Islamic Relief to Collaborate with American Red Cross in Louisiana Disaster Response

Islamic Relief USA has been requested by the American Red Cross to support their response efforts to widespread “Major” floods in the state of Louisiana.

IRUSA will support ARC for shelter fundamentals, psychological first aid, and disaster assessments. Simultaneously, IRUSA’s Disaster Response Team will conduct casework at Local Services Centers to distribute cash cards to those in need. Fifteen trained volunteers will support flood relief efforts in the area.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency on Saturday morning, August 12, 2016, due to the seriousness of the event. Current death toll has risen to 6 and over 20,000 have been rescued to date. Central Louisiana is currently being pounded with rain and is expecting more flooding as the storm moves east.

“It is of utmost importance that we respond to a disaster of this magnitude in a rapid and effective manner, as a large number of people will be in immediate need of assistance. Our volunteers are all highly educated and trained in disaster response and once they touch ground they will know exactly what to do,” said Hani Hamwi, Islamic Relief’s Disaster Response Team Manager. “It is our duty to help our neighbors in need, and we will do everything within our capacity to make sure that aid is given to those most affected by the floods,” Hamwi added.

Islamic Relief USA has worked with the American Red Cross in numerous previous disaster relief efforts across the United States. In 2014, Islamic Relief USA signed a national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the American Red Cross, the first formal partnership of its kind between the Red Cross and a Muslim response organization in the United States. Since its inception in 2011, IRUSA’s Disaster Response Team has been deployed to two dozen major disaster situations in the United States and has trained and certified more than 2,500 disaster responders throughout the United States.

 

Media Contact: Mayssoun Olabi molabi@irusa.org or 703-370-7202

XXXIslamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization. Its mission is to alleviate suffering, hunger, illiteracy and disease regardless of color, race, gender or creed, and to provide aid in a compassionate and dignified manner. Islamic Relief USA aims to provide rapid relief in the event of human and natural disasters and to establish sustainable local development projects, allowing communities to better help themselves. Its programs benefit millions of people each year around the world, including in the United States.

Islamic Relief USA meets all of the Standards for Charity Accountability of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a national charity monitoring group affiliated with the Better Business Bureau system. Islamic Relief USA is on the U.S. government’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity list, and it is also a signatory to the code of conduct of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.