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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. Facing Fear: Coping with Terrorism
more...
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.
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