Red Cross Needs Your Help

The following message is from Marty Evans, President and CEO, American Red Cross:

The extent of damage and loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina is still unfolding; however, early news reports today indicate that the hurricane has left a trail of utter destruction even as it continues to flood communities far inland. Today, as floodwaters still rise, 80 percent of New Orleans is reported to be under water, and the Gulf Coast communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have awakened to extreme damage that will put many thousands of families out of their homes for months on end. Officials believe that this storm will be more costly than Hurricane Andrew, the previous record-breaking hurricane of 1992. In response, the American Red Cross is launching the largest mobilization of resources for a single natural disaster involving thousands of trained disaster relief workers, tons of supplies—and shoulders on which to lean.

Even with the rapid and generous support from our partners and the public, a nationwide, coordinated fundraising effort is necessary to ensure we have the resources to deliver the critical services that Americans trust us to deliver. Effective immediately, we will begin a nationwide Disaster Relief Fund Campaign. Your service area will be working with each chapter to determine the most appropriate goal for your unit.

We anticipate a sustained disaster relief effort, unlike any other in our history, lasting many months. Already, the Red Cross has provided a safe haven for nearly 70,000 evacuees in more than 230 Red Cross shelters - from the panhandle of Florida, across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas. However, because Katrina is still wreaking havoc as she tracks northward, we do not have a full report of the damage and services needed, and we do not yet have a firm nationwide fundraising goal. Early estimates indicate that this response could cost as much or more than the sum of the four combined hurricanes during last year’s hurricane, which cost approximately $130 million. The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is still to come.

I want to stress that the initial $130 million target is only an estimate and may change, depending on updated damage assessment figures and the amount of assistance needed by the families affected by this event. The Red Cross is committed for the long haul. We will meet the immediate emergency needs of disaster victims in the weeks and months ahead. We are asking field units to continue to educate the public that we anticipate the costs of this disaster to be significant and that we need their help