Video: Hurricane Gustav Service Delivery Kitchen Feeding 09.06.2008

Fast Facts: Hurricane Gustav 09.06.2008

Information below represents activity reported as of 8am 09/06/2008

Consolidated relief information for Hurricane Gustav Relief Operation:

• 581 Shelter/Evacuation Centers*
  
• 193,775 Shelter overnight stays*
  
• 536,467 Meals served*
• 757,367 Snacks served*
• 225 Emergency Response Vehicles deployed
• 26,093 Comfort Kits distributed*
• 8,912 Red Cross workers involved*

* Indicates an adjustment to previously reported number.

Video, Audio & Release: The American Red Cross Sends Help to Flood-ravaged Haiti 09.05.2008

Video: Flooding in Gonaives, Haiti

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Audio: Matthew Marek – on the hurricanes in Haiti

Mobile post sent by AmericanRedCross using Utterz. Replies. mp3

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The American Red Cross Sends Help to Flood-ravaged Haiti

Aerial assessment shows some cities completely inaccessible;
people stranded

Editors note: For interviews and photos from the American Red Cross in Haiti, please call Christy Feig at 202-303-5074

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 4, 2008 – The American Red Cross has two relief workers currently in Haiti to support the Haitian Red Cross respond to the mounting humanitarian needs following Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna hitting within a week of each other.

“We are very concerned for the people living in Haiti. To help our sister society the Haitian Red Cross, we are sending two disaster specialists to help assess and respond to the needs of the community.” said Christine Burkhart, American Red Cross program officer for Latin American and the Caribbean. .

In addition to the response workers in Haiti, the American Red Cross is sending $100,000 to help replenish the prepositioned relief supplies distributed by the Red Cross in Haiti and Jamaica and another disaster response worker to the Bahamas, where Hanna is hitting now.

Hurricane Gustav made landfall last week on the southwestern peninsula of Haiti with winds of up to 95mph, prompting heavy floods before proceeding westward. Before the water receded, Tropical Storm Hanna slammed the region and drenched the rest of the country causing an already bad situation to get worse.

“The devastation is widespread and there is no access to the city of Gonaives at this time,” said Matt Marek, Head of American Red Cross Programs in Haiti after viewing the damage from the air. “From our colleagues at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, we’re hearing 650,000 people near the city of Gonaives are at risk.”

The American Red Cross has a long history of working with the Haitian Red Cross during disasters-including after Hurricane Jeanne which claimed 3,000 lives in Gonaives-and has had health programs in Haiti for nearly five years.

These photos are available for media distribution. Please click the photo for caption and courtesy information.

Fast Facts: Hurricane Gustav 09.05.2008

Information below represents activity reported as of 8am 09/05/2008

Consolidated relief information for Hurricane Gustav Relief Operation:

• 572 Shelter/Evacuation Centers
  
• 192,442 Shelter overnight stays*
  
• 440,816 Meals served*
• 402,057 Snacks served*
• 214 Emergency Response Vehicles deployed*
• 18,462 Comfort Kits distributed*
• 8,186 Red Cross workers involved*

* Indicates an adjustment to previously reported number.

Photos: Westwego, Louisiana 09.05.2008

These photos are available for media distribution. Please click the photo for caption and courtesy information.

Video: Jim with Southern Baptist Kitchen 09.05.2008

Jim with the Southern Baptist Kitchen checks in on their partnership with the Red Cross

Photos: Baton Rouge, Louisiana 09.05.2008

These photos are available for media distribution. Please click the photo for caption and courtesy information.

Handouts: The storm has passed…now what? 09.04.2008

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Release: Red Cross Help for those Returning Home After the Storm

RED CROSS HELP FOR THOSE RETURNING HOME
AFTER THE STORM

WEDNESDAY, September 3, 2008 – With close to 800,000 people without power and many with wind and water damage, Hurricane Gustav continues to make life hard for the people of the Gulf Coast. After the storm, the American Red Cross is offering assistance and information to keep people safe as clean-up efforts begin.

The Red Cross will provide emergency assistance in the following ways:

1. Sheltering for people who have lost power or otherwise find their homes unlivable
2. Mobile feeding trucks and kitchens in the hardest hit areas for people who need water and a meal while cleaning up or because they have lost power
3. Emergency financial assistance based on significant structural damage to someone’s home. Assessment teams will start visits to the affected areas, surveying the damage. That damage assessment will become the basis for our emergency financial assistance.
4. Clean-up kits including: mop, broom, cleaning supplies, work gloves and similar items.
5. Emotional counseling and support. We recognize this has been a very difficult time for the people of the Gulf Coast.

Red Cross will be cautious not to duplicate any services the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be providing, but will help people register for FEMA assistance.

“When people come back home, the Red Cross will be there too,” said Gail J. McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. “If shelters are needed, we will provide them. Our mobile kitchens will feed those who have lost the food they had on hand. We will hand out clean-up kits. And, if someone needs to talk to someone, we will have counselors available.”

All American Red Cross assistance is provided free, made possible by donations from the American people.

Those who have evacuated are advised to return home only after authorities advise that is safe to do so. Follow these suggestions to stay safe when you return:

• Drive only if absolutely necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges.
• Use telephone only for emergency calls. Keep phone lines open.
• Wear protective shoes, long pants, long sleeve shirts and gloves to protect you from sharp edges and other hazards.
• Avoid loose or dangling power lines, reporting them immediately to the power company, police or fire department.
• Before entering, check the outside of your home for damage such as cracks in the foundation or broken utilities that make it too dangerous to enter.
• Enter your home with caution. Look for sagging in the ceiling that may indicate water trapped there. Check for loose flooring.
• Smell for gas. If you detect a natural gas or propane odor or hear a hissing noise, leave immediately and contact the fire department or utility company.
• Avoid using sinks, showers and toilets if you suspect sewage lines are damaged.
• Beware of snakes, insects or animals driven to higher ground by floodwater.
• Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.
• Throw out all food, beverages and medicine exposed to floodwaters and mud, including canned goods, capped bottles and sealed containers. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Take pictures of the damage to the house and its contents for insurance claims.

Release: The American Red Cross Sends Help to Flood-ravaged Haiti 09.04.2008

The American Red Cross Sends Help to Flood-ravaged Haiti

Aerial assessment shows some cities completely inaccessible;
people stranded

Editors note: For interviews and photos from the American Red Cross in Haiti, please call Christy Feig at 202-303-5074

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 4, 2008 – The American Red Cross has two relief workers currently in Haiti to support the Haitian Red Cross respond to the mounting humanitarian needs following Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna hitting within a week of each other.

“We are very concerned for the people living in Haiti. To help our sister society the Haitian Red Cross, we are sending two disaster specialists to help assess and respond to the needs of the community.” said Christine Burkhart, American Red Cross program officer for Latin American and the Caribbean. .

In addition to the response workers in Haiti, the American Red Cross is sending $100,000 to help replenish the prepositioned relief supplies distributed by the Red Cross in Haiti and Jamaica and another disaster response worker to the Bahamas, where Hanna is hitting now.

Hurricane Gustav made landfall last week on the southwestern peninsula of Haiti with winds of up to 95mph, prompting heavy floods before proceeding westward. Before the water receded, Tropical Storm Hanna slammed the region and drenched the rest of the country causing an already bad situation to get worse.

“The devastation is widespread and there is no access to the city of Gonaives at this time,” said Matt Marek, Head of American Red Cross Programs in Haiti after viewing the damage from the air. “From our colleagues at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, we’re hearing 650,000 people near the city of Gonaives are at risk.”

The American Red Cross has a long history of working with the Haitian Red Cross during disasters-including after Hurricane Jeanne which claimed 3,000 lives in Gonaives-and has had health programs in Haiti for nearly five years.

These photos are available for media distribution. Please click the photo for caption and courtesy information.