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When the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes made landfall, the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross responded immediately, mounting the largest disaster response in its 126-year history. The devastation was unlike anything the organization had seen before. The storms affected approximately 90,000 square miles. Thousands of South Mississippians turned to us for help. Utilizing hundreds of volunteers from across the country, we provided emergency assistance for more than 100,000 people, making sure they had a safe, dry place to go with their families, food to eat, and other essentials like medicines and clothing.
Our chapter of the American Red Cross continues to serve those affected by Hurricanes Katrina through its Hurricane Recovery Program (HRP). The HRP is focused on areas where the need for help is the greatest:
- Long-term recovery planning through case management;
- Emotional support, mental health counseling and grief management; and
- Vital information sharing and locating recovery resources.
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Case managers utilize one-on-one interviews and needs assessments to help survivors develop a long-term recovery plan that will help them get back to a safe, stable, sustainable living situation. Where a case manager sees an unmet client need within the recovery plan, consideration may be granted to use resources from the Means to Recovery initiative. In addition, eligible survivors who need emotional support can enroll in the Emotional Support Program, which eliminates the financial barriers to obtaining appropriate mental health and substance abuse treatment. To access the emotional support benefit, survivors can contact us.
The American Red Cross is one of many partner community organizations that have gathered resources to help individuals and families with their disaster recovery. The Links section can direct you to some of these partner organizations and resources.
More than 90 percent of the resources donated to the American Red Cross by the American public for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma have already gone toward basic, life-sustaining needs like food, clothing and shelter right after the storm. The remaining funds continue to provide services through the Hurricane Recovery Program.
Hurricanes Katrina & Rita Statistics
Jan. 19, 2006 — The American Red Cross is responding to multiple natural disasters and is relying on the American people to help aid hurricane survivors by supporting the Disaster Relief Fund. The information below pertains to relief operations related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita only.
» Go to Red Cross Response to Hurricane Wilma - Facts at a Glance
(Situation Updates: This disaster relief operation is constantly changing. All numbers are approximate. Please note the date of the last update when using facts or numbers in news stories.)
Red Cross Help for Survivors
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Estimated Cost |
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Financial Assistance |
Red Cross financial assistance is provided in a variety of ways, including client assistance cards, vouchers, checks and cash. The Red Cross estimates it will distribute financial assistance to approximately 1.2 million families (more than 3.7 million hurricane survivors). |
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Relief Workers |
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Shelters/Temporary Housing |
Since Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the Red Cross has provided hurricane survivors with nearly 3.42 million overnight stays in nearly 1,100 shelters across 27 states and the District of Columbia. |
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Feeding Operations |
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Reuniting Families |
Persons looking for loved ones could go to the "Family Links Registry" to: |
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Health & Preventative |
Visit www.redcross.org or www.cdc.gov for information about health strategies and preventative measures for those in affected areas. |
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Mental & Health |
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Comfort & Clean Up |
The Red Cross has distributed more than 509,060 comfort and clean up kits to evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. |
The American Red Cross estimates that Hurricane Katrina relief efforts will exceed $2 billion, meeting the urgent needs of Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors in a number of areas — including food and shelter, emergency financial assistance and physical and mental health services.
More than 219,500 Red Cross disaster relief workers from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have responded to their neighbors in need.
The Red Cross, in coordination with the Southern Baptist Convention, has served more than 27.4 million hot meals and 25.2 million snacks to hurricane survivors to date.
To date, Red Cross has made more than 1,633,350 mental and health contacts related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
