American Red Cross Sends Relief Personnel, Supplies to Iran

American Red Cross
Friday, 2 January 2004

Today, the American Red Cross announced the deployment of a four-person Relief Emergency Response Unit to Bam, Iran, where team members will be working with International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners to distribute relief supplies to those in need. This action follows the devastating December 26 earthquake in Bam that may be responsible for more than 30,000 lost lives and the destruction of the historic Iranian city.

"The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Iranian Red Crescent Society requested this specialized American Red Cross team to support the distribution of relief," said American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans. "We are pleased to be able to assist our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners and carry out our humanitarian mission of assisting the world's vulnerable in times of crisis."

Relief personnel from the American Red Cross will arrive this evening in Iran and expect to integrate into relief operations in the next 48 hours. American Red Cross relief supplies stored in Bulgaria, with the cooperation of the Bulgarian Red Cross, including 500 tents, 30,000 blankets 14,900 water containers, and 2,225 plastic tarpaulins, will begin to be shipped via air this weekend. American Red Cross activities in support of the Iranian earthquake response operation have been made possible by the generosity of the American public. Through its chapter network, the American Red Cross is also helping members of the public locate or get information about family members believed to be missing as a result of the earthquake.

Since 1999, when a special unit was established at the American Red Cross to address suffering caused by international disasters, the organization has responded to multiple disasters annually and has served more than 2,300,000 beneficiaries around the world while spending more than $26 million dollars in the acute emergency phase.

For more information, or to contact American Red Cross, see their website at: www.redcross.org