Hurricane Sandy USA update

	Catherine Barde gives a hot meal to a Staten Island, New York resident, who was incredibly thankful. Photo credit: Patricia Billinger

More than 5,000 Red Cross workers from all over the country are supporting shelters, providing food and water and driving through neighbourhoods in need to distribute meals and supplies. The entire American Red Cross fleet of vehicles, more than 320 in total, are being used to distribute meals, water, snacks and relief supplies.

An intensive feeding operation is currently underway to get hot meals to residents in New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York. As more information about specific neighbourhoods in need surfaces, the American Red Cross is immediately putting plans in place to assist the most vulnerable.

Volunteers have served more than 500,000 meals and snacks, handed out more than 33,000 relief items, and provided more than 12,000 health services and emotional support contacts. Over the weekend, 60 trailers of supplies arrived and an additional 80,000 blankets are soon to arrive in preparation for the cold temperatures. More than 49,000 people spent the night in Red Cross shelters last week.

The Canadian Red Cross has sent down a group of ten highly trained disaster management volunteers who are currently assisting with the relief operations. Additional volunteers and supplies remain on standby, ready to be sent. The response to Sandy is likely to be the biggest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past five years.

Canadians wishing to support Hurricane Sandy response efforts in the United States can make a financial donation to our Hurricane Sandy-USA fund online at www.redcross.ca, by calling 1-800-418-1111 or by contacting their local Canadian Red Cross office.

Posted:  November 5, 2012