American Red Cross Offers Comfort to Hurricane Katrina's Victims Arriving
in the Northeast
News Release: September 6, 2005
Contact: John R. Hughes, Executive Director (610) 865-4400, ext. 236

American Red Cross chapters across the Northeast are offering a hand to the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. As people make their way to our states, local Red Cross volunteers are offering comfort and compassion to these southerners who have lost not only their homes, but their livelihoods Local chapters are providing assistance in the form of cash grants, temporary housing, food, clothing and emotional support.

The American Red Cross will be supporting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in welcoming 2,500 people who have been left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. The evacuees will arrive at Otis Air Force Base in the near future.

Many of the evacuees have lost loved ones or are unable to locate their families. The American Red Cross "Family Links Registry" on www.redcross.org is one way for families to re-connect. Concerned family members can register the names of their loved ones and view the list of those already posted. Due to the extent of the damage and the number of people displaced, concerned friends and family members are encouraged to visit the site daily to consult the list, as it will be updated continuously. You can visit the "Family Links Registry" via www.redcross.org or call 1-877-LOVED-1S to register. To date, the Red Cross has housed 135,000 survivors in more than 470 shelters and has served more than 2 ½ million hot meals to survivors of Hurricane Katrina since before first landfall. The Red Cross is urging the public to help by volunteering and making financial contributions to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley serves more than 660,000 residents of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties. Last year the Red Cross provided health and safety education training; Lifeline, a personal response service for seniors; and emergency relief to more than 20,000 Greater Lehigh Valley residents. For more information about the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley or volunteer opportunities, call (610) 865-4400 or visit www.redcrosslv.org.