Back Media Advisory WHAT: Today, Nick Farruggia, manager of disaster preparedness and client services for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter, is being deployed to Miami, Florida to assist in the recovery effort following Hurricane Katrina’s first U.S. landfall last Thursday.  Farruggia will specialize in providing client services to disaster victims, coordinating distribution of food, clothing, and shelter.  The American Red Cross is involved in one of the largest mobilization of resources for a single natural disaster, providing safe shelter for thousands from the panhandle of Florida and west across coastal Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.    WHEN: Monday, August 29 from 12:45 to 1:15 p.m. (Media interviews will be available during the 30-minute window prior to Farruggia’s departure for Lambert International Airport.)   WHERE: American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Headquarters – 10195 Corporate Square Drive – Creve Coeur, MO   WHY: The St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross maintains a group of approximately 100 volunteers that stand ready to respond to a disaster anywhere in the nation.  These individuals receive extensive training in establishing and managing disaster shelters and providing a variety of care that includes food, clothing and mental health counseling for disaster victims.  Volunteers understand that a deployment can last as long as three weeks, and are ready to respond should they be called upon. The American Red Cross is here to help the public prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies.  Last fall, during the devastating 2004 Hurricane Season, the St. Louis Area Chapter dispatched more than 50 local volunteers to provide assistance in the wake of four strong hurricanes that made landfall over a six-week period.  Such a response is part of the nationwide network of support comprised of nearly 900 Red Cross chapters that supply volunteers, staff and equipment to support large-scale disaster relief operations. For more information regarding the emergency services provided by the American Red Cross, local residents are encouraged to call the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or visit the Chapter’s website at www.redcrossstl.org. # # #

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