[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            RED CROSS MONTH

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                          HON. SUSAN W. BROOKS

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2013

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, since 1943, every President has 
declared March as ``Red Cross Month.'' This year is no exception. As 
the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee 
on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, I recently was 
able to visit the National Red Cross, along with the Ranking Member of 
the Subcommittee--Mr. Payne, Jr. from New Jersey, to learn about their 
operations and show our support. During the visit, we learned that each 
year the Red Cross responds to about 70,000 natural and man-made 
disasters, ranging from small incidents, like house fires, to large-
scale disasters like Hurricane Sandy and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. 
Additionally, the Red Cross, through numerous blood drives, provides 
approximately 40 percent of the Nation's blood supply.
  The visit also provided us with the opportunity to tour the Digital 
Operations Center. The Digital Operations Center is the first social 
media-monitoring platform dedicated to humanitarian relief. The Digital 
Operations Center equips the Red Cross to better share safety and 
preparedness tips during natural disasters and aims to empower 
communities suffering during disasters to use social tools to seek 
help. After visiting the Digital Operations Center, I was very 
impressed with how the Red Cross has begun to leverage social media and 
uses smartphone apps to keep citizens informed before, during, and 
after disasters.
  I am personally thankful for the Greater Indianapolis Red Cross 
chapter and its volunteers. This chapter has truly embraced the Red 
Cross ethos of turning ``compassion into action.'' Just last year, 
volunteer Disaster Action Teams responded to more than 500 house fires 
and assisted over 700 families in recovering from emergencies and 
disasters. Additionally, more than 30 volunteers from East and Central 
Indiana were an integral part of the Red Cross' relief operations after 
deadly tornadoes struck Southern Indiana in March of last year. These 
examples highlight just a few of the capabilities a typical local Red 
Cross chapter can offer.
  In the upcoming weeks, when you are back in your Congressional 
District, please take a moment to thank your local Red Cross for all 
the work they do. The Red Cross is vital to our Nation's ability to 
prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, regardless of the 
size, and they deserve our appreciation.

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