Report Contents Introduction When Disaster Strikes The First Six Months The Transition to Long Term Recovery The Tsunami Recovery Program Conclusion Addendum: The International Response Fund Printer-friendly Report (PDF - 2.5MB) Related Content Tsunami Recovery Program International Response Fund/Tsunami Relief Donors

Poverty and war. Famine and drought. Earthquakes and flooding. Displacement and disease. In the last decade, almost two billion people around the world have been affected by disasters and other crises. The American Red Cross is there to help thanks to the generosity of the American public. By making gifts to the International Response Fund, donors allow the American Red Cross to aid victims of international catastrophes.

Some massive disasters, like the December 2004 tsunami, receive a great deal of attention and visibility, but others are not as well publicized. The needs of the victims of these "silent" disasters, however, are no less critical or important. In coordination with Red Cross and Red Crescent partners and other international relief organizations, the American Red Cross responds to the needs of those suffering worldwide.

• When there is a sudden, natural disaster and people are in need, the American Red Cross can deploy its Emergency Response Unit, a self-sustaining mobile unit that can be sent any-where in the world to rapidly deliver relief supplies through local networks, regardless of conditions on the ground. The American Red Cross brings relief to victims during the emergency stage and supports them throughout the long-term recovery process.
• When there is a human-caused disaster of civil unrest or conflict, the American Red Cross assists people in refugee camps by supplying food and water, installing sanitation systems and providing emergency and primary healthcare, including disease prevention and psychosocial support.
• When there are unsafe or inadequate supplies of food and water in a region of the world, the American Red Cross helps deliver emergency food supplies and sends technical experts to assist communities in establishing safe water and sanitation systems.
• When there is a long-term humanitarian health crisis, such as the measles epidemic in Africa, the American Red Cross helps implement mass immunization campaigns to reduce the spread of the disease and work towards the disease's total eradication.

You can help those affected by countless crises around the world by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org.