AMERICAN RED CROSS RELEASES $1 MILLION IN AID TO HELP COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

January 14, 2010- The American Red Cross is contributing an initial $1 million dollars from its International Response Fund to assist communities impacted by yesterday’s earthquake in Haiti, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation.
“Initial reports indicate widespread damage in Port au Prince, with continuing aftershocks affecting as many as 3 million area residents,” says Tracy Reines, director of international disaster response for the American Red Cross. “As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.”

The American Red Cross has made available all of the relief supplies from its warehouse in Panama which would provide for basic needs for approximately 5,000 families. This includes tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets.

The American Red Cross has an extensive partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, which is expected to lead the Red Cross response to the earthquake. The local Red Cross worked throughout the night to rescue people trapped in their homes and provide first aid.

The American Red Cross has staff on the ground in Haiti who provide ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness programs. At this time, the three American Red Cross staff in Haiti have all been reported safe. In addition, a team of six disaster management specialists is being deployed to Haiti to join the staff the Red Cross currently has on ground there.

The Haitian Red Cross was founded in 1932 and is one of the primary organizations in the country responding to disasters. Although earthquakes are less common, Haiti is frequently impacted by hurricanes including those in 2008, and the Haitian Red Cross has developed experience in disaster response due those disasters.

For inquiries about relatives who live in and are citizens of Haiti, please be patient and continue to attempt calling your loved ones, or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225.

How to Help
You can help the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and other countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. Donations to the International Response Fund can be sent to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.

The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third party mobile fundraising effort sponsored by Mobile Accord. Mobile donors can text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a ten dollar donation to the Red Cross. The funds will go to support the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

You can also mail or deliver monetary contributions to the Cape Fear Chapter of the American Red Cross, located at 1102 South 16th Street, Wilmington, NC 28401.

At this time, the American National Red Cross is not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti. The Red Cross is only deploying volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations. If you would like to volunteer for your local Red Cross chapter and/or receive training in local and domestic disaster preparedness and response, please visit the Cape Fear Chapter's website at www.arccapefear.org or call 910-762-2683.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission.