Red Cross Seeks Donations as Spring Storm and Wildfire Risks Climb Nationwide

More than 500 Red Cross disaster workers are responding around the clock this month to people affected by flash floods in Hawaii, tornadoes in the central United States, severe storms in the East and wildfires in Nebraska — and Tuesday, the organization named today, March 25, as Red Cross Giving Day, its largest annual push for public donations, timed precisely to the arrival of peak spring disaster season.

As forecasters warn of elevated spring storm, flood and wildfire risks nationwide, the American Red Cross is urging people to donate on Giving Day to help ensure families don't face disasters alone. The campaign's target: rally 30,000 individuals to help people affected by disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country.

The backdrop makes the appeal urgent. More than 40% of the United States is experiencing drought heading into spring, and that dryness, combined with warmer-than-average conditions, is setting the stage for an active start to wildfire season in parts of the country. Severe and volatile weather is common this time of year, with heightened flood risks from coast to coast and wildfire threats in drought-stricken communities from the Southwest to the Southeast. AccuWeather forecasters say flooding stands out as one of the most significant weather risks this spring, especially across the nation's midsection, while drought persists and expands in the Southwest and High Plains, bringing elevated fire risk.

So far this year, thousands of families nationwide have relied on Red Cross volunteers after disasters of all kinds. In January alone, severe winter storms across nearly a dozen states forced thousands to rely on the Red Cross for shelter, food and relief supplies, with the organization providing more than 264,000 meals and snacks that month, a 30% increase from the same period in 2025 — the year of record wildfires in Los Angeles. In February, more than 100 shelters were opened across the country for families displaced by winter storms stretching from California to the Northeast, alongside extensive flooding on the West Coast and wildfires across the Plains.

Edgar Olivo, a regional executive for the Red Cross, described the season's stakes plainly: "Spring ushers in some of the year's most volatile weather — and when disasters strike, they can upend lives in an instant. Whether families are facing a major storm, home fire or other crisis, they're counting on the Red Cross to be there with relief and hope. That's why Red Cross Giving Day calls on all of us to come together now and ensure support is there when help can't wait."

The need is measurable down to the local level. In Oklahoma, home fires account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters the Red Cross responds to every year, and in Green Country alone, Red Cross volunteers have helped more than 1,300 Oklahomans following home fires since January 1. A Red Cross source described the scope of that volunteer response: "They were distributing supplies so people could start cleaning up, making sure they had financial support if necessary, and addressing health and disaster-related mental health needs," according to Trotter, cited in Fox23's Tulsa coverage.

In Southeastern Pennsylvania, disaster responders provided emergency support to more than 800 people following nearly 200 home fires since Jan. 1, a 20% increase over the same period last year. The American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region issued a parallel appeal, pointing to spring floods and wildfires as driving urgent relief needs across West Virginia and neighboring states.

The Red Cross mission depends on generous donations, which support nearly 100% of Red Cross disaster relief efforts. Each donation fuels the work of volunteers, who make up 90% of the Red Cross workforce, to provide aid including emergency shelter, food, relief supplies, basic health services, emotional support and financial assistance. On the practical end, donations help the Red Cross stock warehouses with relief supplies, train volunteers in advance, maintain cars and equipment, and set up shelters quickly in safe locations — and a donation of just $20 can provide a day of meals for someone devastated by a disaster.

The twelfth annual American Red Cross Giving Day is today, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Donations can be made at redcross.org/GivingDay.