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Red Cross Plans to Support Rita Victims
Written by
Lesly C. Simmons
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Friday, September 30, 2005 — The American Red Cross is expanding its financial assistance and motel housing programs to cover the victims of Hurricane Rita, just as it has in place for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Red Cross assistance is designed to provide for the emergency needs of food, water, shelter and emotional support, until more long-term help is made available by the federal government. Financial assistance ranges from $360 for an individual to $1,565 for a family of five or more.
Schoolchildren across the country are sending their support to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This picture came from a school in Bronx, NY. |
“Based on our preliminary assessment of the damage caused by Hurricane Rita, the Red Cross believes this is the most effective way we can meet emergency needs of storm victims,” said Joe Becker, senior vice president for preparedness and response with the Red Cross.
To quality for financial assistance, clients must have pre-disaster addresses that are verified by the Red Cross to be in an affected area. There are currently three ways for hurricane victims to register for Red Cross financial assistance:
- Call our toll-free financial hotline at 1-800-975-7585 if located in an area affected by a storm;
- Visit an American Red Cross service center, where available; or
- Visit a local Red Cross chapter in locations outside of the affected areas.
The Red Cross has expanded the ways it provides financial assistance in order to accommodate the nearly one million victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita who are spread out across the country. Assistance could take the form of including client assistance cards, vouchers, checks and cash.
Please note: the Red Cross does not provide financial assistance to persons who did not experience damage to their homes that is directly related to these hurricanes. For example, Red Cross financial assistance is not available to reimburse people for the cost of evacuation, or to cover the cost of food lost due to power outages. The Red Cross provides food and water to affected communities through fixed feeding sites and emergence response vehicles (ERVs) that canvass neighborhoods with hot meals, water and snacks.
These programs are separate from any assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies.
Expansion Also Affects Motel Program
This extension of benefits also applies to the motel housing program put in place after Hurricane Katrina. Victims of Rita who were able to find housing in motels following the storm may be eligible to have those rooms paid for by the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“The scope of both of these disasters requires an unprecedented response on the part of the Red Cross,” said Becker. “We are doing everything we can, as quickly as we can, to support the evacuees as they begin to heal.”
Evacuees checking in to motels must identify themselves as evacuees and show identification confirming their former residence to be eligible. Motels in and around the affected areas have been given information to verify that information and instructions on how to apply for payment. Individuals and families that cannot locate available motels should contact a local Red Cross chapter for help.
Residents already checked into motels should alert front desk staff that they are hurricane evacuees if they have not done so. Clients will receive up to thirty days of covered housing at a time, which will be extended as needed.
The Red Cross has already paid out more than $65 million for this program—all from money donated to the organization—and continues to be invoiced several million dollars each day. Under the National Response Plan, which is activated by the President during major national disasters, the Red Cross may be eligible for FEMA reimbursement for extraordinary expenses outside of its normal programs.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. 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. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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