The American Red Cross has increased its pledge from $200,000 to $1,000,000 to assist communities impacted by Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation. In Haiti, the local Red Cross worked throughout the night to rescue people from their trapped homes and provide first aid. Priority needs now are food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.

Initial estimates are that up to 3 million people may be affected. Government offices, including the Presidential palace, have collapsed. Hospitals and the local Red Cross office have sustained major damage. Many areas remain inaccessible as roads are covered with debris and bridges have collapsed. Telephone lines and electricity are still out in many places. The next 48 hours are critical for life-saving operations such as search and rescue and first aid.

ConAgra Foods, whose corporate headquarters is in Omaha, Nebraska, is joining in to help the cause and has just donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross for its International Relief Fund, to assist the Red Cross response in Haiti.

The American Red Cross also is releasing supplies from our warehouse in Panama that will be able to meet the immediate needs of 5,000 families. Included are tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets. They are also deploying six disaster management specialists to the disaster zone to help coordinate relief. These join the staff we already have on the ground there.

The American Red Cross has an extensive partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, which is expected to lead the Red Cross response to the earthquake. The American Red Cross has 15 staff on the ground in Haiti who provide ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness programs.

The Haitian Red Cross was founded in 1932 and is one of the primary organizations in the country responding to disasters. Although earthquakes are less common, Haiti is frequently impacted by hurricanes including those in 2008, and the Haiti Red Cross has developed experience in disaster response due to those disasters.

How to Help or Get Information
We are not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti, but are accepting donations to assist them through our International Response Fund. If you would like to volunteer for the American Red Cross at future disasters, please contact the Heartland Chapter at 402-343-7700. For inquiries about relatives living and who have citizenship in Haiti, please be patient and call repeatedly until the lines clear or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225.

You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. Donations to the International Response Fund can be sent to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.