Red Cross hotline still accepting donations
By Daily Press staff
In the past week, nearly 100 people have come from Hurricane Katrina territory seeking help from the Santa Monica chapter of the Red Cross.
Since the hurricane hit more than three weeks ago, the Santa Monica chapter has opened 107 displaced persons cases, representing some 150 individuals.
In the last week alone, 80 families, couples or individuals have relocated to the Santa Monica area and turned to the Santa Monica chapter for aid and services until they can get on their feet.
“Many of them have driven here on their own. A few have taken buses or found other means to travel here. The displaced persons are primarily from Louisiana and Mississippi,” said chapter executive director John Pacheco.
The majority of the Hurricane Katrina victims are staying with family, friends and relatives.
“The chapter has found hotels or motels for 27 families and individuals and has issued over $52,000 in direct financial aid to displaced persons for food, clothing, medicine, housing expenses and other necessities,” Pacheco said. “About 90 percent of the victims being serviced by the Santa Monica chapter plan to permanently relocate to the Los Angeles area if they can find affordable housing and jobs.”
Most of the cases opened by the local chapter involve couples or single persons.
“We’ve seen relatively few children — maybe 12 or 15 so far,” said Frank Vidrio, a volunteer who is helping coordinate family services locally. “In addition to financial aid, we are providing referrals, helping to locate permanent housing, providing mental health services to those traumatized by the event, aiding in finding employment, and doing all we can to render aid and comfort to help our clients return to a normal life.”
And the money continues to pour into the Santa Monica chapter.
As of Monday, $642,000 had been contributed to Katrina relief through the Santa Monica chapter. Money raised locally will go to food and shelter, medical and mental health services, and direct financial support for the more than 359,000 families in 900 Red Cross shelters scattered across 40 states. Nationally, the American Red Cross has received $765 million so far and estimates that $2 billion will be needed for disaster relief in the months ahead.
The Red Cross estimates that $1.4 billion will be needed for direct financial assistance to families and individuals while another $78.4 million is needed for disaster-related physical and mental health services, including replacing prescription medications and supporting the Red Cross network of nurses and trained mental health counselors. An estimated $744 million will be spent for food and shelter operations, according to officials.
Displaced persons from the Hurricane Katrina disaster area are eligible for substantial aid in the form of financial support and services from a variety of charitable and state, federal and county governmental resources including the Red Cross.
The Santa Monica chapter has processed nearly 800 new volunteers — 700 of them have or are completing training to go to the disaster area and work in relief efforts at shelters and service centers. Forty-five people already have been called to disaster relief locations — primarily in the Gulf area, where the Red Cross has the majority of its shelters and service centers.
Another 70 individuals have completed specialized training in Red Cross family services that enables them to work directly with victims and do the casework required to ensure that the needs of those impacted by the disaster are met — both locally or at disaster area locations.
“Family services will become increasingly important in the recovery process as time goes on,” Pacheco said. “As the shelter phase winds down in the months ahead, providing ongoing support for victims is a long-term effort.
“Red Cross family service activities have stayed active for years rendering services after disasters such as the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing, 9/11, and other hurricanes, earthquakes and floods,” he added.
Many new volunteers also are working locally providing support for chapter fundraising, training and family service activities relating to the Katrina disaster.
The Santa Monica chapter’s toll-free Katrina disaster relief hotline, (866) 733- 5010, is operational. The hotline is a call-in center for Hurricane Katrina information and also is proving useful for tracking “in kind” donations by linking those who wish to donate clothing or services with those looking for clothing, jobs or who have other needs. Anyone looking for missing relatives or friends can call (877) LOVED-1S for the Family Links Registry.
Those needing assistance can drop by the American Red Cross of Santa Monica, 1450 11th St., or can call (310) 394-3773. Go online at www.redcrossofsantamoni-ca.org. Donate online at the national American Red Cross’s Web site at www.redcross.org. Or, call (800) HELP- NOW.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 21, 2005. Read the original PDF.