In addition to these services, the core of Red Cross disaster relief efforts is the assistance given to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently.

Each year, the Central Plains Chapter of the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 80-90 disasters. In a typical year, the majority of these responses are for single family home or apartment fires. This year, the Red Cross has been there for thousands of Central Nebraska residents affected by tornadoes and floods.

Although the American Red Cross is not a government agency, and doesn't receive government funding, its authority to provide disaster relief was formalized in 1905 when the Red Cross was chartered by Congress to carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same. The Charter is not only a grant of power, but also an obligation to the nation, to disaster victims, and to the people who generously support its work with their donations.