WASHINGTON, March 28 - The American Red Cross today received a donation of 10 Ford Excursions from the Ford Motor Company at the Dallas Auto Show. The Excursions, valued at nearly $500,000, will be outfitted and used as communications vehicles then positioned at Red Cross chapters in strategic locations nationwide to facilitate and coordinate the delivery of disaster relief services.

"These Ford Excursions will help the American Red Cross provide vital communication and logistical services during disasters," said American Red Cross Vice President of Disaster Services Dr. John Clizbe. "The Excursions will enable our disaster relief workers to travel into areas severely affected by a disasters and then to effectively communicate needs to ensure that supplies and relief are being delivered to those in need of help," he continued.

The ten Ford Excursions will be outfitted by the American Red Cross with satellite, cellular and short-wave telecommunication equipment valued at $50,000 per vehicle. The equipment carried in the Excursions will help increase lines of communication between Red Cross personnel and other government and emergency management organizations who are on-site immediately following a disaster. The versatility and four-wheel-drive capabilities of the Excursion will help Red Cross disaster relief workers penetrate into areas of heavy damage following a disaster and communicate important information about relief needs and damage assessment back to the operational headquarters.

"Ford Motor Company developed the Excursion with maximum functionality and flexibility in mind to serve a broad range of needs for both payload and people. Donating these ten vehicles to the American Red Cross will help them to provide relief whenever a disaster happens," said Bill Stang, Ford Division Southwest Regional Sales Manager.

The outfitting of the Excursions and training of the personnel to operate them is expected to be complete by early summer in preparation for what experts say will be another devastating Hurricane Season.

The American Red Cross is dedicated to helping make families and communities safer at home and around the world. A volunteer-led humanitarian service organization operating on a budget of $2.3 billion, the American Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to the victims of more than 60,000 disasters nationwide and has been the primary supplier of lifesaving blood and blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. The Red Cross also trains more than 11.7 million people in vital lifesaving skills, provides direct health services to 2.5 million people, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 20 countries, and transmits more than 1.4 million emergency messages to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Dr. Bernadine Healy is president and CEO of the American Red Cross.