DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – American Red Cross units from Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Sioux City, and Waterloo are preparing to leave for Colorado to assist with flood relief.  Leadership in Colorado has asked for all five regional emergency response vehicles from Iowa to respond as soon as possible.  Units from Cedar Rapids and Waterloo are leaving Monday and a team from Des Moines expects to depart Tuesday. Departure times for the others are not yet determined.

Red Cross volunteers are staffing shelters or evacuation centers throughout Colorado. The Red Cross says about 1,250 people stayed in 26 shelters Saturday night. Of those 10 were operated by or with the support of the Red Cross. The organization also is helping other organizations plan for recovery which includes assessing damage and providing cleanup supplies.