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American Red Cross Disaster Response
The Basics
American Red Cross
Domestic Disaster Response
We have a network of 679 chapters
around the country.
Chapters have their own disaster response operations
and their own locally trained volunteers.
National Headquarters is in Washington, DC
This is where the DOC is (Disaster Operations Center).
The DOC is where we coordinate responses that are bigger than a chapter usually handles.
All of these activities - opening shelters, mobilizing volunteers, moving and distributing relief supplies - are paid for from the Disaster Relief Fund.
Before a Disaster
We make sure we have trained volunteers ready to respond.
We make sure we have positioned supplies in strategic locations around the country so we can move them quickly if something happens.
We work with partners to plan potential shelter locations, supplies, food, kitchens, vehicles, etc.
When a Disaster Happens
Usually the local chapter is able to deploy their Disaster Action Team (trained volunteers) and provide relief.
When the disaster turns out to be bigger than the chapter usually responds to, the DOC gets activated and response coordination comes from National Headquarters. This way we can use our prepositioned supplies and our full network to make sure we're providing relief to those who need it.
All of this activity costs money. We use the money you've given to the Disaster Relief Fund to respond.
You probably noticed there's a lot that goes into responding to a disaster before one ever happens. That's why we encourage gifts to the Disaster Relief Fund - so resources are always there to activate when the unexpected happens.