RED CROSS
RELIEF
It has
been one year since Hurricane Mitch ripped through Central America leaving
1.5 million people homeless. These people are finding a reason to have
hope thanks to the Red Cross organization.
The American
Red Cross works to help make families and communities safer around the
world. Some of the services the Red Cross provides are: 1) Each year
the American Red Cross holds a blood drive (where people donate blood)
and this provides about ½ the nation's blood supply; 2) American Red
Cross trains more that 11.7 million people in lifesaving skills, such
as CPR, each year; and 3) the American Red Cross sends people to help
victims in disaster areas throughout the nation.
Hurricane
Mitch tore through Central America on October 26 - November 1, 1998.
This hurricane hit Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador with
high winds, heavy rains, and much flooding and mudslides, which ruined
entire communities.
Fifty-one
million dollars was donated to the American Red Cross to help people
survive after Hurricane Mitch. This is the largest amount of money ever
donated to the Red Cross to provide relief in a foreign country.
