Getting Help: Disaster Assistance

The American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 70,000 disasters, including house or apartment fires (the majority of disaster responses), hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made disasters.  Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency disaster-caused needs.

If you have immediate emergency disaster caused needs contact the Minn-Kota Chapter at:

1-800-252-6746 or 701-364-1800 (Fargo) or 218-773-9565 (Grand Forks) or 218-736-3481 (Fergus Falls) 
Answered 24 hours a day 

Getting Help: Service to Armed Forces 

Today's American Red Cross is keeping pace with the changing military. Featuring the latest in computer and telecommunications technology, the American Red Cross Emergency Service Center delivers around-the-clock emergency communication services to active duty military personnel, and to their families.

While serving 1.4 million active duty personnel, the Red Cross Get To Know Us Before You Need Us campaign reaches out to an additional 1.5 million members of the National Guard and the Reserves living in almost every neighborhood in America.

American Red Cross Emergency Services are available to all members of the armed services, and to their families. Both active duty and community-based military can count on the Red Cross to provide emergency communications, emergency financial assistance, counseling, veterans assistance and aid in the field where Red Cross workers are deployed to serve with America's military.

Our Armed Forces Emergency Services caseworkers are equipped to verify the situation and relay an emergency message to the proper military authorities.

To help in sending emergency messages as accurately and quickly as possible you will be asked for the following information. Please have it available if possible.

We cannot accept a request for emergency services via e-mail.  You must contact us at 1-800-252-6746 or 701-364-1800

     Getting Help: International Services~Restoring Family Links

Tragically, when families and loved ones are separated by war or disaster, their suffering is greater. But, through the strength of the Red Cross Movement and the work of tracing volunteers at national societies around the world, including the American   Red Cross, families reconnect.  Red Cross tracing services and Red Cross Messages help families locate each other, send communication and learn each other's fate. Often these services, which are conducted between people living in the United  States and their relatives living in foreign countries, may be required for several years.

American Red Cross International Family Tracing Services accepts tracing cases and traces sought persons when:

• Families have been separated as a result of either armed conflict or disaster.
• As much as possible, families should have tried normal channels of communication before requesting Red Cross tracing services.
• The family member making the inquiry provides essential information on the sought person.
• The family member making the inquiry is a close family relative, who has been in direct contact with the sought person before the conflict or disaster occurred.

The American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center accepts tracing requests concerning European civilians separated from their family due to the events of World War II and its aftermath, 1933-1957.
What we will need to know to be able to help:

• Your full name and address
• Your relationship to the person sought
• The reason for loss of contact
• The reason for your inquiry

About the person you are trying to trace:

• Full name
• Date and place of birth
• Nationality
• Last known address
• Date and circumstances of last news
• 
  The American Red Cross cannot accept requests when there is insufficient information to conduct a search; or when it is for genealogical research; or tracing regarding legal matters such as wills, child custody etc.; or the tracing of birth parents or third party requests.

American Red Cross International Family Tracing Services accepts tracing cases and traces sought persons when:

• Families have been separated as a result of either armed conflict or disaster.
• As much as possible, families should have tried normal channels of communication before requesting Red Cross tracing services.
• The family member making the inquiry provides essential information on the sought person.
• The family member making the inquiry is a close family relative, who has been in direct contact with the sought person before the conflict or disaster occurred.
  
  The American Red Cross cannot accept requests when there is insufficient information to conduct a search; or when it is for genealogical research; or tracing regarding legal matters such as wills, child custody etc.; or the tracing of birth parents or third party requests. 

To begin your search please contact the Minn-Kota Chapter at 800-252-6747 or 701-364-1800