WASHINGTON, DC, September 26, 2007 - The American Red Cross is supporting three relief workers who are joining the international response to flooding in Africa. Extremely heavy rains and flooding have affected more than 1.5 million people in at least 18 countries, driving thousands from their homes, destroying crops and displacing livestock.
"These unseasonable rains have contributed to a critical situation for people in this crisis, stretching from Mauritania in the west to Kenya in the east," said Tracy Reines, director of the International Disaster Response for the American Red Cross. "By collaborating with our Red Cross partners in Africa, with their local knowledge and experience responding to floods, we are working to get appropriate assistance to those who need it."
Among the most urgent concerns are providing people with food, clean water, and shelter, and preventing the spread of disease. Flood survivors are particularly vulnerable to water-borne diseases-like malaria, diarrhea and cholera-due to standing water and contaminated sanitation systems. In addition, many children are unable to attend classes because schools are closed, and many roads and bridges have been washed away.
The American Red Cross sent two international relief workers to Uganda and is supporting a third worker in Togo. The relief workers are part of the International Federation's Field Assessment and Coordination Teams that work with local Red Cross societies and communities to determine the needs and response to the floods. As information is gathered, the American Red Cross is prepared to provide additional resources, such as relief supplies, financial contributions or additional workers.
In August, the American Red Cross also sent a relief worker to Sudan, who teamed up with the International Federation and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, after floods affected more than 500,000 people in that country. The American Red Cross also contributed $100,000 for the purchase of local materials and tools to construct transitional shelters for an estimated 500 families in Sudan and mobilized 10,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets for malaria prevention.
You can help those affected by 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. Call 1-800-RED CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the International Response Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org. 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.
