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 disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently. If needed, the Red Cross provides the means to pay for needed items including groceries, new clothing, temporary housing, emergency home repairs, transportation, essential household items, medicines, and occupational tools. The Red Cross also helps those needing long-term recovery assistance when all other resources, including insurance benefits, community and personal resources and government assistance are not available or are inadequate.
All assistance is based on verified disaster-caused needs.
The Red Cross also feeds disaster victims and 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. Where The American Red Cross provides disaster relief throughout the United States, its commonwealths, territories, and possessions. As a member of the International Red Cross Movement, the American Red Cross monitors and often provides international disaster relief assistance through its sister National Societies in nations throughout the world. 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. How American Red Cross chapters continually work to be prepared to respond when a disaster threatens or strikes.