WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 31, 2004 -- At a time when people are typically celebrating the start of a brand new year, the people of southern Asia and eastern Africa will begin the year 2005 recovering from tragedy and disaster. But even with this bleak picture, an international humanitarian effort has formed, providing hope to disaster victims who now know help is on the way. Today, the American Red Cross announced it is sending an initial $30 million in aid to the affected areas. Of this, $25 million will help pay for relief food supplies for the victims of this disaster and the other $5 million will be used for non-food relief items, such as hygiene kits.

Contributions continue to pour in for the relief effort, and as of 7:00 pm on Thursday evening, December 30th, the American public had generously pledged $43.7 million to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. Contributions to a relief organization like the American Red Cross will allow the organization to provide immediate relief and long term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to those in need.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, along with national societies like the American Red Cross, are working in partnership to provide relief and aid to those affected by this tragedy. With a disaster of this magnitude, many international humanitarian and non- government organizations are coordinating relief efforts.

On Wednesday, December 29th, three American Red Cross relief workers deployed from the United States to the affected regions. In addition, a four- member Emergency Response Unit (ERU) team, specializing and trained in relief supply distribution, will be deployed today from the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In 1994, after another international crisis situation, the Federation developed the concept of Emergency Response Units (ERUs) to improve the speed and efficiency with which the Federation is able to respond to disasters. ERUs are self-contained teams of specialist professionals and pre-packed sets of standardized equipment. The personnel guarantee to be available to travel within 48 hours, and the full unit aims to be operational on-site within one week.

American Red Cross ERU Responders En Route to southern Asia:

The focus of the work of the ERU and all the American Red Cross team members will be to distribute emergency aid supplies in a safe and dignified manner to those who need it most. The group of four will leave from Washington, D.C. for Sri Lanka and will bring one ton (2,000 lbs) of supplies with them to make it through a minimum of one month of operation. The ERU team leaving this afternoon includes:

Matthew Parry, from Springfield, Virginia is the Relief ERU Team Leader and the Regional Associate for Europe and Asia with the American Red Cross International Disaster Response Unit.

Ron Matthews is from Ames, Iowa and has been an American Red Cross volunteer and staff member for approximately 20 years. He has responded to and managed domestic disaster operations throughout his career.

Kathryn Courville, a Registered Nurse from Longview, Texas, works in the emergency room by profession, but will not be acting in this capacity on this mission. She will be helping to carry out distribution activities for this relief effort.

Stacy Ragan, from Washington, D.C. is the Operations Associate with the American Red Cross International Disaster Response Unit. She has been with the Red Cross for four years and has previously worked on operations in Central Asia and in New York City after September 11th.

Other Relief Workers In or En Route:

Jim Stephenson, from San Francisco, serves on the American Red Cross International Response Team. He is assigned to Sri Lanka with the British Red Cross Emergency Response Unit and will be helping to coordinate the receipt and distribution of relief supplies.

Langdon Greenhalgh, an American Red Cross International Response Team Member from Berryville, Virginia, is assigned to the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Indonesia. He will join the Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT).

Sara Blandford, from Alexandria, Virginia, is an American Red Cross employee in Washington, D.C. She will leave Friday to join a team from the International Committee of Red Cross in Sri Lanka to help manage family linking activities.

Yohannes Hagos, from Alexandria, Virginia, is the Manager of Water and Sanitation for the American Red Cross. He departed Wednesday for the Maldives to assess the water and sanitation condition. He is assigned to the Federation's FACT.

The American Red Cross maintains a specially trained team of relief workers experienced with responding to disasters of this nature. Additional international response team workers are on standby to deploy as needed. Early next week, American Red Cross delegate Marcie Friedman, from Austin, Texas and currently working in Vietnam, will deploy to Sri Lanka. We do not anticipate the need for further assistance from volunteers for this disaster. To learn about a volunteer opportunity in your community, please contact your local American Red Cross chapter.

When disasters like this strike, whether domestically or internationally, people want to help and often offer individual and/or collections of goods or in-kind items to show their support for the victims. However, the Red Cross does not have the capacity to accept or collect, and does not actively solicit individual or collections of in-kind donations in times of disaster.

How Can You Help?

* You can help those affected by this crisis and countless others around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

* To make a donation, call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish)

* Contributions to the International Response Fund may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter

* Send a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

* Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting http://www.redcross.org.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Web Site: http://www.redcross.org