Hurricane update — relief in the US

I got this email from the Red Cross on Thursday:

Dear Friend of the Red Cross,

Hurricane Ike crashed into Gulf Shore communities then up through the Midwest — leveling neighborhoods, submerging homes, and leaving many families and individuals with nothing except what they brought with them to disaster shelters.

Red Cross staff are working endlessly to ensure shelter residents — including children and the elderly — are receiving the food, water, and comfort they need while dealing with the changes in their lives caused by Ike’s powerful forces.

There’s also an uplifting spirit of help and camaraderie among Red Cross staff and hurricane victims, like young Raymond McGee from a shelter in San Antonio, TX. Thirteen year-old Raymond turned from victim to helper… his spirit of lending a hand in the midst of his hardships is inspiring.

The reality is, the Red Cross is still on the ground helping Hurricane Gustav victims on a huge scale. We have served more than 2.8 million meals and snacks to those impacted by Gustav — while thousands of our workers are serving Ike victims too.

You were quick with providing compassion through your recent donation to help disaster victims. Would you help in spreading the word about disaster relief needs to your friends and family?

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE ON TO FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS AND FAMILY.

Gustav relief and assistance is expected to cost the Red Cross as much as $70 million, but we’ve raised only a fraction of that amount. And now, we know Ike will exceed Gustav’s cost for relief. All this while

• We are looking at a very large, lengthy relief operation that could stretch into the coming months


• We are just half-way through the season and Hurricanes Dolly, Fay, Hanna, Gustav and Ike have taken their toll on the country and on the American Red Cross.

Thank you for helping spread our message to your friends and family. Hurricane relief is badly needed by tens of thousands. Disaster relief truly relies on all of us.

Warm Regards,

Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Disaster Services
American Red Cross

P.S. In the interim of these mass operations, our disaster relief fund is depleted and we’re borrowing money to cover the costs of the hurricanes of 2008. We have not cut any of our services to disaster victims and are committed to delivering the same level of service our clients have always relied on.