INTERNATIONAL – HAITI
The American Red Cross is working hard to prepare people in Haiti as Tropical Storm Emily bears down on the island.
Recognizing that hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors are still living in camps, American Red Cross workers have helped camp residents prepare for possible heavy rains and landslides through activities such as digging ditches and sandbagging hillsides, preparing evacuation routes, emergency first aid classes, training in early warning systems (with warning flags, bullhorns and whistles), and classes to teach children how to be prepared.
• We have supplied additional tarps to vulnerable Haitians whose shelters may be damaged or destroyed.
• American Red Cross staff is on standby to respond with members of the global Red Cross network should an emergency occur.
• The Red Cross network has built a Disaster Operations Center in Hinche and pre-positioned emergency relief items at sites around the country.

The American Red Cross has invested $28 million to fund 6,500 new semi-permanent homes. More than 2,600 of these homes – enough for 13,000 people – have already been built, allowing people to move from the camps back to their neighborhoods.
• We are also budgeting approximately $100 million for the repair and/or construction of permanent homes over the next few years as well as providing things like water and sanitation, health services, disaster risk reduction, and livelihoods support.

The American Red Cross has received approximately $484 million to help the people of Haiti and has already spent or signed contracts to spend about two-thirds of that money ($295 million) for response to the Haiti earthquake.
• More than $16 million has been spent to respond to the cholera outbreak which began late last year and has spiked again in the rainy season.

DOMESTIC RESPONSE
Meanwhile, Red Cross chapters in the United States are on alert and closely monitoring Tropical Storm Emily.
• Red Cross chapters from Florida to North Carolina are coordinating with local emergency officials and ensuring that shelters, relief supplies and volunteers are ready to help if coastal communities are threatened.
• Red Cross work starts long before a tropical storm makes landfall. In fact, we keep a variety of supplies and equipment on stand by year round to be ready to help people in need. For example, we have 26 warehouses stocked with disaster relief supplies, more than 60,000 trained workers and more than 320 mobile