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12 September 2001 The American Red Cross is working around the clock to provide emergency relief and support to the victims and families of Tuesday's devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. More than 1,000 specially trained Red Cross disaster relief workers are busy offering shelter, blankets, food and drinks to thousands of people in need, including the emergency workers responding to the tragedy. More Red Cross personnel are working in other areas around the country touched by the tragedy, such as mass care teams who are extending assistance to airports to help stranded travellers. Four hijacked planes turned into suicide bombs on the morning of 11 September in what is the worst tragedy to hit the United States in more than 50 years. Two planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center - the fourth tallest building in the world - which subsequently collapsed, showering downtown New York in rubble and dust. A third plane crashed into the government's Pentagon building in Washington, and a fourth in rural Pennsylvania. Some 1,400 people are known or presumed dead, a further 1,400 have been admitted to hospital and thousands more are unaccounted for, according to press and government sources. Hundreds of trained Red Cross mental health workers are beginning to help people deal with the severe emotional stress that will accompany the tragedy - the sheer scale of the devastation has stunned the whole nation. "Much of what we are hearing as we talk to firefighters, rescue workers and soldiers is shock and frustration," said Kim Giles, a Red Cross mental health volunteer from neighbouring Virginia state who was assisting at the Pentagon. "They are exhausted after hours of work but the fire keeps restarting, preventing them from bringing the victims out." A distraught firefighter at the Pentagon described the remnants of smashed offices and the plane wreckage inside the rubble as "a horrible, tangled mess". Under the Government's Federal Response Plan, the American Red Cross is officially designated to provide mass care for those in need. The Society has opened 12 shelters for people left homeless or who have been evacuated from their homes in New York City and one "service centre" in Washington, where people can drop in for some food, something to drink, and where they can lie down and rest. Two city buses have been converted into grief counselling centres, and tents and cots are being set up. The Red Cross has activated its Aviation Incident Response (AIR) Team which provides emotional assistance for aviation tragedies at the crash sites and at the originating and destination airports. Aviation disaster workers deployed in Pennsylvania, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles - airports where families of those who died in the air crashes have gathered. These workers are specialised in emotional assistance and taking care of children while parents grieve. Another key role played by the American Red Cross is supplying blood and blood products (such as albumin to treat burn and trauma patients) from its blood bank to hospitals in the affected areas as they treat those injured. The Society has sent blood to New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and surrounding areas. The American Red Cross has been touched by the support offered from all over the country - within the first six hours of the disaster, some 700,000 people telephoned to make an appointment to donate blood. In addition to blood donations, the Society is seeking cash support for its relief programmes over the coming months (to make a donation, please visit the American Red Cross web site. Anyone who wishes to become a disaster volunteer is encouraged to contact their local chapter/branch. The Society is also handling tracing enquiries from people who are worried about relatives who they have not heard from. Messages handed in at local chapters are relayed to headquarters. "We have fanned out across the country and will be there for victims, families and emergency services workers in the weeks, months and even years to come," said American Red Cross spokesperson Leslie van Sant. Related links American Red Cross web site - for up-to-date information about all American Red Cross activities, how to make a cash donations or donate blood. Other Federation stories, reports and links |
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