Hi, everyone,
I know this is a busy time for all of us, but I wanted to take a few moments to reach out and once again share my deepest thanks and admiration for so many Red Crossers who continue to work around the clock as we respond to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma – and now, Maria.
More than 5,300 dedicated Red Crossers are currently on the ground in Texas, Louisiana, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina – delivering comfort and hope to those who’ve been impacted by these catastrophic and historic storms. Over the last four weeks, we’ve worked with our community partners to provide more than 985,000 overnight shelter stays and serve more than 3.6 million meals and snacks to people facing overwhelming need. And in the past week, countless Red Crossers have worked tirelessly on the successful relaunch of our program to provide immediate financial assistance to qualified Texas households severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey. This is a truly astounding level of service delivery, and I’m so very thankful to everyone who has played a role in this massive effort – whether in person or virtually.
Despite our tremendous responses to these devastating hurricanes, I also know the Red Cross has received criticism during our response – especially on social media. Let me put this in perspective: as of last week, our polling of public sentiment showed that 72% of respondents had favorable trust scores of the Red Cross. In addition, in the midst of our responses to these storms we’re currently seeing an average of 6,000 stories each day that reference our organization, and 99% of them are either positive or neutral. Most of the criticism consists of rumors and falsehoods, but I know this can still be hurtful to our dedicated and hardworking Red Crossers. My sincere hope is that we don’t allow ourselves to be discouraged by the negativity of a few voices. We are actively pushing back against the lies that some choose to peddle on social media – but most importantly, we are choosing to rise above it and continuing to carry out our lifesaving mission in the most caring, efficient and effective manner possible.
I was able to get a first-hand view of our mission when I visited Florida earlier this week. The destruction caused by Hurricane Irma was terrible. But in the midst of the devastation, I had the privilege of visiting three Red Cross shelters. I met with an 80-year-old woman who arrived at our shelter in a hospital bed, and I held a 3-day old baby – whose mother was rushed to the hospital from our shelter to deliver her baby and then arrived back at our shelter within days. And, I met with people of just about every age in between. In one of the shelters, I also had the opportunity to meet with the Governor of Florida and with the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. The messages that I heard consistently from everyone I spoke with were “thank you” and “I don’t know where we would be without the Red Cross.”
I hope you feel the way I do – humbled by the vital importance of all we do, as we strive to bring relief and hope to those impacted by these horrific storms. I've never been more proud of our Red Crossers – not just our Disaster Cycle Services team, but also our staff with Biomedical Services, SAF, PHSS, ISD and all our corporate and support functions – who've come together to power our efforts during this critical time.
It’s an honor for me to work side-by-side with all of you. I remain profoundly thankful for your unwavering commitment to the American Red Cross and those we serve. You’re amazing.
With sincere gratitude,
Gail