The American Red Cross is providing relief supplies and has made a $1 million commitment for global Red Cross relief operations in Chile following the February 27 earthquake; and is prepared to offer more assistance, if needed.

• The American Red Cross has doubled its contribution to $1 million for Red Cross relief efforts in Chile following an appeal from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. This will support the Chilean Red Cross in providing shelter, relief supplies, basic health care, and water and sanitation for 90,000 people for one year.
• The American Red Cross is also providing 5,000 water-carrying cans and 1,160 hygiene kits for distribution by the Chilean Red Cross.
• The Chilean Red Cross has 1,700 volunteers performing damage and needs assessments and distributing food, hygiene articles, blankets, and other relief items to survivors.
• A five-member regional Red Cross team of disaster specialists, including one from the American Red Cross, is in Chile to provide technical support for Chilean Red Cross response activities and to perform damage assessments, emergency relief and communications support.

While assisting the response in Chile, the American Red Cross continues to support the relief operation in Haiti following the earthquake there in January.

• More than 700 Red Cross/Red Crescent workers from at least 40 national societies have been deployed to Haiti and are working alongside an estimated 13,000 Haitian National Red Cross Society volunteers.
• As the largest global humanitarian network, the Red Cross has both the experience and the capacity to respond simultaneously to multiple disasters. Last fall the Red Cross responded to a series of major disasters that hit the Asia and Pacific region within a week: back-to-back typhoons in Southeast Asia, an earthquake in Indonesia and a tsunami in America Samoa and Samoa

While assisting the response in Chile, the American Red Cross continues to support the massive relief operation in Haiti, where more than 1.9 million people have been helped since the earthquake on January 12 in that country.

• More than 600 Red Cross/Red Crescent workers from more than 30 national societies have been deployed to Haiti and are working alongside an estimated 13,000 Haitian National Red Cross Society volunteers.
• More than eight weeks since the earthquake struck, the immense needs in Haiti continue. All humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross, are working to provide tents or tarps by the target date of May 1.
• As the largest global humanitarian network, the Red Cross has both the experience and the capacity to respond simultaneously to multiple disasters. Last fall the Red Cross responded to a series of major disasters that hit the Asia and Pacific region within a week: back-to-back typhoons in southeast Asia, an earthquake in Indonesia and a tsunami in America Samoa and Samoa.

The American Red Cross is accepting financial donations for response efforts in Chile. This includes donations through www.redcross.org, 1-800-REDCROSS, and by texting "CHILE" to 90999. People can also call 1-800-257-7575 to make a donation in Spanish.