Local Information:
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(Courtesy of WITZ)
Weather
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Disaster Services
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Each year, the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 60,000
disasters, including house or apartment fires (the majority of responses),
hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation
accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made disasters.
The Good News Is That We Can Help
Although the American Red Cross is not a government agency, its authority to
provide disaster relief was formalized when, in 1905, the Red Cross was chartered
by Congress to "carry on a system of national and international relief in time
of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence,
famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and
carry on measures for preventing the same." The Charter is not only a grant of
power,but also an imposition of duties and obligations to the nation, to disaster
victims, and to the people who generously support its work with their donations.
Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency
disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides
shelter, food, and health and mental health services to address basic
human needs. In addition to these services, the core of Red Cross disaster
relief is the assistance given to individuals and families affected by disasters
to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently.
The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned
family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products
to disaster victims, and helps those affected by disaster to access other available
resources.
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