Red Cross Relief Efforts Continue Across The South, An Update from Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones

American Red Cross Responds To
Deadly Tornado Outbreak Across The South

Dear Friends,

Watching the tragic images unfold in so many states including Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas over the past week has been heartbreaking to say the least. Thousands of people are coping with tremendous loss of loved ones, their homes and irreplaceable memories.

While it may seem like we’re powerless to help when such a vast portion of the country has been devastated by the worst tornado outbreak in our nation’s history, help is likely easier than you think. In this update, I’ll share with you all of the ways that we can send your help to these countless communities from right here in Texas.

Please know that all of us at the American Red Cross - Dallas Area Chapter are committed to helping our neighbors move forward from these terrible storms. And you can be right there with us every step of the way. We can’t thank you enough for caring so much for others. Please accept our deepest gratitude and let me know if you have any questions that I don’t answer in this update.

Warmest Regards,
Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, CEO
American Red Cross--Dallas Area Chapter

Current Operation Status

Red Cross disaster workers have been working tirelessly to help people in need, focusing on making sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat, emotional support, basic health services and relief supplies. Early estimates show more than 13,000 homes across six states were destroyed or damaged by last week’s tornadoes. Now communities along the Mississippi River, that are only beginning to recover, are faced with the fear of widespread flooding.

Since March 31, the Red Cross has opened more than 130 shelters in 16 states providing more than 10,000 overnight stays to people in need. Tuesday night alone, more than 1,200 people spent the night in shelters in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Mississippi, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

To date the American Red Cross has:

• Deployed more than 4,500 Red Cross workers from all 50 U.S. states to assist with recovery efforts. The Dallas Area Chapter has sent 7 volunteers to Alabama, 12 more to Mississippi so far with more local deployments anticipated.
  
  
• Worked with community partners like the Salvation Army and Southern Baptist Convention, to serve more than 560,000 meals and snacks.
  
  
• Sent 153 Red Cross emergency response vehicles to help distribute meals and supplies. The Dallas Area Chapter has sent one ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) to Mississippi.
  
  
• Distributed more than 253,000 relief items like hygiene kits, mops, brooms, tarps, shovels, work gloves and coolers to affected neighborhoods.
  
  

Telethons Hosted by Local Television Stations

Less than 24 hours after the storms hit, local TV stations reached out to the Dallas Area Chapter to host fundraising telethons for the Spring Storm Disaster Response. On Friday, April 29th, the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter hosted telethons at WFAA Channel 8, CBS 11, and TXA 21 to collect financial donations. It could be considered an understatement to call the night successful raising over $50,000 in the span of about five hours. We owe a heartfelt thanks to all of our generous donors that called in to support the efforts of the Red Cross as numerous storms raged across nearly half the country.

How You Can Help

Any donation, large or small, will help. For example, $3 can provide a comfort kit for someone in a disaster. $6 can cover the cost of a blanket, $10 the cost of a hot meal. For $150, someone’s donation can cover the cost of providing food and shelter to a family of four for a day they spend in a shelter.

Donating is easy and only takes a moment. Those that want to help can visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Top Headlines

American Red Cross President & CEO visits Birmingham, Alabama

Gail McGovern, American Red Cross President and CEO, joined Federal, State and local officials on a tour of tornado damage in one neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama. She describes what she saw, and the work of the Red Cross in the area. Watch the video

American Red Cross Responds to the unspeakable tornado destruction across Alabama

Words are not adequate to describe what the people of Alabama endured when Mother Nature unleashed her fury on April 27, 2011. The American Red Cross has fanned out across Alabama, and many others, doing everything possible to help. Watch the video

American Red Cross responds in 11 states to Spring Storms’ aftermath

From the Deep South to the Northeast, the American Red Cross is at work in 11 states to help people devastated by the recent deadly tornadoes and floods. Read more

American Red Cross ships desperately needed blood supplies to Alabama

The Red Cross is moving hundreds of blood products to Alabama to make sure hospital patients have the blood they need following the deadly tornadoes. Read more

You can get the latest developments by connecting with us!
Twitter | Facebook | Red Alert Blog | Red Cross Dallas Online

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Local Telethons Raise Money to Support Disaster Relief Efforts Across the South

On Friday, April 29th, the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter hosted telethons at three local television stations to collect donations primarily benefiting the Spring Storms Disaster Response. It could be considered an understatement to call the night successful raising over $50,000 in the span of about five hours. We owe a heartfelt thanks to all of our generous donors that called in to support the efforts of the Red Cross as numerous storms raged across nearly half the country.

We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to the stations that held these telethons for us making it all possible. In Dallas, we had the support of our exclusive media partner for the Dallas Area Chapter’s 100th Anniversary, WFAA Channel 8. In Fort Worth, we received a warm welcome from the CBS 11 and TXA 21 teams. These stations all reached out to the Red Cross less than 24 hours after deadly tornadoes ripped through several states including Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

As always, we were very dependent on our volunteers to staff the phone banks and getting so many people placed in multiple areas on short notice took some work but we made it happen. In all, we had about 36 volunteers step up to help take your calls. A definite hats-off to all of them for so thoughtfully giving their time!

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Red Cross Relief Efforts Continue In Japan, An Update from Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones

It’s been eleven days since the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan captured the world’s attention. Since then, residents in Dallas and our surrounding communities have leapt into action to help. Through our telethon with WFAA Channel 8 and radio drives with 103.7 LiteFM and Mega 107.5, you have contributed more than $83,000 already! We encourage you to keep giving at our website www.redcross.org or by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Additionally, we’d like to share with you how you can help in the local area. In this update, I’ll brief you on the current situation in Japan and then share with you some exciting ways that you can help us right here in Dallas as we carry out our humanitarian mission every day.

First let me say that the news coming out of Japan is likely to get worse before it gets better. I know that’s heartbreaking to hear as the people there have already suffered so greatly. But the reality of the situation is overwhelming. Just to highlight a few of the humanitarian challenges:

• Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has raised the alert level at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant from four to five on a seven-point international scale for atomic accidents.
• The number of officially missing stands at more than 12,000 lives and rising
• The number of confirmed deaths stands at close to 10,000 and is expected to rise dramatically
• Approximately 373,000 homes are without electricity and 1.8 million homes are still without water

In the midst of this epic disaster in Japan, progress is beginning to happen. Vital infrastructures such as airports and seaports are being repaired. The Sendai airport, which was submerged by the tsunami, is now open to emergency vehicles, airplanes and helicopters. The number of people in evacuation centers has decreased from 450,000 two nights ago to 390,000 overnight.

While slight improvements are happening on some fronts, recovery for the country of Japan will take years. Each of us who are helping today will be a part of that recovery process for the Japanese people. And please know that they appreciate your support. Last Friday, an official with the Japanese Red Cross sent us these words to share with all of you:

“The compassion the American people have demonstrated over the past week through their generous support to the American Red Cross is incredibly uplifting at a time when we are dealing with such an immense humanitarian tragedy. This financial support is very much needed and continues to be welcomed to help the hundreds of thousands of lives that will forever be changed by this disaster.”

While our teams here at the Red Cross are working around the clock to help the people of Japan, we’re also responding to single and multi-unit apartment fires across the local area. Just this weekend, we helped 12 families who burned out in a Lewisville apartment fire along with seven families who lost their homes one at a time. Typically, we help an average of three families every day. You can help us take care of these local families too!

On Saturday, March 26, 2011 we will host our first-ever “Roll Call at the Crescent” event to highlight the amazing 100 years that the Dallas Area Chapter has been responding locally. A handful of tickets are still available for the event so we’re encouraging you to come out and join us and support local relief efforts right here at home too.

On behalf of every volunteer and staff member at the American Red Cross, we thank you for the many ways in which you’re helping the people of Japan and those who need you here at home. It is heartwarming to be surrounded by so many people who know that humanity begins at home, and spreads wherever it needs to be. Until our next update, I wish you nothing but the best.

Warmest Wishes,
Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones

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Video from WFAA/Channel 8 Telethon to Support Relief Efforts in Japan

This week, WFAA/Channel 8 will be supporting the Red Cross by holding a three-day telethon in support of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief efforts. The phone bank will be manned by volunteers from the Dallas Area Chapter during the evening newscast March 15-17 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Follow us on Twitter @RedCrossDallas and we will tweet the call-in number.

Officials from the Japanese Red Cross have indicated they would be grateful for donations from the American Red Cross to support their earthquake and tsunami response. Those who want to help can go to http://www.redcross.org and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to support our disaster relief efforts in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.

WFAA is the exclusive television partner of the 100th anniversary of the Dallas Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.

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Update on Relief Efforts in Japan from Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones

Watching the tragic images unfold in Japan over these past few days has been unbearable. So many millions of people are suffering tremendous loss…of their precious loved ones, their homes and even their homeland.

While it may seem like we’re powerless to help from a world away, we’re really not. In this update, I’ll share with you all of the ways that we can help from right here in our own homeland.

Before we get to that though, I was to ask you to think about your own personal state of readiness. Do you have a disaster supply kit packed and ready to go today? What about a family communication plan? These tools can save your life so jump on www.redcross.org/beredcrossready if you need help getting a preparedness plan started.

Please know that all of us at the American Red Cross are heartsick over the catastrophic events in Japan. That’s why we’re working around the clock to raise funds for our neighbors and friends to the east. And you’ve been right there with us every step of the way. We can’t thank you enough for caring so much for others. Please accept our deepest gratitude and let me know if you have any questions that I don’t answer in this update.

Warmest regards,
Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones

American & Japanese Red Cross Relationship

The American Red Cross and the Japanese Red Cross have a long and valued relationship. The American Red Cross supported Japan after the 1995 Kobe earthquake and in turn, they helped the American Red Cross following 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

We have been in close contact with our colleagues in the Pacific region to offer our support, and the American Red Cross deployed a disaster management expert Sunday from its Washington, D.C., headquarters to Japan for a week-long mission. She is serving on a seven-person, international team focused on providing high-level support and advice to the Japanese Red Cross.

The Japanese Red Cross is a highly experienced disaster relief organization with 2 million volunteers. These local volunteers in Japan are distributing relief items, making sure displaced people are offered hot meals, clearing debris and providing medical transportation. The Japanese Red Cross has also deployed 95 medical teams, made up of more than 700 people, including doctors and nurses.

One Million Raised in Text Donations

As of Sunday afternoon (March 13), the American Red Cross had raised approximately $7.8 million for the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami response with more than $1.1 million in text donations.

WFAA/Channel 8 Telethon

This week, WFAA/Channel 8 will be supporting the Red Cross by holding a three-day telethon in support of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief efforts. The phone bank will be manned by volunteers from the Dallas Area Chapter during the evening newscast March 15-17.

How You Can Help

Officials from the Japanese Red Cross have indicated they would be grateful for donations from the American Red Cross to support their earthquake and tsunami response. Those who want to help can go to http://www.redcross.org and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to support our disaster relief efforts in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.

Top Headlines

Gail McGovern On Relief Efforts In Japan
Monday night, Gail McGovern, American Red Cross president and CEO, talked to CNN's Piers Morgan about the relief effort in Japan. Read more

How To Find Loved Ones In Japan

With thousands of missing people in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, families are anxiously looking for information about their loved ones. Read more

Red Cross Launched Call Center to Help Separated Loved Ones
On Saturday, the Dallas Area Chapter supported the Earthquake/Tsunami relief efforts by staffing a call center at the Red Cross location in McKinney, Texas. The Response Center Network is an extension of our national headquarters operation and it's activated when a disaster overwhelms the capacity of any one call center. Our volunteers manned the phone lines as desperate family members were trying to reach their loved ones believed to be in Japan. Our teams helped these families get to the www.icrc.org/familylinks website where they could register or search for a missing person. The list is painful to view, and grows rapidly every day. Read more about our call center


Gabrille Giffords Honorary Save-a-Life Saturday
The tragedy in Japan reminds us how important it is to be prepared for a disaster. On Saturday, March 19th, the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter will offer free lifesaving training in honor of Gabrille Giffords and those impacted by the tragedy in Tucson earlier this year. Read more

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WFAA and Tom Thumb Give $231K for Haiti Relief

Last week, WFAA and Tom Thumb came to the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter bearing gifts-a check for $231,000 to help relief efforts in Haiti.

The Dallas Area Chapter is grateful to the continued support of WFAA and Tom Thumb. A special thanks to all those who donated.

For an update on our progress in Haiti, view the two month report.

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