What is the largest disaster the American Red Cross has ever dealt with?
The 2005 hurricane season is the largest, most costly disaster relief operation in the nations history. The American people pledged an estimated $2.116 billion for the cost for its response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. More than 225,000 Red Cross disaster relief workers, 95 percent of which were volunteers, were able to provided more than 3.4 million overnight stays in nearly 1,200 shelters across 27 states and the District of Columbia. We served more than 34 million meals and provided emergency financial assistance to nearly 1.4 million families – more than 4 million people.
Related Questions
- If I am a certified disaster service volunteer of the American Red Cross, may I leave work to provide disaster relief?
- Is the American Red Cross accepting donations of items like food or clothing for this disaster relief effort?
- Does the American Red Cross ever accept in-kind donations for international disaster response?
