Misinformation and conspiracy theories spreading online are hurting hurricane relief efforts. In the days following Hurricane Helene, federal and state officials have warned that false claims have distracted from rescue work.

The American Red Cross assisted at least 19 displaced families after a fire at a Northside apartment complex on Harts Road.

Wednesday marks the Red Cross of Northeast Florida's 10th annual Giving Day, which encourages local communities to support the organization’s humanitarian efforts.

The Clay County Fire Rescue with the American Red Cross went door-to-door on Friday in a Middleburg neighborhood off Atlantis Drive to install smoke alarms.

The images from Florida’s Big Bend region are devastating. Homes flattened. Some properties have just a slab with no trace of the house. Other residents had several feet of water in their homes, roofs ripped off, and windows broken.

We’re more than two months into hurricane season and local agencies are making sure communities in high-flood zone areas are prepared.

Tyler Smith has been volunteering at the American Red Cross in Riverside for six years and has gone on more than two dozen deployments, but this is his first wildfire.

A family was displaced from their Moncrief home on Christobel Avenue after it was destroyed in a fire.

A deadly tornado practically destroyed the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi and the surrounding areas, killing dozens and leaving a community in need of help.

The American Red Cross was called to assist six adults and six children Friday night after a stack of pallets caught fire and spread to nearby structures, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated a long-running pattern in giving by foundations and charities for health and natural disasters, a new Chronicle analysis of nine years of data show.

The Jacksonville Beach City Council on Monday evening voted in favor of an agreement with the American Red Cross that will donate the Jacksonville Beach Lifeguard Station to the city.

A powerful storm system took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that caused damage east of Houston.

The American Red Cross is urging residents along the coast of Northeast Florida to prepare their homes ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole.

After Hurricane Ian tore through Southwest Florida, people are still struggling for basic needs like power, water and a place to stay.

Hertz Arena in Estero is a 7,181 seat arena used for sports and entertainment. Right now, more than 500 people call it home.

So many people responded to Millennium Physician Group’s call for vital supplies for those affected by Hurricane Ian that the group of medical clinics in Northeast Florida had to order a second truck to load with the donations for Southwest Florida.

News4JAX and the American Red Cross are teaming up on Tuesday to host a phone bank for anyone who wants to donate to Hurricane Ian victims.

With several local counties issuing evacuation orders for Hurricane Ian, the Red Cross offered some advice for those preparing to head to shelters.

A pickup truck backed through the front wall and door of a house in the Westside’s Cedar Hills neighborhood on Friday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Like many organizations that help people in need, the Red Cross is experiencing a shortage in volunteers that started during the pandemic.

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the American Red Cross worked together to keep people in high flood zones safe on the Northside safe amid hurricane season.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue is helping the Ribault neighborhood be prepared for hurricane season.

Volunteer lifeguards on Monday evening rallied outside Jacksonville Beach City Hall -- urging city council members to allow voters to decide the future of the Volunteer Life Saving Corps (VLSC).

A fire Friday morning at a triplex on Ken Knight Drive is believed to be suspicious, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said.

LifeSouth Community Blood Center is taking creative measures to recruit donors.

Family is top priority when preparing for hurricane season.

Firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were called to extinguish a fire Thursday afternoon at an apartment complex on Century 21 Drive.

The American Red Cross is offering free smoke alarms to residents in 35 counties, including all of Northeast Florida, to help prevent fire deaths.

A woman started a fire in her Westside apartment Sunday night, leaving over a dozen of people without a home, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

You hear it often: There’s a need for blood donors -- but there’s apparently a particular need for the Black community to step up and donate.

The American Red Cross was called to help four adults after a mobile home fire on Sears Road, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.

The American Red Cross was called to help three children and three adults after a house fire Tuesday afternoon off Collins Road near Blanding Boulevard, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.

Virtually every area of state government is facing a hiring crisis due to low salaries.

The American Red Cross was called to help a child and three adults who were displaced by a house fire Monday in the Hyde Park area on the Westside, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.

An early morning apartment complex fire in Mandarin left multiple units badly damaged with 10 families in need of assistance from the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross is in the middle of the worse blood shortage in decades.

It was the deadliest 24 hours in December for tornadoes on record. Tornadoes tore through eight states over the weekend, killing at least 88 people, and the death toll is expected to rise.

A day after a fire tore through a building at Jacksonville Heights Apartments off 103rd Street on the Westside, city workers walked the property and put up a condemned sign on Tuesday.

Six adults and one child are getting help from the American Red Cross after a north Jacksonville home was damaged in a fire.

You can donate if you have been vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19.

As Tropical Storm Henri brings winds and rains to the Northeast, the American Red Cross of Northeast Florida advises residents to keep an emergency storm plan in place during hurricane season.

Humanitarian aid is flowing into Haiti following Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake there and a death toll that has reached 1,297.

There is a desperate need for more blood and platelet donations right now across the country.

The American Red Cross said there is a serious blood shortage nationwide due to an increase in trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The American Red Cross’ annual Giving Day is on Wednesday. He said the support the American Red Cross provides makes a big difference for people affected by these disasters. That’s the most difficult time probably in their lifetime and when you have Red Cross there that fast, it means everything will be okay. " AdThe money raised on Giving Day will go towards disaster relief efforts including food assistance and emotional support. To donate or learn about volunteer opportunities, visit the American Red Cross website.

FILE - In this March 31, 2020 file photo, a leaning sign sits in front of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. “There’s no other way to claim it than a Biden border crisis.”Texas Gov. The memo sent to Dallas City Council members says the Federal Emergency Management Agency and HHS will “be responsible for providing shelter management and contracts” for food, security, cleaning, and medical care at the convention center. Dallas previously offered space to HHS during the 2014 surge of crossings of immigrant children. HHS also has said it will house immigrant youths in Midland.

I’d heard rumblings that you could give blood through the American Red Cross, and they’d test your blood for antibodies. Worth mentioning: The Red Cross says it’s a perfectly safe time to donate, despite COVID-19. How to interpret your resultsMine said: “COVID-19 Test Result: NEGATIVE.” And I blanked for a second, as in, “Negative? Learn more about COVID-19 antibody testing.” (It’s like the Red Cross knows that we’re not all health experts). The Red Cross could use your donation one way or the other.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville and Keep Jacksonville Beautiful will host the 12th annual Right Whale Beach Cleanup on Saturday morning. The event is from 8 to 10 a.m.Volunteer check-in is at the American Red Cross station at 1 First Street North in Jacksonville Beach. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by an adult. The cleanup celebrates the North Atlantic right whales' yearly return to their only known calving area in the southeastern United States. With as few as 450 right whales remaining, protecting this highly endangered species and its offspring is essential to bringing them back from the brink of extinction, the city said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Help is on the way ahead of Hurricane Delta. Red Cross volunteers are leaving Tuesday to help those affected by the oncoming storm. The group will help the Gulf Coast area with hurricane preps, food, shelters and aftermath resources. Volunteers said that assisting others this year has been particularly challenging due to COVID-19, but in the end, it’s always worth it. And I guess that’s why I do it and continue to do it.”Morgan said the Red Cross is always looking for volunteers, including virtual ones.

Volunteers wearing disposable masks walked from group to group, taking down their information and asking what they need for the days ahead. Normally, they'd be gathering in school gymnasiums and meeting halls, sleeping on cots and eating at buffet lines, all provided by organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other faith and community groups. When possible, displaced residents are sent to hotels instead of group shelters. In group shelters, staffers are using plastic pipes strung with clear shower curtains to separate evacuees but allow them to see out from their own socially distanced areas. In Oregon, group shelters are set up at churches, colleges and community buildings, while malls, golf courses and other businesses opened parking for evacuees who can stay in recreational vehicles.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Community is lending a hand from utility crews and the red cross to Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi after Hurricane Laura blasted through the gulf coast. American Red Cross crews left Northeast Florida Thursday. “Assessing what are the emergency needs are and what are the community needs going to be,” she said. There are many components of mental health, first aid, emergency needs, and tragedy. RELATED: Florida, Georgia utilities ready to help Gulf Coast in aftermath of stormsThe Red Cross says the Jacksonville community has already contributed monetary donations.

LOS ANGELES (CNN) - Paramount Pictures and Skydance have canceled the red carpet premiere for its new film "Terminator: Dark Fate" due to wildfires impacting Los Angeles. "In light of the ongoing, active fires being battled in the area, Paramount Pictures and Skydance have canceled tonight's Los Angeles premiere of 'Terminator: Dark Fate,'" a statement provided to CNN said. "We will be donating food intended for the after-party to the American Red Cross, which is serving those affected by the fires." On Monday morning, the Getty Fire, located on the west side of the busy 405 Freeway in Los Angeles, affected neighborhoods known for their high-value homes and celebrity residents. "Terminator: Dark Fate" is the latest film in the franchise that began in 1984.

News4Jax teamed up with the American Red Cross and Treemendous BBQ on Wednesday to feed those impacted by Hurricane Irma at the Solomon Calhoun Community Center in West Augustine. #FirstCoastSTRONG (Photos: Jerry McGovern/WJXT)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Help is returning to the Bahamas after relief efforts were temporarily suspended ahead of Humberto. To help, many organizations including Adventures in Gods Creation, are collecting donations and raising money. Adventures in Gods Creation in Jacksonville Beach is working with other relief teams to collect donations and get supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas in the Bahamas. By ship, the American Red Cross sent supplies from its warehouses. It's really important that the individuals get some kind of dollars that they can start purchasing things again," said Christian Smith with the American Red Cross.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After losing intensity for three days, Hurricane Dorian strengthened late Wednesday evening to a Category 3 storm as it began moving past the coast of Georgia. At 8 a.m. Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was maintaining sustained winds of 115 mph. The center of the storm was about 70 miles south southeast of Charleston, South Carolina -- but it finally took the long-expected turn to the north-northeast, still moving at 8 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles. Jacksonville and its surrounding counties felt the effects of Dorian through the day Wednesday as the storm slowly passed about 100 miles offshore.

News4Jax reporter Ashley Harding talks with Christian Smith with the American Red Cross about the mandatory evacuations for Dorian.

A local animal rescue organization hosted a fundraiser in the Oakleaf community Sunday afternoon to raise donations for their pets. Pet shelters may require proof of vaccines. Specialized pet shelters, animal control shelters, veterinary clinics and friends and relatives out of harm's way are ALL potential refuges for your pet during a disaster. Pet shelters will be filled on first come, first served basis. If pets cannot be found after a disaster, contact the local animal control office to find out where lost animals can be recovered.

To make that transition a little easier, there are some smartphone apps that the American Red Cross suggests parents download to keep kids safe. The Red Cross advises that no child under the age of 8 should be at home by themselves for a lengthy period of time. The Pet First Aid app prepares you to help your furry friends with veterinary advice for everyday emergencies. The Swim app keeps loved ones safe in and around water with drowning prevention and emergency response information. The First Aid app gets instant access to information on handling the most common first aid emergencies.

VIDEO: There are some smartphone apps that the American Red Cross suggests parents download to keep kids safe.

Amber Bierfreund with the American Red Cross joins us with some important information for your kids after school safety. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The American Red Cross was called to assist a family of four adults and three children after a fire Monday night on the Westside. The large family and their dog were burned out of their home on Broadway Avenue, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. No injuries were reported and it's unclear what sparked the fire. The state fire marshal will determine the cause. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.