We Did Our Part

As we approach the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the American Red Cross is sharing its lessons learned in a report Bringing Help, Bringing Hope: The American Red Cross Response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. With $2.2 billion in donor funds, the Red Cross provided shelter and emergency financial assistance to evacuees across thirty-one states and the District of Columbia. This assistance reached 1.4 million families or 4.5 million people, nineteen times the Red Cross’ previous record of outreach. The unprecedented scope and scale of the relief effort prompted the Red Cross to enhance planning for large-scale disasters and created new partnerships at the local, state and national levels. The Red Cross also established a national warehouse system, stocked with more than twice the amount of disaster relief supplies previously kept in inventory – enough to support 35,000 shelter residents. The number of trained disaster volunteers was increased from 25,000 to nearly 95,000, including nearly 50,000 who are on call to travel to disasters around the country. Finally, the Red Cross created web tools to connect families online after disasters. It was an extraordinary response to an unthinkable event. The image here shows the certificate we received from the Hurricane Recovery Director of the American Red Cross for our assistance to affected small businesses. We can all do something and the Red Cross report shows the results of many individual contributions.

From Zurich to Milan

Yesterday, central Italy was struck by an earthquake which registered 6.3 in magnitude on the Richter scale. Nearly 150 people are believed dead as a result of the tragedy, which is Italy’s deadliest earthquake since November 23, 1980, when a 6.9-magnitude quake hit the southern part of the country, leveling villages and causing about 3,000 casualties. Emergency responders in Italy have reported strong aftershocks in the affected region. Compounding the tragedy is that relief aid to effectively respond to a disaster of this magnitude is limited by the weak economy. The American Red Cross has set up a site to collect donor contributions for this critical need.

The photograph accompanying this blog entry is one I took when I lived in Switzerland, showing the Cisalpino, the high-speed train that connects Zurich to Milan. As a senior executive of Swiss Re, I often had occasion to travel to Italy on business and of course, I also enjoyed spending weekends in Milan, Florence, Venice and Rome. I have very fond memories of my time in Italy and have contributed to the Red Cross’ relief efforts.

March is National Red Cross Month

In 1943, President Roosevelt, acting as the honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross, recognized that organization’s outstanding humanitarian services when he declared March “National Red Cross Month”. This declaration became the basis of support for annual fund raising and volunteer recruitment drives to support the critical activities of local Red Cross chapters. Supporting your local Red Cross chapter is particularly important this year as donor support has declined with the economic recession. I learned some interesting facts about my local Red Cross organization, which is the Greater New York Chapter of the Red Cross. First, the largest corporate sponsors of our local Red Cross chapter included Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, AIG and Merrill Lynch! Second, the New York chapter of the Red Cross responds to eight to ten disasters a day, ranging from people rendered homeless from the collapse of construction cranes to local fires. This is significant because many of us in New York are focused on 9-11-scale events when, in fact, it is the everyday disaster that we are, by definition, most likely to experience. With many small businesses struggling in the current economy, contributing funds may be difficult at this time. However, there are other ways you can support the Red Cross, from volunteer work to training. I urge you to contact your local Red Cross chapter to find out what you can do.

One week ago, more than 400 fast-moving fires, some of which appear to have been set deliberately, moved through Victoria, Australia killing more than 180 people in the most fatal disaster in that country’s history. The fires destroyed more than 1,800 homes leaving more than 7,000 people homeless. More than 4,000 firefighters continue to fight nine fires still blazing in their area, with their ranks supplemented with firefighters flown in from both New Zealand and the United States. In an effort to count the casualties, a team of Indonesian experts who had helped to identify bodies after the Bali bombings and the 2005 tsunami has gone to Australia. The Australian Red Cross has launched a fundraising appeal to help the victims of the fires and has established a website where you can make a secure online donation with your credit card.