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Although
the American Red Cross is not a government agency, its authority to
provide disaster relief was formalized when, in 1905, the Red Cross was
chartered by Congress to provide disaster relief and mitigation.
Each year, the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than
70,000 disasters, including house or apartment fires (the majority of
disaster responses), hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes,
hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, explosions, and
other natural and man-made disasters.
Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate
emergency disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes,
the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and mental health
services to address basic human needs. In addition to these services,
the core of Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given to
individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume
their normal daily activities independently. Training keeps the unit
prepared to open shelters when needed as demonstrated during the ice
storm in December 2005. Last year, 376 individuals were assisted as the
result of 108 disasters including flooding during a tropical storm. In
September 2005, the Red Cross was a lead agency of Spartanburg Cares, a
local consortium to aid the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. The chapter
assisted 125 families who were forced to evacuate the Gulf Coast
following the storm.
Disaster Services is managed by a partnership of paid employees and
disaster volunteers. The chapter has a committee of 25 dedicated
volunteers who formulate the local disaster plan, survey potential
shelters, produce merchant agreements, train volunteers, etc.
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