Red Cross Mobilizing Supplies, Organizing Donations for Nepal Quake Victims

CAMBRIDGE — The American Red Cross is mobilizing supplies and organizing donations in response to Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal.

The Red Cross has approximately 19,000 non-food relief kits pre-positioned in Nepal, including clothing, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, and personal hygiene items. Nearly 1,200 tarpaulins have already been distributed to displaced families. The Red Cross is activating its logistics systems in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai to mobilize additional relief materials in the coming days. Total stock levels in the Asia Pacific region are sufficient to cover 50,000 families. Field assessment teams are arriving in Nepal, including an information management delegate deployed from the American Red Cross, to obtain a more accurate assessment of the destruction.

Meanwhile, iTunes has launched a global Red Cross fund-raising campaign to raise money for relief in Nepal. Handheld-device users can access this feature via their iTunes account. Donations from $5 to $200 can be made directly to the American Red Cross for relief efforts in Nepal.

The American Red Cross is committing an initial $300,000 to the response operation and working closely with the Nepal Red Cross and the global Red Cross network to coordinate additional support. The American Red Cross is also providing critical remote mapping and information-management support.