American Red Cross Delivers Critical Support to Chile

American Red Cross Delivers Critical Support to Chile

Call for Donations is Underway



Salt Lake City, Utah (Thursday, March 04, 2010) — Utahns can help the disaster relief efforts in Chile through the American Red Cross. Following a request made yesterday for international assistance from the Chilean Red Cross, the American Red Cross is now accepting donations specifically for response and recovery in Chile. The public can donate online through www.redcross.org, through calls to 1-800-REDCROSS, and by texting “CHILE” to 90999. People may also call 1-800-257-7575 to make a donation in Spanish. The American Red Cross has increased its pledge to $250,000 for relief operations in Chile following Saturday’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake.



Utah Region American Red Cross CEO Maxine Margaritis said, “Our hearts go out to the people of Chile as they cope with the aftermath of the earthquake and the many aftershocks. The Red Cross received the Chilean request for international assistance yesterday and we are happy to help raise funds here in Utah to help the people of Chile.”



More than 2 million people are affected and an estimated 500,000 homes are destroyed with 1.5 million homes damaged. Communications and electricity are slowly being restored in Santiago but still remain out in the hardest hit areas. The airport in Santiago has reopened.



The International Red Cross has launched a Family Links Website aimed at helping people in Chile and abroad to register the names of relatives with whom they wish to restore contact. People seeking news from their loved ones can register directly on the site at: https//www.icrc.org/familylinks.



This Saturday, the Salt Lake City affiliate of Azteca America television partners with the Red Cross to host a Spanish telethon from 6p.m. to 10 p.m. to raise funds for Chile and Haiti.



Disaster relief efforts continue to support the massive relief operations in Haiti, where more than 1.3 million people have been helped since the January 12th earthquake in that country.





You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org or www.cruzrojaamericana.org.