A member of the Chilean Red Cross distributes water after the 8.8 earthquake slammed Chile.

In response to the devastating 8.8 earthquake and tsunami that slammed Chile on Feb. 27, the American Red Cross has pledged $500,000 to help the Chilean Red Cross with relief operations.

The American Red Cross is now accepting donations specifically for Chilean response and recovery efforts and encourages people to donate by visiting www.redcross.org  or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-257-757 to make a donation in Spanish). You can also donate $10 to Chile relief efforts by texting “Chile” to 90999.

The global Red Cross network plans to assist 15,000 families with shelter, emergency medical care, water and sanitation services. They will also provide the Chilean Red Cross with communications support. The Chilean Red Cross has mobilized volunteers in Santiago while local Red Cross branches work throughout Chile.

Chilean Red Cross disaster teams are working in close coordination with the Chilean government, providing limited search and rescue services, administering first aid and distributing pre-positioned supplies. The Chilean Red Cross is a member of the government’s emergency response group, which is leading the emergency operations and has a great deal of experience and systems in place to manage response to major disasters.

“As the largest humanitarian network in the world, the Red Cross has both the experience and the capacity to respond to multiple disasters at the same time,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president of International Services, American Red Cross. “We are supporting the Chilean Red Cross in their response to the earthquake while relief operations continue in Haiti.”