no exception. Recently the organization has had its hands full, offering relief from natural disasters like wildfires in California and Hurricane Laura, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"My heart goes out to the people that have been experiencing these back-to-back-to-back disasters," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of The American Red Cross. "Within the last 30 days we had the derecho in the Midwest, we had wildfires in California, and now, of course, we're dealing with Hurricane Laura."
Hurricane Laura left significant devastation in its path, affecting about 700,000 homes. "It's either they're out of power or the sewage system isn't working. or the water isn't working," said McGovern. "It's very, very difficult out there."
The organization has been distributing about 45,000 meals per day throughout this hurricane relief effort.
While it is not uncommon for the Red Cross to juggle multiple disaster response efforts simultaneously, 2020 has brought the additional challenge of helping large numbers of people with COVID-19 still spreading."We're still delivering our mission despite the pandemic," said McGovern.
In addition to staff members, the aid organization relies heavily on volunteers. "I have to say that I am so proud of our volunteers because they are coming out in the same numbers that they had been pre-COVID, which is remarkable," said McGovern. "These people are humanitarians: they see a need and they just have to jump in and fill it." She noted they could still use more volunteers and there are opportunities for people to volunteer virtually.
"We're still fulfilling our mission, but the way we are doing it is completely different. Wherever possible we are trying to put people in hotels, and we're doing that so that they can social distance so that we're not in large congregate shelters where the disease can spread," said McGovern. "If we have to open up a shelter we're trying to open up multiple shelters so there are fewer people in each."
People using the shelters receive health screenings when they enter and are required to wear masks. Inside, cots are socially distanced and hand sanitizer is readily available, she added. The organization has been able to secure a large number of hotel rooms, though, so people have a safe place to go where they are not surrounded by crowds.
Donations are still needed, however. "We think Hurricane Laura is going to probably cost about $20 million dollars and so far only $2.1 million has come through the door. Any gift would be deeply, deeply appreciated regardless of the size," she noted. Donations can be made at Redcross.org.
"It's a different world and yet we're still out there helping people to the best of our ability."
According to the latest report from the UN, several countries around the world are "nowhere near" towards their goal of limiting gas emissions. This report comes ahead of the COP26 which is slated to take place in the month of November in Scotland. Senior Advisor at CDP Paula Diperna, joined Cheddar to discuss what the report highlights and what this tells us about the future plans of the Paris Climate Agreement.
New details surrounding the deadly shooting that took place on the production set of "Rust" have now emerged. According to sources close to the matter, hours before the set several crew members walked off set over safety concerns. Senior Editor at Variety and host of the "Just for Variety" podcast Marc Malkin along with Certified Firearms Instructor and Founder of The Reload Stephen Gutowski, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Jill and Carlo cover the news out of Facebook's latest earnings, Tesla's monumental day, Dave Chappelle addresses controversy and the tragedy of the climate emergency.
Edtech startup ENTITY Academy raised $100 million in its latest round of funding. The company's platform offers tech training to women via online courses, in areas like data science and software development. The courses include mentoring and career coaching from people working in the tech industry. ENTITY Academy's founder and CEO Jennifer Schwab joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to talk more about the company and the funding.
LendingTree's latest survey found that parents and Gen Zers are the most likely to overspend on Halloween this year. Brianna Wright, a senior consumer research specialist at LendingTree, joined Cheddar to discuss what exactly consumers are splurging on this spooky season and how to carve out room in your budget to celebrate.
Connor Franta, YouTube star and author of 'House Fires,' joins Cheddar News to discuss his latest book which is a collection of essays, photos, and poems about dating, sex, relationships, mental health, and so much more.
Zaire Wade and Jalen Newsome, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of 'YNG DNA' join us to talk about their new NFT collection available Oct. 25 on WAX NFT blockchain.
According to new research by Twitter, the social media platform algorithm amplifies content from the "political right" rather than those on the left. The company says this data comes as the platform has been taking the time to research the implications of its algorithm and whether or not it has caused any "unknown harm". President and CEO of Media Matters for America Angelo Carusone, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The tragedy on the set of the movie "Rust" is sparking calls for safer Hollywood film sets. Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the film's director of photography and injured the director when he fired a prop gun while rehearsing a scene last week, unaware the weapon was loaded with live rounds. Tom Murray, entertainment editor of Insider, joined Cheddar to discuss how prop guns can still be very dangerous and why Hollywood has prioritized realism over safety, despite several on-set accidents over the decades.
