Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

USA

United States: Hurricane Katrina - Information Bulletin n° 7

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in over 181 countries.

In Brief

This Bulletin (no. 07/2005) is being issued for information only. It is based on updates from the American Red Cross (ARC), reflecting the status of the situation and information available at this time. The Federation is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation at this time. The American Red Cross webpage (www.redcross.org) contains additional information on the evolving situation, the relief response to Hurricane Katrina, a tracing link, as well as information on donating to the National Disaster Relief Fund. To access information in Spanish please refer to the ARC Spanish webpage www.cruzrojaamericana.org

The Situation

The relief assistance (food and non-food item distributions), shelter, and medical efforts and operations continued to build into a more effectively coordinated response operation, rescuers hunted for stranded survivors and recovery teams began the grim task of searching for victims in residences and other flooded buildings in New Orleans and other affected areas.

Red Cross and Red Crescent action

The American Red Cross continues to meet the staggering challenge of providing relief to thousands of survivors in the widespread path of devastation and destruction left by Hurricane Katrina. To date, the Red Cross has housed over 142,000 survivors in more than 486 shelters. The American Red Cross has served more than 3 million hot meals to survivors, and close to 4 million snacks. Some 6,000 Red Cross volunteers and staff have left their homes from every corner of the United States to join thousands of local volunteers who are already on the ground.

The American Red Cross views the individuals and families it is helping as people who are evacuees from their homes. The term "refugees" implies they have been forced to cross international boundaries to avoid conflict.

Americans from coast to coast, as well as caring people around the world, have reached out to the hundreds of thousands who have been left without the basic necessities of life: food, safe drinking water and shelter. The Red Cross is unable to accept small, individual donations or collections of items such as clothing, food or cleaning supplies. The cost to sort, package and distribute these types of donations to disaster victims is almost always greater than the cost of purchasing the items locally, and it is logistically impossible to distribute a wide variety of individual items in a meaningful way.

Reuniting Families: the Red Cross, with the support of the worldwide Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has launched a Website and hotline to help reunite relatives, friends, and loved ones.

  • Online - Persons looking for loved ones can go to www.redcross.org and click on "Family Links Registry" to register oneself, a missing relative, or to view the existing list of registrants. Within the first 24 hours, more than 20,000 people had registered on the "Family Links" Website.

  • Hotline - Those who do not have Internet access should call 1-877-LOVED-1S (1-877-568-3317). (This is only toll-free in the U.S).

How to Help: Due to the generosity of the American people, Movement partners, and the global community, the American Red Cross stands ready to meet the monumental challenge of helping to rebuild lives. Please visit www.redcross.org for continual updates.

Funds Received to Date: The American Red Cross estimates that as of September 5, 2005, $409.2 million in gifts and pledges has been received for the hurricane relief efforts. The American Red Cross and those it serves are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support.

Red Cross or Red Crescent National Societies interested in supporting the American Red Cross on behalf of the Movement, their public or their government are advised to contact the appropriate contact person listed on page 1 of this bulletin.

To Contribute: Members of the general public wishing to make a financial gift can do so in three ways:

1. Call 1-800-HELP-NOW (English) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Callers outside of the United States should use an international operator.

2. Mail contributions to: American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

3. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

In-kind Donations Guidance: Currently, the American Red Cross does not require additional in-kind donations. The American Red Cross will continue to keep Movement partners informed as its needs develop.

To Volunteer: Individuals based in the United States interested in volunteering for Hurricane Katrina efforts should contact their local American Red Cross Chapter. Interested individuals may look up their local American Red Cross Chapter by visiting www.redcross.org.

To Learn More: The magnitude of this disaster is bringing together the experience, expertise and resources of many organizations and agencies to meet the unprecedented humanitarian needs of the hurricane survivors. To learn more about the coordination of efforts and additional resources, visit www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

Individual Client Services

New guidance has been developed for individual financial assistance (effective immediately). Work is underway with Health and Human Services (HHS) to integrate individual assistance. Applications for Partners for Effective Emergency Response (PEER) are being received at a rapid pace, and efforts are underway to process these.

Community Services

Work is underway with the Adventists and Second Harvest to combine food distributions in Louisiana.

Feeding: In Mississippi, an additional Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) kitchen is on site and preparing to cook its first meal (Sunday, 4 September).

Material Support Services

Logistics

Client assistance cards and disbursing orders (DOs) have been sent to various chapters in response to shelter needs. Food orders for kitchen sites are being established, and procurement is proceeding. Logisticians deployed by partner national societies have arrived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Extra warehouse space is being identified for Louisiana and Alabama.

Organizational Support

Public Affairs (PA): The PA team is working on 'Facts at a Glance'. The Family Links Registry Website has received significant media interest. PA is working on fielding media calls, arranging media interviews, covering shelters, working on telethons, assisting with the Family Links, and generally keeping on top of issues.

Partner Services: Red Cross liaisons deployed to Emergency Operations Centers (EOC's) in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have been working diligently 24 hours for 7 days to support the mass care needs of the affected populations by sharing critical response information, offers and requests to state emergency management partners. In Florida, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Kansas, each state's EOC has been activated, with Red Cross liaisons present, to support mass care of refugees from the Gulf Coast.

Federal: the Red Cross liaison supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Housing Area Command Task Force has moved in to a role of advisor with FEMA to coordinate mass care services that can be provided by cruise ships.

Biomedical Services: President Bush announced that he will host a blood drive at the White House next Friday (September) and will encourage his staff to donate. The American Red Cross, American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and HHS continue to support the public messaging released earlier this week that asks that interested donors contact their local collection agency and make an appointment to donate. Regions have been asked to survey their nurses (RNs and/or LPNs) for disaster support.

International Services: more than 44,000 tracing requests have been entered into the Family Links Registry Web site. At 16:00 hours Geneva time Monday afternoon 5 September, the Federation organized a telephone conference regarding Hurricane Katrina. The purpose of this call was to provide the American Red Cross with an opportunity to give an update regarding their on-going operations, to clarify the "operational rules of engagement", to reinforce management guidance, and to give other National Societies an opportunity to provide an update about developments in their respective countries, and to indicate capacity levels. The conference call also provided an opportunity to ask questions.

For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:

In the United States: American Red Cross National Headquarters, Stacy Ragan, Operations Lead; email ragans@usa.redcross.org; phone 1-202-303-5089; fax 1-202-303-0059; Media and Public Affairs; phone 1-202-303-5551; Nadia Mitchem, Fundraising; email mitchemn@usa.redcross.org; phone 1-202-303-4826

In Geneva for all enquiries from National Societies:

- Linda Stops, Operations Coordinator, Operations Support Department, Geneva; email linda.stops@ifrc.org, phone 41-22-730-4300, fax 41-22-733-0395 or Luis Luna, Federation Regional Officer, Americas Department, Geneva; email luis.luna@ifrc.org, phone 41- 22-730-4274, fax 41-22-733-0395

- In Geneva, contact the Media and Public Relations Unit, phone 41-22-730-4357, fax 41-22-740-0275

All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. For longer-term programmes in this or other countries or regions, please refer to the Federation's Annual Appeal. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society profiles, please also access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org