Chlorine chemistry council donates for relief efforts in India

ARLINGTON, VA, Feb. 7, 2001 — The Chlorine Chemistry Council (r) (CCC) today announced a major donation of $100,000 to support American Red Cross relief efforts in the earthquake-ravaged state of Gujarat in Western India.

The donation will provide plastic sheeting to construct temporary housing for 120,000 people. Additional resources will be used to help provide safe drinking water to regions in which water infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. This donation was made through the Water Relief Network(r), a program of the Chlorine Chemistry Council in cooperation with the American Red Cross.

Gujarat still remains paralyzed following the India's worst earthquake in over 50 years. The earthquake - registering a 7.7 on the Richter Scale on January 26th - has left an estimated 30,000 dead and several thousand missing. In addition, tens of thousands of residents were left homeless from the earthquake's impact.

"We are proud of our long history of working with the American Red Cross to provide assistance to communities in need around the globe," said C. T. "Kip" Howlett, Jr., executive director of the CCC. "It is our hope that this donation can assist in preventing the spread of disease and averting any further loss of life," Howlett added.

Health officials in India are facing an outbreak of disease in the wake of water supplies left contaminated from the earthquake. Untreated water exposes vulnerable populations, including the elderly and children, to life threatening illnesses, such as hepatitis, typhoid and cholera.

"Immediately following the earthquake, the American Red Cross began providing relief and comfort to the many people in India devastated by this disaster," said Lesley Schaffer, acting manager of the American Red Cross International Disaster Response Unit. "We are thankful for the continued support of groups like the Chlorine Chemistry Council. It is crucial to the success of the disaster relief effort."

The Water Relief Network facilitates an immediate response to assist relief efforts through donations of chlorine-based products necessary for communities worldwide to recover from natural or man-made disasters. More than 50 U.S. corporations participate in the Network by donating water disinfection chemicals, plastic water bottles, vinyl pipe and pipe fittings, surface disinfectants and plastic sheeting