Relief supplies getting into Haiti and to families in need

Logistical bottlenecks remain, but American Red Cross volunteers on the ground say that "Haiti is coming back to life."

• American Red Cross leaders are working with the U.S. government to find ways to get much needed aid through the bottlenecks and into the hands of the Haitian people.
• So far, more than 32 flights carrying Red Cross aid have arrived in Haiti. Additional planes and trucks carrying Red Cross humanitarian assistance are expected every day.
• Next week, approximately 3 million pre-packaged meals from the American Red Cross will arrive, and it will partner with the World Food Program to distribute them to the survivors.
• Shelter remains an urgent need on the ground. Together with relief partners like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Red Cross is helping meet temporary shelter needs, whether in camps or in spontaneous settlements throughout the capital city, and is working to provide support for host families sheltering the displaced. This immediate relief includes providing family-sized tents and kits with tarps, ropes and tools to construct shelter. At the same time, the Red Cross is developing a strategy to meet long-term housing reconstruction needs.
• While the Red Cross still needs to reach many more people, in two days (Wednesday and Thursday), the American Red Cross and its partners on the ground were able to provide 1,900 families (9,500 people) with basic supplies like tarps, hygiene kits, water purification tablets and blankets.
• On Friday, nearly 70 American Red Cross Creole-speaking volunteers joined the USNS Comfort offshore in Haiti. While aboard, they will serve as interpreters for patients receiving medical care from the U.S. military.
• More than 400 Red Cross and Red Crescent workers from at least 30 countries are in Haiti supporting thousands of local volunteers. Of that, more than 100 are representing the American Red Cross (Includes the Creole interpreters on the USNS Comfort).

• Throughout the weekend the American public will have many opportunities to support the relief efforts. More than 35 television networks and dozens more Web sites will air the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon. Alongside journalists and relief workers reporting from Haiti, an impressive list of celebrities is scheduled to appear on the program, including many of those who serve on the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet.
• People who want to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake, can make a designated donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. Donations may be sent to the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, 441 E. 10th St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3388, made online at www.indyredcross.org/donate or by phone at 317-684-1441.
• The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third-party mobile fund-raising effort in which mobile donors can text "Haiti" to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the American Red Cross. A $10 donation made through mobile giving can provide a family with two water cans to store clean drinking water, a blanket appropriate to the climate or other supplies to give people the ability to cook for their families.


You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year, like the earthquake in Haiti, 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. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation. Donations can be mailed to the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, 441 E. 10th St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3388, made online at www.indyredcross.org/donate or by phone at 317-684-1441.