The American Red Cross is well known for its proficiency in disaster preparedness and response. We have shared our expertise with many Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies around the world. As part of the Tsunami Recovery Program, the American Red Cross will undertake large-scale activities to promote preparedness for future disasters. Many tsunami-affected countries are located in some of the most disaster-prone parts of the world. People in these countries suffer repeatedly from earthquakes, floods, cyclones, volcanoes and infrequent-but deadly-tsunamis. For tsunami recovery to be effective and sustainable, communities must be prepared for these disasters and able to mitigate their effects.

In Indonesia, the American Red Cross completed disaster preparedness assessments throughout Aceh province in May 2005. Based on these assessments, the American Red Cross designed an integrated, community-based risk reduction program for western Indonesia. This program will help reduce economic losses and improve resilience from natural disasters in 150 Aceh communities. Specific activities include-

• establishing community disaster committees.
• helping create community disaster plans that link to the national disaster response system.
• providing public education on household-level risk reduction.
• implementing small-scale disaster mitigation projects, such as installing hurricane shutters on community centers and rehabilitating mangrove forests.
• helping to build the Indonesian Red Cross Society's disaster preparedness capacity.

In Sri Lanka, in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the American Red Cross is implementing a program that will build the capacity of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society to restore family links in the event of a disaster. The American Red Cross is providing staff to the ICRC in Sri Lanka to oversee this capacity-building initiative and is training Sri Lanka Red Cross Society employees and volunteers in disaster preparedness and disaster management.

Also in Sri Lanka, the American Red Cross will implement a comprehensive disaster preparedness and management program that will benefit approximately 200,000people in Kalutara, Colombo, Negambo, Hambantota, Matara and Galle. The program will help the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and communities in the region prepare for and respond to disasters by establishing community disaster commit-tees and disaster plans that link to the national disaster response system. The program will also provide community- and school-based education on disaster preparedness. It will encourage families to build disaster and first aid kits and to create a family disaster plan so that family members know evacuation routes and how to reconnect in the event of disaster.

The American Red Cross is beginning similar comprehensive disaster preparedness and management programs throughout the tsunami-affected region.

Remaining Funds to Be Allocated as Needs Arise
During its nearly 125 years of responding to large-scale disasters, the American Red Cross has learned that additional needs emerge in the later years of the recovery process. To ensure that sufficient funds will be available to address these needs and to enhance and strengthen allocations described previously, more than $89 million has been reserved for future tsunami-related programs and services.