Monday, April 06, 2009 -- The American Red Cross will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with our sister society, the Italian Red Cross, and the International Federation, and stands ready to provide further assistance if requested. The Italian Red Cross has not yet asked for international assistance.
At 3:30 a.m. a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of L'Aquila in central Italy, 75 miles northeast of Rome. It's the worst earthquake to hit this region in nearly 30 years.
According to recent reports at least 90 people have been killed and 400 injured. The numbers of dead and injured are expected to grow as search and rescue efforts continue. Tens of thousands of people have become homeless in the city which has a population of 70,000. The Italian Red Cross has begun accepting donations from other national Red Cross societies - and the American National Red Cross has committed to raising money towards this specific disaster relief effort. Updated information can be found at www.redcross.org.
If you are searching for status on American citizens who might be in that region, please contact the U.S. State Department at (888) 407-4747 or (202) 647-5225. Press "0" to be connected to an operator. For Italian and non-US citizens, the Italian government has set up a hotline for this earthquake in Italy - to dial from the US the number is 011 39 066 8201. Please note that operators answering these calls may only speak Italian. Alternatively you can try the Italian embassy in Washington at (202) 612-4400.
You can also use the Red Cross' "Safe and Well" site where people can register that they are safe and well - and others can search for that information. Details are at https://disastersafe.redcross.org/.
Contribute to the International Response Fund
You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243 , Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.
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