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Prepared Disaster
Safety After a
Disaster Foreign Language
Materials About Us
Each year, the
American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 67,000
disasters, including house or apartment fires (the majority of
disaster responses), hurricanes, floods, earthquakes,
tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation
accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made
disasters.
The
Good News Is That We Can Help
Although the American Red Cross is not a government agency,
its authority to provide disaster relief was formalized when,
in 1905, the Red Cross was chartered by Congress to
"carry on a system of national and international relief
in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the
sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and
other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on
measures for preventing the same." The Charter is not
only a grant of power, but also an imposition of duties and
obligations to the nation, to disaster victims, and to the
people who generously support its work with their donations.
Red Cross disaster relief
focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency
disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes,
the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and mental
health services to address basic human needs. In addition to
these services, the core of Red Cross disaster relief is the
assistance given to individuals and families affected by
disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily
activities independently.
The Red Cross also feeds
emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned family
members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood
products to disaster victims, and helps those affected by
disaster to access other available resources.
For more information, or to
volunteer, contact us at (239) 278-3401.
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