U.S. Gulf Coast — September 12, 2008 — As Hurricane Ike bears down on the Gulf Coast, IRD is preparing to provide case management and other assistance to those in its path. Staff from IRD's Gulfport-based Gulf Coast Community Service Center is already in Baton Rouge to assist with Gustav response. drawing on the experience from providing case management services to victims of Hurricane Katrina for the past three years.

Your donation will help us bring emergency relief to the victims of this disaster.

It is important to remember that even the smallest donation can make a difference for the victims of disaster. Thanks for your compassion.

Already, donations are being put to use in other areas affected Ike. More than $2.7 million worth of pharmaceutical supplies are being donated to Haiti, with the transportation of these supplies being covered by IRD and other partners. The antibiotics and health supplies will assist medical staff in caring for victims and others affected by the storms in country.

Another $3.5 million worth of goods including hygiene, health and school kits, clothing and other relief supplies will also be delivered to disaster-affected areas of Cuba.

The IRD Gulf Coast Community Service Center (GCCSC) has been rebuilding the lives of the citizens of the Mississippi Gulf Coast since October 2005, opening its doors a little more than one month following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The goal of the Center is to reach out to the community and assist in the organization and facilitation of an often-difficult recovery process. Located in West Gulfport, the Center serves the entire Gulf Coast. Helping people rebuild their lives, their relationships, and their sense of self-sufficiency, is equally as important to their long-term recovery and that of their communities as their physical needs; it is the human side of recovery that the GCCSC addresses.