Regional CEO T.D. Smyers Heads to Israel for Information Exchange

Magen David Adom volunteers help the
injured after the earthquake in Haiti.

North Texas Region CEO T.D. Smyers is taking a little bit of Texas to the Middle East.

T.D. is one of a handful of American Red Cross local CEOs that have been personally selected by Red Cross National President and CEO Gail McGovern to join her on a trip to Israel beginning today. 

The trip will serve as a comprehensive information exchange between the American Red Cross and the Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross Society), with the societies hoping to share lessons learned in preparing for, and responding to, mass casualty events such as earthquakes and terrorist attacks. 

The meeting will enable both Red Cross Societies to better serve people in need in their respective countries, and to create opportunities to work together. A recent example of collaboration was when the American Red Cross and Magen David Adom jointly deployed to Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake to deliver life-saving assistance. Additionally, the teams will discuss the launch of a new universal first aid app, based on the success of the American Red Cross series of life-saving apps. The first Hebrew language app is rolling out in Israel this month. 

Safe travels, T.D.!

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Two Years Later: Red Cross Remains in Haiti

By Catherine Carlton, volunteer, American Red Cross North Texas

Darline and her daughter work with the Red Cross to rebuild their lives after the Haiti earthquake.

Thanks to its donors and volunteers, the American Red Cross has helped more than 3.2 million people affected by the Haiti Earthquake. January 13, 2012 marks the two-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that left millions homeless, injured and struggling.

With this milestone come many stories of success and many challenges still being faced to restore the country’s livelihood.

Disasters like the Haiti Earthquake receive a lot of attention in the immediate aftermath, but the work to restore communities – and a country like Haiti – will take years. The Red Cross is committed to Haiti with the help of donors like you.

The majority of Red Cross donations is spent on housing, food, water and health care; the very basics that communities need to survive.

Darline Duverger is one example of the types of families you are helping with your donation. Her home in Port au Prince was destroyed during the earthquake. She and her two kids lived in temporary housing for more than year. They received priority for new housing due to her 7-year-old son’s disability. Now Darline operates a small store in front of her home selling items such as eggs, sugar and onions to support her family.

In the coming year, the Red Cross will help hundreds like Darline as they construct and repair homes in communities, provide a safe water supply, ensure sanitation, treat illness and educate the communities about disaster preparedness.

The American Red Cross would like to thank the many individuals, corporations, foundations and government agencies that so generously supported our work in Haiti. Your contributions are making a difference in the lives of people in Haiti, and we are committed to spending your donations wisely to help Haiti recover from this tragedy. For more information on our work in Haiti, please visit redcross.org/haiti.

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Little Hands Make Big Change

We would like to thank Allen Elementary for supporting the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. They raised more than $1,000 for Kindness and Compassion.

Maureen Gargiulo, pictured on the left in the Red Cross vest, attended the school assembly and thanked the children for helping to turn heartbreak into hope.

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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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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #10

The American Red Cross has spent or committed nearly $78 million to meet the most urgent needs of earthquake survivors.

Thankfully, the humanitarian aid pipeline is opening wider and wider and logistical problems are getting smaller and smaller, but the needs in Haiti are still immense. Red Cross teams are on the ground assessing ways to not only meet the immediate needs but also provide long-term recovery assistance, such as restarting the local market economy and addressing housing needs.

• Four Red Cross warehouses (two in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and two in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) are open and operating at full capacity.
  


• The Red Cross is now producing 1 million liters of water per day, enough for 185,000 people to receive 5.4 liters per person per day. In addition, Red Cross teams are working to scale up latrine construction as quickly as possible.
  


• To date, Red Cross distributions of food and relief items (blankets, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, buckets, water containers, laundry soap/detergent, and mosquito nets) have reached nearly 20,000 families (or 100,000 people).
  


• To date, more than 64 flights carrying Red Cross aid from around the world have arrived in Santo Domingo and Haiti.
  


• Shelter remains an urgent need. The Red Cross is working to provide a range of immediate shelter assistance, and we also are assessing needs and developing a strategy to meet long-term housing reconstruction needs.

The Red Cross is also working to help survivors with needed health care to address community health needs and the emerging threat of the spread of infectious disease.

• A major vaccination program will begin this Friday to vaccinate 150,000 children, ages 0 – 7, against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. Local and international Red Cross teams will join UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to visit settlements throughout the city to vaccinate children. Along with vaccinations, the Red Cross will be teaching basic health skills, such as proper hand washing, waste disposal and safe food and water storage. Red Cross emotional support teams will also be on hand to help children with their emotional trauma caused by the earthquake.
  


• At the combined six Red Cross health facilities, an average of 1,200 patients are being treated per day

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We have Haiti PSAs

Besides the fact that the Text Haiti to 90999 mobile giving campaign has been extremely successful - raising more than $5 million for Haiti relief - we now a handful of moving PSAs to raise money for the effort. The American Red Cross teamed up with a handful of celebrities, in addition to the First Lady, to spread the word.

Early estimates indicate that as many as three million people may be affected by the catastrophic earthquake which hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

The PSA include everyone from Morgan Freeman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tim McGraw, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Reese witherspoon and Zoe Saldana.

I have included Saldana's, the star of the popular sci-fi flick Avatar, PSA below for your viewing.

Thank you to those who have supported the American Red Cross and Haiti. Without your efforts, we could not help the people who need it most.

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #9

In just the first week of the Haiti response effort, the American Red Cross already has spent or committed $34 million (approximately 25 percent of what has been pledged or received) as of Thursday, January 21.

People in Haiti are still in need of basic items like food, water and medical care. It is frustrating for humanitarian organizations, like the American Red Cross, that also wish aid would arrive faster.

The infrastructure of Haiti is severely damaged-airports are clogged, roads are treacherous, and there is no large seaport available. This is causing bottlenecks and making it very difficult to get aid into the hands of survivors. Despite those problems, aid is starting to slowly make its way to those who need help.

It is still difficult to get planes caring humanitarian aid into the Port-au-Prince airport. The roads are heavily congested, and travel by road from the Dominican Republic has increased to an 18-hour journey.

But with the support of American Red Cross volunteers and donors, we are getting to these people - to help them piece together a life they once knew. Thank you for your support.

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #8

Aid is still getting into Haiti despite a new aftershock this morning and enormous logistical challenges. View photos of the relief effort.

• The Red Cross has now been able to reach survivors outside the capital city, providing first aid in camps and prioritizing the need for food, water and other basic supplies.


• Red Cross responders from seven countries are also treating injuries and performing surgery at hospitals and medical centers throughout the capital city.


• More than 70 American Red Cross Creole-speaking volunteers have been trained and will soon join the USNS Comfort offshore in Haiti to translate for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.


• Red Cross teams are focused on purifying the water supply available in the country and expect to deliver clean drinking water to 200,000 to 400,000 people each day by truck.


• The American Red Cross is providing approximately 3 million pre-packaged meals in partnership with the World Food Program in Haiti. More than 100 truckloads of meals will leave Miami by air in the next few days and are expected to arrive in Haiti this weekend.


• In the days ahead, the Red Cross will provide tents and shelter supplies for an initial 20,000 families in Haiti.


• So far, 100 tons of Red Cross aid has arrived in Haiti. Planes and trucks carrying Red Cross humanitarian assistance are arriving in the region every day.

American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern visited relief operations in Haiti yesterday to help coordinate aid distribution. She witnessed the extensive damage and need as well as the growing presence of Red Cross services. She has begun planning for a multi-year recovery operation with other Red Cross leaders from around the world and heads of state from the region.

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #7

This weekend, special Red Cross teams trained in search and rescue were able to save 40 people from a collapsed supermarket, including a small child, after 26 hours continuous efforts. Please remain hopeful for the people of Haiti. View More Photos

Without a doubt, this is a massive urban disaster of unprecedented proportions, and we know that this is going to be a costly long-term recovery operation.

As of January 17, we have raised more than $103 million for relief efforts. If you have not had a opportunity to help yet or if you would like to do more, here's how you can make a difference in the lives of the Haiti people:

• 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)
• 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish)
• Make a secure donation online at www.redcrossdallas.org/haiti
• Mail: American Red Cross P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter, 4800 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75235.
• Text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross. 100% of donations will support the Red Cross.
• Drop off donations at any of these authorized Red Cross collections sites: Kroger, Lowe's, Starbucks or Tom Thumb Stores.
• WFAA will be conducting a phone bank on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during their 5pm and 6pm newscasts. Red Cross volunteers will be on hand to accept donations from viewers.
  

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #6

Gail McGovern, American Red Cross National President and CEO, has made her way to Haiti and will be working alongside other leaders and some 400 Red Cross workers from 30 countries around the world.

The Red Cross is providing a wide range of help and support in the form of food, water, relief supplies, field hospitals, emotional support, sanitation facilities and family linking services for the Haiti earthquake survivors.

• The Red Cross spent the weekend delivering more than 300,000 litres of clean drinking water to survivors gathering in three different communities Latrines have also been built in the same areas to help address sanitation issues.
• Yesterday, the Red Cross set up two medical centers to triage and treat approximately 200 people per day. Three others will arrive over the next couple of days.
• Over the weekend, three planes carrying Red Cross humanitarian assistance were expected in the region, delivering a field hospital and needed materials such as tarps, blankets, hygiene items, buckets, shelter supplies and kitchen sets. Another shipment of supplies for 20,000 families should arrive Monday on a cargo plane provided in partnership with FedEx.
• In the days ahead, the Red Cross will begin to provide temporary shelters in Haiti. Kits, containing tarps, rope and tools, as well as tents and blankets, will be made available for an initial 20,000 families.
• 22,000 people have been registered at www.familylinks.icrc.org. Each of these registrations represents someone who is missing a loved one. 1,500 people have been re-connected through this service managed by the Red Cross.

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #5

We’re making progress. The American public has reached out to help and their support is getting to Haitian earthquake survivors.

The American Red Cross is performing first aid, delivering water, addressing urgent needs and mobilizing a massive response operation in Haiti. More than 100 Red Cross staff from two dozen nations are supporting several thousand local volunteers, and more Red Cross teams from around the world are en route.Red Cross workers from around the world will be providing a wide range of help and support, including food, water, field hospitals, emotional support, telecommunications, sanitation facilities and helping restore links between families.

Relief materials are being delivered, and more help is on the way by air, land and sea.

• Today, the Red Cross is setting up a field hospital in Jacmel which will be able to treat approximately 200 people per day.

• The Red Cross has already supplied medical kits to treat 2,000 patients, and hundreds of blankets and plastic sheets have also been distributed.

• A Red Cross water trucking program is now providing clean water for about 1,000 people living in a makeshift camp in the Delmas neighborhood. Latrines have also been built in the same area to help address sanitation issues.

• Over the weekend, three planes carrying Red Cross humanitarian assistance were expected in the region, delivering a field hospital and needed materials such as tarps, blankets, hygiene items, buckets, shelter supplies and kitchen sets. Another 20,000 relief items should arrive Monday on a cargo plane provided in partnership with FedEx.

• In the days ahead, the Red Cross will begin to provide temporary shelters in Haiti. Kits, containing tarps, rope and tools, as well as tents and blankets, will be made available for an initial 20,000 families.

• The Red Cross is training 40-100 Creole-speaking volunteers who will work as translators on the USS Comfort when Haitians will be brought aboard for medical care.

The damage is extensive, and we know that this is going to be a massive and costly long-term recovery operation.

As of January 16, the American Red Cross has raised more than $87 million for relief efforts. We know that we are going to spend much more than that to help the people of Haiti.Terrible times like these bring out the best in people, and we are grateful for the support being given to the American Red Cross.

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Haiti Earthquake: Local Fundraiser

Today at Sprinkles 100 percent of the proceeds of the Red Velvet cupcakes are going to the Red Cross!

Grab a cupcake and help the American Red Cross!

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #3

As of January 15, a joint American and Haitian Red Cross team has been providing food, water and other supplies to people in emerging camps in Port-au-Prince. The team is also administering basic first aid with supplies provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross and helping transport those with serious injuries to nearby health facilities.

Two planes with Red Cross humanitarian assistance are scheduled to land in Port-au-Prince this afternoon, and three planes with additional supplies have landed in Santo Domingo. The Red Cross is now preparing to send additional relief supplies from the warehouse in Panama.

The Red Cross has now established a land bridge to effectively deliver relief supplies from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince. A Red Cross base camp has been set up near the airport in Port-au-Prince, and a second logistics Emergency Response Unit (ERU) has been established to receive and forward on supplies from Santo Domingo. The American Red Cross Relief ERU in Port-au-Prince is preparing to receive and distribute the supplies as they arrive in Haiti. The first distribution is scheduled for January 17.

Two additional American Red Cross delegates are en route to provide surge capacity in logistics: one specialist will support the Logistics ERU in Port-au-Prince and a second will support forward shipment of relief supplies from the Red Cross warehouse in Panama.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) has released a Revised Emergency Appeal for US $103.3 million to help meet the immediate needs of 300,000 people over the next three years. The American Red Cross has committed an initial US $5 million in support of this appeal.

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Video: First Lady, Michelle Obama, Makes PSA for Red Cross

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #2

In the 48 hours since the earthquake struck in Haiti, the American Red Cross has received nearly $37 million in donations, and we are thankful for this unprecedented outpouring of support. So far, the American Red Cross has provided the following operational support:

-The Red Cross provided blood and blood products to the US Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. That blood, requested by the US Navy, was shipped by the US Navy to their facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in support of medical evacuees from Haiti.

-A handful of disaster responders from the American Red Cross have arrived in Port-au-Prince and are coordinating with local and international partners to overcome the logistical challenges and bring aid into the country.

-These individuals join the 15-person staff we already had on the ground and more than six Red Cross teams that arrived from other countries yesterday. Among them are engineers, surgeons and family linking specialists.

-The International Committee of the Red Cross is also helping to reconnect separated families within the country. They have established a special Web site, enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake: www.icrc.org/familylinks. Within 24 hours of its launch, more than 6,000 visited the site looking for loved ones.

-The Red Cross has dozens of disaster specialists in Haiti, assessing the damage, addressing urgent needs and establishing the foundation for a long-term recovery operation.

-The American Red Cross is ready to deploy relief supplies, including blankets, tarps, cooking sets and hygiene items, from our warehouse in Panama as soon as ports begin accepting relief shipments and commercial flights.

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Haiti Earthquake: Relief Update #1

The American Red Cross has seen an outpouring of support and concern from the public.

People who want to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake can make a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. Donors can designate their gifts to Haiti relief.

The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third party mobile fundraising effort in which mobile donors can text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross. The funds will go to support the Red Cross relief efforts.

Currently, we are deploying only Red Cross volunteers specially trained to manage international emergency operations. Please consider supporting your community’s local needs by volunteering with your local Red Cross.

At this time, what we need the most are financial contributions – whether by check, online or by phone. The Red Cross and other organizations leading the efforts in Haiti most need financial gifts in order to best serve the people affected. Things like clothes are not helpful right now because there is nowhere to store them, no one to sort them, and it would be difficult to transport the items to Haiti. One good way to turn clothes into cash is to have a garage sale and then donate the money to the relief efforts.

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International Response: Haiti Earthquake

On Tuesday, January 11, Haiti experienced a large earthquake around the Port-au-Prince area. The Red Cross is still gathering details; however, the National Weather Service has more information.

The American Red Cross has pledged $1,000,000 to assist communities impacted by the earthquake in Haiti, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation.

As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.

The American Red Cross has made available all of the relief supplies from its warehouse in Panama which would provide for basic needs for approximately 5,000 families. In addition, it is deploying a disaster management specialist to Haiti, and has additional disaster specialists on standby if needed.

The American Red Cross is accepting donations through our International Response Fund. You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

You can also donate by Texting "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts.

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