6-Months After Devastating Tsunami, American Red Cross Continues to Bring Hope and Help
News Release: June 20, 2005
Contact: Janice Osborne, director-Communications and Marketing
(610) 865-4400, ext. 262
June 26, 2005 marks the six-month anniversary of the catastrophic tsunami that rolled ashore December 26 affecting more than 2.4 million people in 13 countries. Today (6/20), members of the Hindu Temple Society of Allentown remembered the tsunami survivors with a $2,000 check presented to the American Red Cross for its ongoing relief and recovery efforts.
Bhaswati Mukherjee, president of the Hindu Temple Society, presented the check to Red Cross Executive Director John R. Hughes. Joining them were Hindu Temple Society members Nila Patel, Ravi Venkat, Lenna Shah, and S.K. Hammi Kapoor, who also serves on the board of the local Red Cross.
“The American Red Cross is a very well known and respected humanitarian organization around the world,” Kapoor said. “Giving this gift to the Red Cross was a natural choice. The American Red Cross, along with its worldwide partners, is bringing hope and help to the men, women and children affected by this horrific disaster.”
This is the second gift that the Hindu Temple Society of Allentown gave to assist tsunami relief efforts. Earlier this year, about $14,000 was donated to the All-India Movement (AIM) for Seva, a movement whose primary goals are to establish economic, social, and cultural strength within all of India.
In the past six months, Lehigh Valley residents donated nearly $1 million to the American Red Cross tsunami relief efforts; nationally, more than $535.5 million has been pledged as of May 31, 2005. As earlier projected, the American Red Cross has spent more than $100 million in emergency response relief to tsunami survivors these past six months.
“The American Red Cross, along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and hundreds of organizations in the area, was able to respond rapidly and effectively during the six-month emergency response phase in the most severely affected countries of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives,” Hughes said.
“In the past six months, more than 1 million tsunami survivors in 10 countries have received assistance by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.”
That emergency assistance included food assistance; non-food relief items such as tents, netting, hygiene kits and tarps; immunizations and disease prevention; water and sanitation; help reconnecting those affected by the tsunami with their families; and disaster mental health support.
Actions by the American Red Cross in the past six months:
• More than 1.7 million people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives have received food through an American Red Cross-World Food Program partnership.
• A water sanitation program in Sri Lanka will assist up to 1 million island residents.
• More than 400,000 people have received relief supplies including family tents, sleeping mats, cooking sets, and hygiene kits.
• 1,059,900 children have been vaccinated against measles due to American Red Cross support and partner organizations such as UN Agencies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).
• Disaster mental health services are being provided to more than 100,000 people in the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Hughes explained that the American Red Cross and other organizations are now transitioning out of the emergency relief phase and into the longer-term Tsunami Recovery Plan (TRP) that is committed to expediting recovery and reducing chronic vulnerabilities in communities affected by the earthquake and tsunamis.
“The program will reach vulnerable and affected populations in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa with comprehensive programs that efficiently and effectively respond to the needs of the impacted communities,” Hughes said of the projected five-year recovery plan.
Long-Term Plan – 2006 - 2010
Working with International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, along with international organizations and major non-governmental and governmental partners, the American Red Cross will deliver a wide range of services that focus on three programmatic areas including:
1) Disease control: Health interventions will target the prevention and control of measles, polio, and malaria. Additional activities will include the provision of vitamin A and building the capacities of national health structures for Epidemic Surveillance Systems. The American Red Cross will collaborate with the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
2) Integrated Community Recovery, Preparedness and Prevention: Major activities will focus on disaster mental health support, provision of clean water, school-based feeding and nutrition education, restoring family links, and assisting with disaster preparedness plans.
3) Restoration and Rebuilding: The American Red Cross will work through partner organizations such as the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and Mercy Corps to deliver interventions that complement direct activities (e.g., such an intervention may include building a health clinic to complement disease control activities.)
On Jan. 26, 2005, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced that the $1.2 billion pledged worldwide was sufficient to meet the costs of the entire Red Cross tsunami relief program. Following the Federation’s lead, the American Red Cross announced that contributions and pledges it received would be sufficient to carry out its immediate and longer-term plans.
Those who wish to provide additional support for tsunami relief should visit the USA Freedom Corps Web site at www.usafreedomcorps.gov, which has a list of agencies engaged in the tsunami relief effort.
If you wish to support other Red Cross programs in your community, please call the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley at (610) 865-4400. Donations may be made by phone, online at www.redcrosslv.org or by check and mailed to the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley, 2200 Avenue A, Bethlehem, PA 18017.
For a continuing update on the American Red Cross tsunami relief and recovery effort, visit www.redcross.org.
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.
