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In any natural disaster the first things that people need are: food, shelter, clothing and medical supplies. Humanitarian aid organizations do well at getting people the last three but food is an issue because fresh fruits and vegetables are difficult to transport into an emergency situation. For people who are stressed out, not sleeping well, or eating regularly, they are more prone to opportunistic infections and diseases. Vitamin Angels can lessen the impact of the trauma, and prevent secondary diseases by providing vital nutrition.

• Indonesia Earthquake
• Hurricane Katrina
• Tsunami Relief Effort

During the Earthquake in Indonesia, more than 5,700 people died, 40,000-50,000 people were injured and 600,000 people were left homeless.  Vitamin Angels shipped in emergency nutritional supplements to villagers in the earthquake-ravaged Jogyakarta region of Indonesia, to lower the incidence of secondary diseases and infections that tend to compound the tragedy.

Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the United States. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in the subsequent floods.
Within a week after Hurricane Katrina hit, Vitamin Angels had ten trucks loaded with vitamins going out of warehouses south of Houston. With the support of dozens of companies in the supplement and pharmaceutical industries and from countless individuals, Vitamin Angels ended up distributing over 18 million supplements to children and families in the Gulf States. When people received a tetanus shot in Central Louisiana, they also received a bottle of multiple vitamins. Vitamin Angels also supported the work of numerous relief agencies, church groups, schools, and emergency service personnel, to help get vitamins to people who were trying to rebuild their lives. Vitamin Angels had distribution points set up through the Gulf States in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Our work continued throughout the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina and then Hurricane Rita.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had a magnitude of 9.3, triggered a series of lethal tsunamis that killed approximately 300,000 people (including 168,000 in Indonesia alone), making it the deadliest tsunami as well as one of the deadliest natural disasters ever in recorded history.

Within seven days of the tsuanami striking the coast, Vitamin Angels was loading medical teams with multiple vitamins, children’s vitamins and prenatal vitamins to take to Sri Lanka. Within a few weeks, Vitamin Angels sent over 10 million supplements to Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. Vitamins were sent by ocean freight, by air freight and by hand carry. Vitamins helped to lower the incidence of secondary infections and opportunistic diseases which would have compounded the tragedy in the aftermath of the disaster.

“It’s amazing that the worst natural disaster brings out the best in humanity. This past year our country has been so divided but something like this happens and everyone sheds their political, religious and other affiliations to work for the common good. America’s generosity is boundless and in a crisis situation the kindness, generosity and compassion are overwhelming. It really is the best that America has to offer.” – Howard Schiffer, President, Vitamin Angels