How the Red Cross is Expanding Disaster Recovery Assistance in a Changing Climate: A Chat with Jennifer Pipa, VP of Disaster Programs

2023 was a record-breaking year for billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. These extreme weather events ravaged communities and forced thousands of people from their homes, resulting in a significant need for emergency sheltering and recovery resources. This is why at the American Red Cross, we’re adapting our disaster services and growing our capacity to help families and communities recover from increasing and more frequent disasters. In a recent live chat, Jennifer Pipa, Red Cross vice president of Disaster Programs, explained more about this vital work and how we’ve transformed our disaster recovery programs to address people’s most urgent needs in a changing climate. What are the basic things people need within the first few days after a disaster? How does the Red Cross help people start to recover? “Every disaster starts locally. We rely on those local volunteers to support the community after a disaster strikes. The first thing we want to be able to do is give people a safe place to stay and some food because people get comfort from that. I think a lot of times when people think about the Red Cross, they do think about shelters. They think about gymnasiums or community centers and the cots and Red Cross blankets, and that’s where their image of what the Red Cross does stops. However, we do so much more inside of those four walls than just a safe place to stay and a warm meal. Sometimes it’s just talking to somebody. It’s a compassionate ear to...
Source: Red Cross Chat - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Disaster american red cross Climate Action Climate Change Climate Crisis disaster recovery Disaster Recovery Assistance disaster relief Disaster Response LinkedIn Live Live Chat Source Type: news