(10/29/2012) Islamic Relief USA Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has been deployed to help residents of New Jersey being affected by Hurricane Sandy, a category 1 storm that spans some 900 miles in width and is pummeling several states along the East Coast. DART staff and volunteers are providing shelter management services and helping however else needed in NJ, where the storm is expected to make landfall.
DART is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross to deliver assistance efficiently and effectively. Their first assignment has been to assist more than 600 NJ residents to register in two separate hurricane shelters on the campus of Rutgers University.
Learn more about our emergency relief efforts in the U.S. by visiting IRUSA.org/DisasterResponse.
The storm began closing in on the Eastern seaboard on Sunday, but the fuller impact is being felt today. Reports suggest that residents along the East Coast may experience heavy rains, high winds and even snow for several days.
DART members have been trained throughout the years in local communities around the country. Islamic Relief USA has already responded to 6 emergencies so far this year.
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Islamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization with eight consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator. 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. In 2011, Islamic Relief USA programs benefited more than 5 million people in 34 countries, including the United States.
In addition to its 4-star rating on Charity Navigator, 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.
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