Red Cross Extends Hand to Flooded North Texas
June 21, 2007 - Gainesville, Texas - Residents coming to Red Cross shelters throughout north central Texas have been up to their armpits in water for more days than they care to remember. Response volunteers from throughout the state and beyond have been homing in the affected communities organizing an enormous relief operation that will cost the organization more than $300,000 to support. The money will be used to feed, clothe and shelter thousands of Texans who have lost more than their homes - they’ve seen their crops and animals destroyed, some have even lost family members in this violent weather.
The American Red Cross continues to respond to the needs of these communities with personnel and material assets, as well as health and psychological support. The resources of the national organization are brought to bear in disasters in such as this and that is the reason for the Disaster Relief Fund which makes deployment of volunteers and paid staff possible - sometimes before the disaster has occurred. The Disaster Relief Fund is a pool of funds come to Red Cross, free of strings, to disperse in on any disaster. When people make a donation to Red Cross in response to a disaster like these North Texas floods, they often specify that the funds are to be used for that disaster. That limitation is removed when a person writes a check or makes a donation to the “Disaster Relief Fund”. That allows the American Red Cross to use the funds as necessary.
The warehouses, food supplies, vehicles and electronic communications that are necessary to field an operation such as the North Texas floods require funding year around in order to be available quickly to those who need it most. The floods, coupled with tornadoes in the Killeen-Copperas Cove area will put a dent in the overall fund which must be replenished to meet the hurricane season and other unforeseen emergencies.
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 the North Texas floods and thousands of other disasters across the country each year 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 those in need. 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.
