The American Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Crookston Sports Center for anyone who has been affected by the flooding of the Red Lake River. The Shelter will also be used for those who have been volunteering their time by sandbagging or walking dikes.
Following flooding, the Red Cross connects with those affected and provides emergency assistance, such as a safe place to stay, food, relief items like toiletries, health and mental health services, and one-on-one support to connect people to available recovery assistance.
“Our hearts go out to our neighbors who were impacted by this flood,” said Kevin Mehrer, executive director for the Red Cross chapter serving Eastern North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota.
“We have decided to open this shelter here in Crookston for anybody that needs a place to sleep/stay or needs food,” said Sandra Heggeness who is from the American Red Cross and stationed at the Crookston Sports Center. “Even if people just need something to drink or want food they can certainly stop by, and we can provide that for them.”
Heggeness also said the shelter will be open for as long as needed over the next few days or even longer depending on how long it takes to handle the situation. “As far as we know, we haven’t heard any plans about closing,” said Heggeness. “So until we hear that we will be open for the next several days until everything gets taken care of and people have a place to stay.”
For those interested in learning more, or if they have any questions, they can stop by the Crookston Sports Center located at 801 Fisher Ave Crookston, Minnesota 56716. You can also call 701-298-8078 if you need any additional details.
The shelter will be operating around the clock 24/7 and open at any time. Pictures of the shelter being set up and in operation can be found below.
