Thank you Kuwait

Some news from the Tallahassee Democrat

A new, multimillion-dollar community-services center for the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross will be built in Tallahassee thanks to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society and the government of Kuwait.

The Kuwaiti organization, that country's version of the Red Cross, and the government are giving the American Red Cross $25 million - the biggest single donation it has ever received. The money will be spent to build American Red Cross facilities in Tallahassee, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, La., and Mobile, Ala., and purchase 15 emergency-response vehicles.

Chris Floyd, emergency-services director for the area Red Cross, announced the donation Thursday.

"It will be about all of us coordinating in one location the human needs of disaster victims," he said. "Everybody will have a place at the table."

Neal Denton, a spokesman for the national American Red Cross, said Kuwaiti officials visited the Gulf region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"It's obviously a very generous gesture," he said.

Floyd said he expects the building to be built within 18 months to two years. It will be designed to withstand hurricane-strength winds and have auxiliary power to operate during outages. He estimated the cost at $4.5 million.

The chapter will sell its current headquarters on Office Plaza Drive and use the proceeds for the new center. Floyd said it will be similar to the state's Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, where emergency officials coordinate response and recovery before, during and after hurricanes and other disasters.

God bless you Kuwait and The Red Crescent Society.

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