Washington: The American Red Cross continues to increase its relief
operation to provide food, shelter, supplies and comfort to more and more
people affected by Superstorm Sandy.
“Every day we’re sending more and more workers and supplies
into these states as quickly as possible,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice
president of Disaster Services for the Red Cross. “Given the possibility for a
nor’easter to hit next week, we are dedicating as many resources as we can to
these hard-hit areas.”
The entire Red Cross fleet of 320 response vehicles has been
activated to distribute hot meals, water, snacks and relief supplies. In order
to help people find out where they can get these items, the Red Cross has a
team of people tracking the location of its emergency vehicles around the clock
and communicating those locations online.
More than 5,000 Red Cross workers from all over the country
are supporting shelters, providing food and water at fixed sites, and driving
through neighborhoods to distribute meals and supplies. Sixty trailers of
relief supplies such as personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, rakes,
shovels, tarps, dust masks and work gloves are arriving this weekend in New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
With millions still without power and cold temperatures
forecasted for much of the mid-Atlantic next week, the Red Cross is also
mobilizing an additional 80,000 blankets for New Jersey and New York.
Thousands of people affected by Sandy continue to seek
refuge in shelters; last Saturday, more than 10,600 people stayed in 123
shelters in nine states.