Washington, U.S.A. — In a busy year filled with hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods and deadly windstorms, the American Red Cross responded to 113 large-scale disasters in 42 states and territories from Alaska to Florida between January 1 and December 1.

“Hurricane Sandy was the biggest U.S. response in five years, but it wasn’t the only disaster that disrupted lives in 2012,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president for Red Cross Disaster Services. “Devastating tornadoes and raging wildfires wiped out entire neighborhoods while Hurricane Isaac affected communities all along the Gulf Coast. The Red Cross responded to each of these disasters, offering shelter, food and comfort to people on their darkest days.”

Disasters struck across the country, from the East Coast to the West, and few regions were spared.

Throughout the year, the Red Cross opened a total of 907 shelters and provided more than 109,000 overnight stays to help people forced from their homes. In total, more than 29,000 trained disaster workers served 9.9 million meals and snacks and distributed more than 6.8 million relief items. Health and mental health workers provided more than 141,000 consultations to help people on the road to recovery.

The Red Cross also responded to tragic events that impacted people’s lives in the last year, most recently the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, as well as the mass shootings at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in July and at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in August. In all three responses, the Red Cross provided emotional and mental health support, as well as food and drinks for first responders.

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms Impacted Many Lives

In June, Tropical Storm Debby marked the start of hurricane season by causing widespread flooding across much of Florida. Then in late August, Hurricane Isaac came ashore bringing with it strong winds and drenching rain that impacted Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. In response to Isaac, the Red Cross mobilized thousands of disaster workers to help people by opening 157 shelters, providing thousands of overnight stays. Volunteers served hundreds of thousands of meals, distributed more than 140,000 relief items and provided thousands of health and mental health contacts.

Hurricane Sandy made landfall along the Atlantic seaboard in late October, leaving massive devastation in its wake. In all, eleven states and Puerto Rico felt the impact with New York and New Jersey seeing the most devastation. The large Red Cross relief effort continues today, weeks after the storm’s landfall. As of December 1, more than 15,300 trained disaster workers mobilized to provide help. The Red Cross has handed out millions of relief items and meals, provided tens of thousands of health and emotional support contacts to people whose lives have been turned upside down. Even as relief work continues, the Red Cross will be on the ground supporting recovery efforts for some time.

Spring Tornadoes and Floods

In early March, as many as 95 confirmed tornadoes touched down, destroying communities across the Midwest and Southeast. Tornadoes slammed through the Dallas-Fort Worth area in early April and in mid-April, dozens of tornadoes ripped across the Midwest for a second time.

In all, severe spring weather affected communities in 16 states, including Kansas, Illinois, Missouri,Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi,Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas. The Red Cross launched responses to provide safe shelter, warm meals and relief supplies to people forced from their homes. Disaster workers served nearly a quarter of a million meals and snacks and handed out more than 112,000 relief items like cleaning supplies and comfort kits.

June Derecho

A string of storms with winds up to 90 miles per hour swept across Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio and the District of Columbia in June, bringing with them hundreds of reports of impact from devastating winds. Millions were without power in sweltering areas as high temperatures broke records. The Red Cross provided thousands of overnight stays in more than 70 shelters, served more than 246,000 meals and snacks, and distributed about 128,000 relief items.

Summer Wildfires

Dry conditions fueled devastating wildfires across the western part of the country, forcing evacuations and destroying homes. In response, the Red Cross launched wildfire relief operations in nine states including Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington and California. The Red Cross provided nearly 4,000 overnight stays in shelters, served more than 159,000 meals and snacks, and handed out tens of thousands of relief items to people in need.

International Response

The American Red Cross helped almost 3 million people around the world in 2012, responding to 13 disasters in more than 20 countries. These included floods in Bolivia, Peru, Afghanistan, the Philippines,Bangladesh, Nigeria and Panama. Assistance was also sent to Senegal, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger,Mauritania, Mali and Malawi to help people affected by food shortages, as well as a drought in Paraguay. Red Cross workers are also responding to help people affected by civil unrest in Syria and a cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone. The American Red Cross responded in Jamaica and Haiti after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in those countries.

The Red Cross thanks everyone who has supported disaster relief operations this year. Every nine minutes the Red Cross responds to a disaster in communities across the country, and whether it’s a hurricane or a fire in someone’s home, the Red Cross is there. Click here to view a photo slideshow of disaster responses supported this year.

The Red Cross also provides 24-hour support to members of the military, veterans and their families – in war zones, military hospitals and on military installations around the world; collects and distributes more than 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply and trains more than 9 million people in first aid, water safety and other life-saving skills every year.

If someone would like to support the Red Cross mission and help those in need, they can visit www.redcross.org. Contributions may also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

Image Courtesy : American Red Cross

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Washington, U.S.A. — Americans are becoming increasingly reliant on mobile devices during emergencies to provide information, useful tools and a way to let loved ones know they are safe, according to a new survey conducted by the American Red Cross.

Mobile apps now tie social media as the fourth-most popular way to get information in an emergency, following TV, radio and online news. The Red Cross survey found that 20 percent of Americans said they have gotten some kind of emergency information from an app, including emergency apps, those sponsored by news outlets and privately developed apps.

“We’ve monitored more than 100,000 mentions about Hurricane Isaac on social media,” said Wendy Harman, director of social strategy of the Red Cross. “People are stressed out, scared and seeking information. Social media and apps become a way to reach out to them with emotional support and tips on staying safe.”

The survey also identified a subsection of the population deemed “emergency social users,” people who are the most dedicated users of social media during emergencies. These users are likely to take a safety or preparedness action based on the information they see in their social networks. Three out of four of these users say they’ve contacted friends and family to see if they were safe and more than a third say social information has motivated them to gather supplies or seek safe shelter.

Other key findings include:

• Emergency social users are also most likely to seek and share information during emergencies. While they look for the hard facts—road closures, damage reports and weather conditions—they share personal information about their safety statuses and how they are feeling.
• Three out of four Americans (76 percent) expect help in less than three hours of posting a request on social media, up from 68 percent last year.
• Forty percent of those surveyed said they would use social tools to tell others they are safe, up from 24 percent last year.

The Red Cross continues to encourage people to call 9-1-1 as the best first action when in need of emergency assistance. At the same time, the organization is responding to the interest in mobile assistance by releasing a series of free apps for both iPhone and Android users.

The Red Cross introduced apps for shelter locations, first aid tips and instruction and hurricane preparedness, the last of which also includes a flashlight feature as well as one-touch, “I’m safe” messaging that connects directly to the users’ social media channels Red Cross plans to unveil several other preparedness apps throughout the fall. Links to the apps can be found at redcross.org//prepare/mobile-apps.

For more information and to view the full survey and infographic, visit redcross.org

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Washington, U.S.A. — As Tropical Storm Isaac marches north, the American Red Cross opened shelters in Florida and is prepared for widespread flooding and sheltering a large number of people throughout the state.

“The Red Cross is helping people in Florida who are being affected by the storm, and we urge those throughout the state and the Gulf Coast region who are in Isaac’s projected path to take preparedness steps now,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of disaster services. “The Red Cross is preparing for what could be a large disaster response across multiple states over the next several weeks.”

The Red Cross has deployed more than 1,000 disaster workers throughout Florida and has materials and supplies positioned for use, including pre-stocking 30,000 ready-to-eat meals in Florida and two mobile kitchens sent to the state.

With Isaac’s effects already being felt in parts of the state, people in Florida should stay informed on the storm’s progress from the National Weather Service. As the storm approaches, people should be prepared to evacuate if directed to do so by authorities.

As of noon August 27, the Red Cross has nearly 20 shelters already open in Florida and is poised to open more as necessary. If someone needs to find a Red Cross shelter, they can download the Red Cross Hurricane app, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or check their local television, radio and newspaper.

It’s also important to stay in touch with family and friends, and the Red Cross Safe and Well website is a secure and easy-to-use online tool that helps families connect during emergencies. To register, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). This site also connects with the Twitter and Facebook accounts of users.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross also is mobilizing disaster workers, emergency vehicles, mobile kitchens and relief supplies to Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi as Isaac is expected to move into that area in the next few days. The Red Cross is urging residents in areas that could be affected by the storm to be preparing now.

Isaac is expected to cause serious flooding throughout the region, and people can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Image Courtesy of   American Red Cross

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Washington, U.S.A. — The American Red Cross had more than 55 shelters open with as many as 1,180 overnight residents Saturday, June 30 from California to the east coast as people sought relief from the soaring temperatures, wildfires in the west and this week’s massive flooding in Florida.

“The Red Cross is helping people who have no power during this dangerous heat wave while continuing to feed and shelter people impacted by the wildfires out west and flooding in Florida,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president, Red Cross Disaster Services. “We urge people to stay safe and follow the direction of local officials during these emergencies.”

Power outage

Millions are still without power after Friday’s strong storms and officials say it could be several days until electricity is restored in some areas. The Red Cross is operating shelters and supporting numerous cooling centers in West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Indiana, Kentuckyand Ohio, as well as in and around Washington, D.C. More than 900 people spent Saturday night in Red Cross and community shelters due to the power outages.

If someone needs to find a Red Cross shelter they can go to www.redcross.org or access the free Red Cross phone app. Both are refreshed with updated information every 30 minutes. People can also watch local media reports to find out where shelters are located.

Safety Tips

If a community is without power, people should check on those who are alone or more likely to be affected by the heat. They should also make sure animals have plenty of water and a shady place to rest. Many people are resorting to generator power. They should connect the equipment they want powered directly to the generator outlets, and never connect a generator to the home’s electrical system.

• While the power is out, people should keep their refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible. If the refrigerator remains closed, it can keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer can hold its temperature for about two days if the door remains closed.
• People should turn appliances and electrical equipment off and unplug them, leaving one light on to know when the power is restored.
• Those affected should travel only if necessary. Traffic lights are out and roads will be congested.

Wildfires

As wildfires continue to scorch several states out west, more than 200 people spent Saturday night in 12 Red Cross shelters in Colorado, Utah and Montana. Hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers are providing people with a safe place to stay, food to eat and emotional support. Red Cross workers are focused on providing emotional support and mental health services to families as they wait to learn about damage to their homes.

Florida Flooding

Almost 75 people in Florida are staying in Red Cross shelters as communities clean up after the massive flooding from Debby. Several hundred disaster workers and a fleet of emergency response vehicles are providing safe shelter, warm meals and distributing relief supplies like flashlights, work gloves, rakes, shovels and tarps.

Image Courtesy of  Cesar Rodriguez/American Red Cross 

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Washington, U.S.A. — The American Red Cross is providing critical help to thousands of people affected by the raging wildfires in the west and the massive flooding in Florida from Tropical Depression Debby.

Ten Red Cross shelters were open June 27 Tuesday night in Colorado, Utah and Montana where several wildfires are burning out of control. In Colorado, nearly 300 trained Red Cross disaster workers are supporting relief efforts where the fires are threatening as many as 20,000 homes.

Nearly 200 Red Cross disaster workers are helping in Florida, where 11 shelters were open overnight. Tropical Depression Debby has dumped as much as ten inches of rain on most of the state, with some areas getting up to 25 inches of rain. Truckloads of additional relief supplies are on the way to Florida and 20 response vehicles are ready to start distributing items to help as the clean-up begins there.

Red Cross workers have served more than 32,000 meals and snacks to people affected by the wildfires and flooding, have made almost 3,300 health and mental health contacts, and distributed more than 4,300 relief items.

“Thousands have been impacted by these disasters and the Red Cross is giving them a safe place to stay, food to eat and a shoulder to lean on,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president, Red Cross Disaster Services. “We are expanding our efforts to help the growing number of people affected by the fires in the west and are ready to distribute the tools and other resources people will need to begin the clean-up in Florida as the flood waters recede.”

The American Red Cross Disaster Relief announced that those who want to help can make a donation to support them by visiting www.redcross.org or calling  1-800-RED-CROSS. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

People who have been forced to evacuate can find out where Red Cross shelters are open by going to www.redcross.org or accessing the free Red Cross phone app. Both are refreshed with updated information every 30 minutes. Residents can also monitor local media—radio, newspaper and television—to find out where local shelters are located.

The Red Cross Safe and Well website is also available. People affected by the fires and flooding can access the site and let loved ones know where they are. There are several ways to register on Safe and Well, or search for a loved one. From a computer, visit redcross.org; from a smart phone, visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell or call  1-800-RED CROSS ( 1-800-733-2767) to be connected with one’s local Red Cross chapter.

Image Courtesy of  Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

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Geneva, Switzerland – Despite major security constraints, the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross continue to help people affected by armed violence in northern Mali.

Jürg Eglin heads the ICRC’s regional delegation for Mali and Niger. “Access to health care, food and water is as difficult as ever in this region where food is short,” he explains. People are still having trouble getting hold of water in Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal.

“On 21 April, a Mali Red Cross convoy was able to deliver food and medicines to Timbuktu Hospital,” continued Mr Eglin. “We absolutely have to get access to the people affected by the violence, but we don’t yet have the security guarantees we need before launching a larger-scale humanitarian operation.”

The context is unstable and complex. The ICRC is currently ensuring that all parties understand and accept the neutral, independent, humanitarian work of the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross. It will only be possible to fully meet the huge needs in this region if the parties involved accept this role and give solid security guarantees.

Since 13 April, the ICRC has:

• sent a convoy from Niamey in Niger (on 17 April) that delivered medicines and medical supplies to Gao Hospital, enabling the
hospital to treat between 300 and 500 sick patients and around 100 casualties of the fighting;

• made an ICRC nurse and an ICRC midwife available to the medical team at Gao Hospital;

• delivered medicines to the main health centre in Ansongo, south of Gao, to help the centre resume its work;

• sent a surgeon and a doctor to the areas of Gao and Timbuktu, to treat people injured in the fighting;

• supplied some 5,000 litres of fuel per day to keep the water system in the town of Gao operating and prevent water shortages;

• sent a team to identify the most urgent needs in Kidal.

The ICRC is maintaining smaller teams than usual in Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, so that it can continue operations in northern Mali. The organization has just opened an office in Mopti and is still operating in Bamako, the Malian capital. Finally, the ICRC is helping Malian refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

Image Courtesy of   Hector Conesa / Shutterstock.com

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The American Red Cross is operating shelters, serving meals and distributing disaster relief supplies in Texas after several powerful tornadoes hit the greater Dallas-Fort Worth April 3, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and leaving thousands without power.

About 150 people came to Red Cross shelters throughout the day Tuesday for help after the tornadoes struck. The Red Cross also provided 1,400 blankets for stranded travelers at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport where hundreds of flights were canceled and many aircraft were damaged by hail.

Red Cross disaster workers are teaming up with the Southern Baptist Convention and Salvation Army to see people get the help they need. Nine emergency response vehicles will be out in the affected areas today, distributing meals and disaster relief supplies. Red Cross teams will also be out assessing tornado damage to determine the level of help people will need in the days to come.

“Yesterday we had the uncertainty of not knowing what Mother Nature was doing on the other side of someone’s shelter,” said Red Cross spokesperson Anita Foster. “Today reality is setting in and our mental health workers will help people recover from the devastation.”

SAFETY STEPS The Red Cross reminds those affected that they should not return to their neighborhoods until authorities say it is safe to do so. Other safety steps include:

• Stay out of damaged buildings.
• Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and sturdy shoes when examining homes for damage.
• Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately.
• Use battery-­powered flashlights when examining buildings—do NOT use candles.
• If someone notices a gas smell or hears a hissing noise, they should open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly. They should also call the gas company or fire department.
• Keep animals under control.
• Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.

April is historically a busy month for tornadoes in the United States. People can visit the preparedness section of the Red Cross website for more information about what to do if a tornado threatens.

HOW TO HELP People can help those affected by disasters like the tornadoes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Consider making a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Contributions may also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Contributions enable the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters.

There has not been increased need for blood products for the tornado victims in Texas. However, the Red Cross wants to remind individuals that it’s the blood already on the shelves that helps during emergencies. Every day 44,000 blood donations are needed to help trauma victims, surgical patients, burn victims, patients with blood disorders and many others. When disasters strike, this need may be even greater.

Potential blood donors must be 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and be in generally good health. People should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when they come to donate. Eligible donors can give whole blood every 56 days.

To schedule a donation time or get more information about giving blood or platelets, people can visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

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The American Red Cross is helping people across the Midwest after tornadoes slammed into parts of Kansas and Missouri early this morning, injuring dozens of people, destroying buildings and leaving thousands without power. This is the third time tornadoes have devastated parts of Missouri in less than a year. The storm threat continues today with officials warning severe storms will continue in the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

One of the areas affected is Branson, Missouri where officials reported some people were trapped in their homes and buildings in the city’s famous theater district are heavily damaged. In Kansas, Governor Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency for the affected areas southwest of Topeka.

Red Cross workers in Missouri have opened shelters and are providing meals for displaced residents. Additional workers are fanning out in affected neighborhoods to begin assessing the extent of the tornado damage. In Kansas, tornadoes damaged homes and search and rescue teams are searching for missing residents in the wreckage. Red Cross chapters are preparing to open shelters and are serving meals to those affected as well as emergency responders.

To find an open Red Cross shelter, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). iPhone users can download a free Red Cross shelter view app from the app store.

With the threat of more storms today, residents should be on the watch for tornado warning signs such as dark, greenish clouds, large hail, a roaring noise, a cloud of debris or funnel clouds. It’s a good idea to secure outside items such as lawn furniture or trash cans, which could be picked up by the wind and injure someone.

If a tornado watch is issued, it means tornadoes are possible and people should be ready to act quickly. If a tornado warning is issued, it means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar and people should go under ground immediately to a basement or storm cellar or to an interior room such as a bathroom or closet.

As residents begin to deal with the aftermath of today’s deadly storms, the Red Cross reminds people to stay out of damaged buildings and immediately report any fallen power lines or broken gas lines to the utility companies. If people are out of their homes, they should return to their neighborhood only when officials say it is safe to do so. Other safety steps include:

• People should use flashlights, not candles, when examining buildings. If someone smells gas or hears a hissing noise, they should open a window and get everyone out of the building immediately and call the gas company or fire department.
• Check for injuries. If someone is trained, they should provide first aid until emergency responders arrive.
• People should listen to their local news or NOAA Weather Radio for updated information and instructions.

For more information about how to stay safe if tornadoes threaten someone’s community, people can visit the preparedness section of www.redcross.org.

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As the situation worsens in the Sahel, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing for 12.3 million Swiss francs (about 10 million euros) in order to bring aid to some 700,000 people in Mali and Niger and thereby help forestall a major humanitarian crisis in the two countries.

“People in Mali and Niger are facing a twofold crisis: the food insecurity that has afflicted the entire region, and the fighting in the north of Mali that is driving massive displacement,” said Boris Michel, the ICRC’s head of operations for North and West Africa.

The armed confrontations that have occurred in northern Mali in recent weeks have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in utter destitution and to seek refuge either within Mali, as at least 60,000 people have done, or in neighbouring countries. Those who have fled to Niger are concentrated in the northern Tillabéry region, one of the areas hardest hit by the food crisis and the scene of recent inter-community violence.

“The fighting has resulted in casualties. In addition, people have been taken captive and families have been dispersed,” said Mr Michel. The ICRC’s priorities are to visit people detained in connection with the fighting and to provide care for the wounded either directly, through the Mali Red Cross or by supporting health-care facilities.

“We also plan to continue to provide aid for displaced people,” added Mr Michel. “We are preparing to distribute food to 84,000 people and emergency supplies to around 60,000. Shelter, clean drinking water, hygiene items and health care will also be made available as needed.”

The fighting in northern Mali is further straining a part of the Sahel already hard hit by a lack of rainfall and by recurrent food crises. “The shortfall in agricultural production and the lack of feed for the livestock are affecting countless families of farmers and herders in Mali and Niger,” said Mr Michel. “Some of them were never able to recover from the effects of the crisis of two years ago. Their situation is particularly difficult.”

The aid that the ICRC plans to provide is intended for people in the Kidal, Gao and Tombouctou areas in the north of Mali, and in the Tillabéry and Agadez areas of Niger. “What we are striving to achieve is not only to save lives but also to provide support for the people’s own resilience,” said Mr Michel.

Accordingly, the plan includes distributing food to over 240,000 people, buying livestock at a reasonable price to preserve the livelihood of 120,000 nomads, and distributing seed to increase the productive capacity of 90,000 farmers. The funds requested will be additional to the 22.3 million Swiss francs (approximately 18.3 million euros) initially budgeted for 2012.

In addition to the emergency actions it is taking in Mali and Niger, the ICRC conducts longer-term activities in the two countries, in particular to help detainees and to improve economic security, access to water and health care. The ICRC has been performing its humanitarian tasks in the region in close cooperation with the Mali Red Cross and the Red Cross Society of Niger since 2009.

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A few weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration hit the American Red Cross with a nearly $10 million fine for safety violations, lax oversight and faulty testing of its blood services. The fine is just the latest of more than a dozen the Red Cross has racked up in the last decade.

In 2003, a federal court, frustrated by repeated blood safety violations by the Red Cross, gave the FDA the power to fine the organization. Forty-six million dollars in penalties later, many of the same violations — understaffing, ineffective screening of donors, failure to recall infected blood — are outlined in the recent letter the FDA sent to the executive vice president of Biomedical Services for the Red Cross.

The 32-page letter describes hundreds of violations over several months in 2010 at 16 Red Cross facilities across the country, and details how the Red Cross repeatedly failed to properly track and record information about donors and blood units. (To see the actual document and others like it, go to our timeline of Red Cross fines.)

For example, the agency failed to notify health departments when donors had infectious diseases such as HIV and syphilis, failed to add new donors with infected blood to a national list of people who aren’t allowed to donate, and failed to review records of donors who had bad reactions, such as a 16-year-old who lost consciousness and fell to the floor after giving a unit of blood. It also failed to follow written procedures, such as the case of a phlebotomist in Arizona who stuck herself with a needle before sticking a donor with the same needle to draw blood. The case went unreported for a month, because a staff member “was not aware of the need to immediately notify a Medical Director,” according to the inspection letter.

In a recent statement, the Red Cross said it was disappointed that the FDA issued the fine for “an inspection conducted so long ago” and noted that it has “already taken corrective steps to address those matters and that improvements in operations have been made.”

In an email to ProPublica, a Red Cross spokeswoman also said there is no evidence that these violations endangered any patients, adding that the blood supply is safer than it has ever been. The spokeswoman said the agency has made significant improvements, including reducing the number of problems system-wide by at least 65 percent, and is investing in technology upgrades. For example, the agency recently upgraded software and computer equipment at blood drives to better collect and track donor information.

The FDA’s letter laying out the fines says the Red Cross “has known of these continuing problems and has failed to take adequate steps to correct them.” The FDA also noted that “many of the violations recounted in this letter are virtually identical to violations charged in previous [letters].” In June 2010 the FDA imposed a $16 million penalty on the Red Cross for the same type of violations.

The chronic problems raise the question of whether penalties are working at all.

The Red Cross has been making promises and failing to keep them for over a decade, according to Sidney Wolfe, who heads the health research group at the consumer watchdog organization Public Citizen. Wolfe said he wrote to head of the FDA in 2000, urging it to hold the Red Cross in contempt of court. A federal court first put the Red Cross under government supervision in 1993 after finding blood safety lapses. A decade later, in 2003, the court empowered the FDA to impose fines.

“But fast-forward nine years ahead, and we have the same violations,” Wolfe said.

If the Red Cross disagrees with an assessment, it can ask the FDA to reevaluate the penalty, but in most cases the fine only changes by a few thousand dollars.

Most of the recent problems inspectors cited have to do with managing records and tracking blood donors. The Red Cross says it is unaware of any infections or deaths that stemmed from problems noted in the report, and that “serious problems” account for only three percent of the total problems found.

The FDA doesn’t think that’s good enough.

“FDA cannot definitively say there was never any danger to the blood supply since the violations can create conditions that could lead to potential safety consequences,” said FDA spokeswoman Patricia El-Hinnawy.

The government requires that the Red Cross (like any blood services operation) have multiple safeguards for its blood services. That includes asking a donor questions to identify any risks, checking his or her name against a national list of people who aren’t allowed to give blood, testing for infectious diseases, keeping track of blood units so infected blood isn’t released, and investigating any deviations from standards.

Because blood transfusions always carry a degree of risk, the FDA considers every step in that process critical to minimizing problems. “Failure of an individual safeguard does not automatically translate into the release of unsafe products,” an FDA spokeswoman told ProPublica in an email, “however, it may increase the potential for risk.”

In 2008, the Red Cross consolidated its blood work to two facilities: one in Charlotte, N.C., and the other in Philadelphia. The offices are in charge of managing, tracking and, if need be, recalling blood. But according to the inspection letter, both offices have been chronically understaffed, and simply haven’t been able to carry out their required functions in a timely or effective manner. As of 2010, the offices had a backlog of about 18,000 donor management cases.

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by Lena Groeger ProPublica, Feb. 2, 2012, 8:27 a.m.by Lena Groeger, ProPublica, Feb. 1

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Predicted high tides this weekend have caused thousands of Bangkok residents to evacuate the city for drier ground after the government announced an official five-day holiday. Three months of unusually heavy rains have left 381 dead and 110,000 displaced. An estimated 4.6 to 16 billion dollars in property destruction has also been wrought in areas of northern and central Thailand.

Although the major commercial areas of Bangkok have remained less affected, some residential areas are heavily submerged. On Sunday, water levels were expected to reach 2.6meters, or over 8 feet. Despite the destruction, many breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the economic core of Bangkok, and major world producer of computer hard disk drives, is still intact.

However, Bangkok officials are hesitant to admit victory over the deluge when flood waters offer an ideal breeding ground for diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Clean drinking water has also become limited, and many international governments are issuing travel advisory statements.

Some residents outside of major cities have become cut off from relief efforts and supplies. UNICEF is providing thousands of mosquito nets to limit the spread of disease, and the Red Cross is donating bottled water and relief kits.

The Washington Post notes the vast environmental differences concerning flooded and dry sections of Bangkok, home to over 9 million people.

“The desperate images of disaster contrast sharply with scenes of total normality — from night-owls drinking cocktails in red-light districts to tourists enjoying relaxing foot massages in faux-leather chairs downtown.”

CNN.com reports, “Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has urged stores not to stockpile goods, amid concerns that panic buying was leading to a shortage of essential items.” The government warns citizens that although they are trying to speed the process of draining flood water into canals and the sea, it may take over a month for water levels to return to normal.

This method of coping has not left everyone satisfied. Frustrated by the lack of concrete information being dispersed by the government, filmmaker Kriangkrai Vachiratamtorn created a viral animation that explains why the floodwaters are particularly high this year.

Vachiratamtorn likens the floodwaters to a pod of 50 million whales trying to make their way through Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand. The video series has already seen over 700,000 hits and can be watched with English subtitles at: http://www.youtube.com/user/roosuflood#p/u/4/b8zAAEDGQPM

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A ban on donations of blood made by gay men, which was established during the AIDS crisis 25 years ago, is to be dropped by England, Scotland and Wales. Blood banks in England, Scotland and Wales will allow gay men to give blood, beginning November 7. The UK Department of Health made this announcement Thursday.

On their website, UK National Health Services Blood and Transport (NHSBT), included the criterion that must be met in order for a gay man to donate blood. “The change means that in future only men who have had anal or oral sex with another man in the past 12 months, with or without a condom, will be asked not to donate blood.”

This also includes men who have sex with anyone whose been injected with drugs, whose been with a prostitute, or who has had a sexual encounter with a man who has slept with another man. Men whose last sexual contact with another man was more than 12 months ago will now be approved to donate blood.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the ban was put into place in the 1980’s in an effort to avoid the risk of HIV contamination. The new guidelines came after a review conducted by the UK Department of Health reported that “evidence no longer supported the permanent exclusion of men who have had sex with men.

The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) studied the latest details on relevant sexual contact in relation to the safety of donating blood. The Committee’s review examined the risk of infection being transmitted through blood and the ability to test donated blood for diseases before reaching their conclusion that new guidelines could safety been instituted.

Dr. Lorna Williamson, the Medical and Research Direct of NHS Blood and Transplant, said in a statement that “We welcome this review and its conclusions.  It gives us an opportunity to broaden our donor acceptance on the basis of the latest scientific evidence. “

In 2010, a federal committee recommended maintaining the policy preventing gay men from donating blood in the U.S. Acccording to CNN, this decision provoked “disappointment and anger from gay activist groups.”

“The committee’s decision today not only leaves a discriminatory practice in place, it also puts lives at risk,” said Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in a statement responding to the 2010 ruling. Meanwhile, some groups continue to use the ban to justify their demonization of gays.

Just a month ago, Bryan Fishcher, Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association (AFA), commented about the blood ban on the AFA website. “I think this is one of the reasons where our argument is infallible…is the danger that homosexual contact imposes to human health.

I gave blood here several weeks ago and I was asked three times…have you as a male ever had sex with another male one time since 1977. If I had answered yes, I would not have been able to give blood.

The risk to the nation’s blood supply is so severe that the risk that active homosexuals pose to the nation’s health, to the nation’s blood supply is so severe that if a man has had sex even one solitary time since 1977 – cannot donate blood. That, ladies and gentleman, tells you all you need to know.”

North Ireland is also considering the new policies adopted by England, Scotland, and Wales and the recent findings of the NHSBT. It is expected that North Ireland will make a decision on the guidelines of gay men donating blood soon.

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Four people have been killed in a series of wildfires that have been occurring in Texas. Over 1,000 homes have been destroyed by the wildfires, leaving thousand homeless. Texas is currently experiencing its worst dry spell since the 1950’s.

The largest blaze occurred in Bastrop County and has been blazing for over three days and has already engulfed 600 homes. The Texas Forest Service agency confirmed the blaze was still not under control yesterday. It was the most destructive fire of the year. The Bastrop County fire has been hitting speeds of up to 60mph.

The fires have already covered over 100,000 acres and are still burning strong. The Texas Forest Service said they has managed to respond to 181 of the fires. Officials in Harris County has confirmed the Magnolia fire is no longer a threat. Many residents were allowed return to their homes on Tuesday in neighboring Montgomery County.

Texas firefighting crews are working overtime to refill lakes and rivers affected by the long drought. There are more than 2,000 firefighters working on trying to control the blaze with over 250 firefighters on the ground in Bastrop alone.

A Red Cross spokeswoman declared roughly 500 people slept overnight on cots on both Sunday and Monday in five American Red Cross shelters in Bastrop, Travis and Williamson Counties. Residents all over Texas have been telling their tragic stories to the press. While some find it hard to deal with the aftermath of the blazes, others are optimistic.

70-year-old Chapman had his 1966 Pontiac GTO, a ’57 Chevrolet pickup and a 1947 Studebaker pickup completely destroyed by the fire, and yet he told the Associated Press, “You can either laugh or you can cry.

You might as well laugh. The house is safe, my wife and I are alive and good, and I’m not going to worry about it.” Texas officials are seeking additional volunteering from across the country to help with getting the wildfires under control.

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