Tulsa Okla. (Aug. 9, 2021) Many weather experts predict a destructive hurricane season this year. The American Red Cross needs volunteers to help on the ground and blood and platelet donors to roll up a sleeve to maintain a stable blood supply in the face of emergencies.

“We’re preparing for another extremely busy disaster season, and it’s critical to have a trained, ready volunteer workforce to make sure we can provide relief at a moment’s notice,” said Jan Hale, communications manager, Kansas and Oklahoma Red Cross Region. “This year’s wildfire season is already very active and dangerous because of the severe drought and dry woodlands across the west. And experts are predicting we could see 10 or more hurricanes in the upcoming weeks.”

PHILIPPINE SEA (July 16, 2021) — A Sailor born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, serves aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16), a U.S. Navy vessel named to honor Oklahoma’s second-largest city.

Petty Officer 2nd class William Chase Stephens is a mass communications specialist (MC) stationed aboard the Guam-based submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40), and volunteered to fill a critical manning gap as the MC aboard Tulsa during its rotational deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.