Hurricane Irene: How you can Help

Sammamish residents who want to contribute to relief and emergency supply efforts by those in the path of Hurricane Irene can do so through the American Red Cross.

Financial donations are being accepted online at www.redcross.org and by selecting the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. People also can donate dollars by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. That text will make a donation of $10.

People also can help by sending contributions to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013 or the American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties, P.O. Box 3097 Seattle, WA 98114-3097.   

The American Red Cross said that more than 13,000 people along the East Coast stayed at hundreds of shelters on Friday night. Emergency officials expect to open more shelters as the hurricane heads north.

Sammamish residents who want to learn more about disaster preparation might be interested in the Sammamish Citizens Corps, which held a readiness fair in April at .

The group has regular meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at . The station is located at 1851 228th Ave. NE. The meetings start at 7 p.m.