The American Red Cross is already responding on American Samoa with our local volunteers.
Following yesterday's 8.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting Tsunami, a significant portion of American Samoa is without power or water amid widespread damage.
The American Red Cross has dozens of volunteers already providing food and supplies in affected areas.
A leadership team of 50 volunteers is on its way to the island to supplement the local Red Cross workforce.
The immediate focus of the Red Cross is to provide food, water and needed supplies.
The Red Cross has a warehouse on the island stocking cots, flashlights, cooking supplies and clean-up supplies, and we will be sending in additional supplies as quickly as we can.
If you have been in contact with loved ones on American Samoa, the best way to share information about their well-being is to register them with Safe and Well. (Note: Safe and Well only works on American Samoa - it does not work on Western Samoa.)
You can register on the Red Cross Safe and Well Website at www.redcross.org.
For those that do not have internet access, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to register your loved ones. Follow the prompts for disaster information.
The information you post on the Safe and Well Website will let other loved ones know about the well-being of those on the island.
Concerned family members who know the person's phone number (home, cell or work) or a complete home address can search for messages posted about their loved ones.
American Samoa, a U.S. territory, and the independent country of Western Samoa make up the Samoan group of islands in the center of the area known as Polynesia.
American Samoa is made up of seven islands located 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii.
About 120 miles away in Western Samoa, our sister Samoa Red Cross Society is mounting a strong disaster response to the damage caused by the tsunami.
Initial reports from the Samoa Red Cross say the situation is very bad and many homes have been destroyed.
About 135 Samoa Red Cross volunteers are assisting with the relief efforts,affected families, and managing three camps for people who have been displaced.
These specially-trained volunteers initially provided early warnings to people in coastal settlements to stay clear of beaches, and they supported evacuation efforts in and around Apia.
The global Red Cross network is pulling together to provide the supplies and expertise as needed for the affected communities.
The coordinating body of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world (the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) has already released emergency funds of $313,000 to help the Samoa Red Cross Society in their immediate disaster response.
Initial needs are clothing, blankets, water, shelter and food. The global Red Cross network will mobilize as needed to fill needs that cannot be met locally.
As of Wednesday morning EDT, officials in Samoa estimate that 60 villages and 15,000 people have been affected by this disaster. Tremors continue to shake the country, and tsunami alarms are still sounding.
Your financial support will help the American Red Cross respond quickly to disasters like the earthquake and resulting tsunami in American Samoa and Samoa.
o You can donate by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or
(1-800-257-7575 (Spanish), or visiting redcross.org, and choosing whether to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund or American Red Cross International Response Fund.
Red
Cross sheltering those hit by floods in Southeast
As rising flood waters cover
the Southeast, hundreds have looked to the American Red Cross for shelter as officials
estimate the number of people needing help could rise dramatically.
Overnight more than 220 people took
refuge in Red Cross shelters in Georgia,
North Carolina, Alabama
and Tennessee. Georgia
has been hit the hardest, particularly around the city of Atlanta where as much as a foot of rain fell
Monday. According to news reports, the
flooding has claimed at least eight lives.
Governor Sonny Purdue has declared a state of emergency in 17 counties
and authorities are urging people to stay home if possible.
Red Cross is providing a safe
place to stay, food to eat, and a shoulder to lean on for those affected by the
flooding which has prompted evacuations, washed out bridges, caused landslides,
and closed highways across the area.
"These flood waters can come up
very rapidly. People should be prepared
to evacuate at a moment's notice," said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President Red
Cross Disaster Services, "We have shelters open which offer a safe haven for
those who have been forced out of their homes."
Preliminary estimates from
emergency management officials indicate that as many as 1,000 people could
potentially need sheltering.
Red Cross
offers the following steps people should take to be ready and stay safe:
Be
prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice.
Stay
away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above
your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way. Six inches of swiftly moving
water can sweep you off of your feet.
If
you come upon a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If
you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get
out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away
by less than two feet of moving water.
Listen
to area radio and television stations and a NOAA Weather Radio for possible
flood warnings and reports of flooding in progress or other critical
information from the National Weather Service (NWS).
When
a flood or flash flood warning is issued for your area, head for higher ground
and stay there.
Help
people affected by disasters like the current floods by donating to the
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when
donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are
used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the
Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support
and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS
(1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster
Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the
American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243,
Washington, DC
20013. Internet users
can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.org.
