Each year, the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than
70,000 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. 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. It's important work.
