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Haiti

Red Cross Aid Reaches Haitian Earthquake Survivors: NFL Donates More Than $2 Million for Red Cross Disaster Response in Haiti

American Red Cross President & CEO Gail McGovern to travel to Port-au-Prince Monday

WASHINGTON, Saturday, January 16, 2010 - Truckloads of Red Cross supplies arrived in Port-au-Prince today and thousands of responders are traveling the streets providing water and first aid as well as finding lost loved ones and transporting people with serious injuries to nearby health facilities.

"America's support - donations made in the United States to the American Red Cross - is reaching the hands of survivors in Haiti," said Steve McAndrew, disaster relief specialist with the American Red Cross in Port-au-Prince.

Within the convoy that arrived today are 50-bed field hospitals and purification equipment capable of producing 10,000 gallons of drinking water per day. The mobile hospitals have a dedicated section to help people cope with emotional trauma. Toys and specially-trained volunteers will be available to comfort children, who are particularly vulnerable.

An additional seven truckloads of equipment and materials including medical supplies, that were on Red Cross planes re-routed to Dominican Republic Friday, are traveling overland and are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince by Sunday. Two flights will arrive in the capital city, carrying enough relief supplies for more than 32,000 families, on Monday as well.

The American Red Cross team and responders from more than 30 countries, totaling more than 100, have now arrived and are providing a wide-range of support, including food, water, field hospitals, emotional support and sanitation services.

"We are working with the Haitian Red Cross volunteers, who have intimate knowledge of the community," said McAndrew. "Survivors are receiving aid from their neighbors, who they know and trust, with support from the international community."

On Monday, American Red Cross President & CEO Gail McGovern will travel to Port-au-Prince to join other Red Cross leaders in assessing the relief efforts and planning for long-term recovery.

"Our focus now is on the immediate relief for the people of Haiti, but make no mistake, this is going to be a massive long-term recovery operation," McGovern said.

Since the earthquake struck, more than 19,300 people have registered with the International Committee of the Red Cross-sponsored Web site (www.icrc.org/familylinks) helping to reconnect families separated during the earthquake. Almost all of the registrations were from people searching for news about their relatives, although around 1,400 people have so far used the site to say they are safe and well.

NFL Donates More Than $2 Million for Red Cross Disaster Response in Haiti

WASHINGTON, Saturday, January 16, 2010 - The National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) are donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross to aid victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The NFL and its network partners will run pregame and in-game messages during the weekend's playoff games valued at $1.5 million to promote donations. In addition, NFL owners and players are making their own personal donations.

A national PSA will air during each playoff game this weekend promoting donations to the Red Cross via www.redcross.org. The PSA will feature New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and San Diego Chargers defensive end Jacques Cesaire, two players with Haitian-born parents.

There will be in-stadium video board and PA messages, in all four stadiums hosting games this weekend, promoting the Red Cross text-to-give program. The Minnesota Vikings will have a collection drive at their stadium gates for this weekend's game and they will run an in-game PSA featuring running back Adrian Peterson.

"The generous contribution of the NFL and the NFLPA is critical to the ability of the American Red Cross to provide help and hope for the people of Haiti during their time of need," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. "We are rushing supplies and disaster management staff to Haiti in the aftermath of this earthquake, and are very grateful the support of the NFL and the NFLPA for our humanitarian mission."

The American Red Cross is on the ground in Port-au-Prince, along with Red Cross teams from around the world. Among these Red Cross representatives are engineers, surgeons and family linking specialists. These teams will establish field hospitals, restore water and sanitation systems, distribute supplies and restore family links facilities. In addition, the Red Cross is performing triage, first aid, addressing urgent needs and mobilizing a massive response operation in Haiti. A base camp has been secured near the airport with warehousing facilities for relief supply staging.

The Red Cross continues to see an outpouring of support and concern from the public. People who want to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake can make a donation via RedCross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third party mobile fundraising effort sponsored by Mobile Accord. Mobile donors can text "Haiti" to 90999 to send a ten dollar donation to the Red Cross. The funds will go to support the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

At this time, what the Red Cross needs most are financial contributions - whether by check, online or by phone. Things like clothes are not helpful right now because there is nowhere to store them, no one to sort them, and it would be difficult to transport the items to Haiti. One good way to turn clothes into cash is to have a garage sale and then donate the money to the relief efforts.

About the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund

Created in 2001 to assist organizations directly and indirectly affected by the events of September 11, the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund is a collaborative endeavor of the National Football League and the NFL Players Association. Its goal is to improve the quality of life and help rebuild communities affected by large-scale tragedies. Since its inception, the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund has provided aid to those affected by the events of September 11, 2001, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Hurricane Katrina and the 2007 San Diego Wildfires.

You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Contact:

Public Affairs Desk
FOR MEDIA ONLY
media@usa.redcross.org
Phone: (202) 303-5551

Disclaimer

American Red Cross
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is provided at no cost, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross also supplies nearly half of the nation's lifesaving blood. This, too, is made possible by generous voluntary donations. To help the victims of disaster, you may make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. To donate blood, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or contact your local Red Cross to find out about upcoming blood drives. © Copyright, The American National Red Cross. All Rights Reserved.