RED CROSS RESPONSE Shelters are open in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia to help people who need a safe place to stay. Thursday night, at least 10,000 people sought refuge in as many as 100 Red Cross and partner shelters across the three states. The overwhelming majority of shelter residents are located in Florida.

Communities are under water, Sanibel and Captiva Islands are cut off from the rest of the state, homes have been swept from their foundations, more than 2 million customers are without power, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing. River flooding will continue through next week across central Florida.

Some 1,000 trained Red Cross disaster workers are supporting relief efforts in Florida and hundreds more are helping in other states in the path of Ian.

Over the coming days, evacuation centers in Florida will transition to emergency shelters that can provide more robust services. This can be a challenging time, and the goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible for people needing help.