but as monika reports, the red cross helps people in many ways. >> the story of the american red cross starts here, in washington d.c. during the civil war, the sanitary commission was started to help sick and injured union soldiers. a woman named clara barton joined that effort. she became known as "the angel of the battlefield." >> during the americanlefield." civil war, it wasn't too common for women to be near the battlefield. clara barton changed all that by providing aid to soldiers, and so that's why they called her the angel of the battlefield. >> after the war, she visited europe and learned about an organization there called the international red cross. >> the international red cross movement started in europe to help relieve the suffering of people affected by war. it was founded by henry dunant, a swiss businessman, and still today, we honor him by using the reverse of the swiss flag for our symbol -- the red cross against a white background. >> returning to the united states, she founded the american red cross in 1881. and ever since then, the american red cross has been h

that is one of the most important things we are doing with the red cross. making sure that all of those folks end up -- essentially, i want everyone to be warm, safe, and dried. after that, everything else is gravy. that's pretty much sums it up. mayor lee: does anybody have any questions? i really want to credit the board of supervisors who, in particular supervisor wiener, who helped lead the board to establish -- they immediately signed off on the good samaritan ordinance. we just did not believe that as a good piece of legislation, we have started implementing it. to the credit of the board, it is an honor to harold and -- to what harold and then have been doing for so many years. the best way to honor your work is to get you more partners. we went on a road show already and we started. supervisor wiener h and i can hear.s.a. representatives and we made our first and pitched to the san francisco parks association to gain more membership into the good samaritan ordinance to create a longer list and help them come in and with more resources in case we hav

the red cross just puts their name on it. we're subcontractors, working for efiba, this is what we do here. >> we visit the red cross district manager to find out more. >> we don't have anything to do with what's in the containers. they're emptied by efiba. and efiba is responsible for what happens to the clothes after they're picked up. >> the local red cross sells the donated clothing by the kilo. but where do they end up? we head to bitterfeld-wolfen to efiba's parent company, soex, a major international clothing recycler. on the loading ramp, we see masses of donated clothing -- including some from the red cross. pailak mzikian shows us the world's biggest sorting facility >> this is where we start unloading. you can see how they're hard at work. we get 400 tons a day. it all comes from our subsidiaries, efiba and retextil. they collect used clothing germany-wide. >> efiba gathers donated clothing for a number of charities, not just the red cross. but soex isn't a charity -- it's a for-profit organization, and the clothin

but american red cross c.e.o. gail mcgovern has found another motivation behind these corporate campaigns. >> i also think they do it because there are employees who are starting to demand it. this generation of young people were brought up on volunteerism, community outreach, and they want to do it. >> reporter: which is a good thing, because the red cross needs help from businesses large and small. >> we rely very heavily on these kinds of corporate partnerships. from the very simple, keebler gives us cookies that we use in our blood drives, it's between a million and $2 million gift. and our blood donors love it. >> reporter: the red cross also looks for companies to provide expertise. industrial supply giant granger is helping with i.t. wal-mart, u.p.s. and fed-ex with logistics. with an army of 650,000 volunteers, the red cross finds it is easy to get in a c.e.o.'s door, but it still has to ask for help. so it's been a tough economy lately. are companies being more generous or are the being more tight-fisted?

the red cross. for years i started as a volunteer for the red cross. ended up before i took this job as a volunteer chairman of the board of the red cross in massachusetts. had to give that up when i took this job. but an intragoodwill part of the community. in the last two years i had traveled across the country from aalaska to hawaii and the floods in new england. to a hurricane in vermont. who ever knew vermont would get struck bay hurricane? and on the ground in joplin, missouri, 14 hours after the tornado went through there. and i was in tuscaloosa, alabama, smithville. mississippi. northern georgia, all affected by the tornadoes. and up in north dakota from the floods. and when i was flying over north dakota, had the opportunity with the general and a couple congressmen. and as we're flying over, and it was just cresting. in looking at the damages, the general is explaining how many homes and businesses were damaged. in sort of a side mentioned we've really done a good job and haven't lost any lives and working hard, and we saved the school and d

intricately involved was the new zealand red cross. with me is the international recovery coordinator. you have studied a number of natural disasters, is there something different about what these people are going through? >> they keep on going back into the response mode. there have been a number of aftershocks that have been quite dramatic and traumatic for people that have been -- >> they can't really move on? gosh they go back into the response phase. >> normally in one year, how do you see something different happene? to take emotional stock of what happened? ." >> we are seeing that now, it really takes a year or more. [inaudible] trying to figure out the practicalities of where i am going to live, and processing via emotional side of things. >> people have been telling me about the remarkable sense of community that has emerged. is that still real? >> yes, from what i have seen here, absolutely. [inaudible] it is nice to see how many people have come, like you said, more than 10,000 people. the >> is a milestone important in ter

the red cross called for a ceasefire. activists say more government troops are pouring into the area. growing pressure against the regime in damascus. >> we will intensify our diplomatic our reach to those countries that are still supporting the assad regime. >> hello and welcome to gmt. i am george alagiah, with a world of news and opinion. also in the program -- the end of a long, hard night of talks. the greek prime minister defense a bailout bill. and gore in kabul -- anger in kabul. nato issues an apology. it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, and 2:00 p.m. in the syrian city of homs reports that it is now facing the heaviest bombardment with more government troops massing on the outskirts. the details may be sketchy, but the overall picture is now pretty clear. after two weeks under attack, homs is the scene of a humanitarian crisis. the international red cross, normally discreet about its dealings, has taken the unusual step of calling for a cease-fire to get aid in and the wounded out. jim muir has the

the red cross says that overnight they were only able to take out fewer than 30 people, starting with women and children. critics are dismissing this as a public-relations move by the syrian government to buy more time all it continues its crackdown on the opposition. just today, the opposition said at least 20 people have been killed in the ongoing violence. >> the u.s. military is delivering aid to remote villages and montenegro hit by the heaviest snowfall in decades. u.s. army blackhawk helicopters flew over the mountains for the first time since 1999. 13 years later, they are on a peace mission to help thousands of snowbound people. soldiers helping in the mission said it is difficult, even with their experience in afghanistan. >> we were getting shot at, but it is a lot more difficult because we have a lot more weight and the aircraft. >> authorities in the tiny state declared a state of emergency on february 13 after four people died and hundreds had to be evacuated from villages. still to come, baltimore city's didn't challenge each other in a battle of the robot. hundreds of

the red cross provided diner. many are trying to figure out what to do next. officials say the red cross will help 7 people with fire assistance but that number could go up because the victims -- all of the victims haven't checked in yet. his unit was destroyed. he was asleep when the fire broke out. other are still in shock. >> feel so bad for my daughter. if she wasn't there i don't know if i would have waken. >> what am i going to do? i have to rebuild. find a play to-- to live. >> reporter: officials say if only 7 need assistance then the red cross will give them a hotel voucher. if more need help they may turn the senior center into a shelter. most are staying with family and friends. >>> firefighters put out a two- alarm fire that damaged a house in san francisco. the fire started in the back of this house. 155 hurst avenue. it spread to the attic. it took firefighters a half hour to get it under control. >>> it is chilly out tonight plus it looks like rain and snow could be coming to our area. i know the temperatures are getting colder. >> been cold all

she is down in mountain view where the red cross set up an emergency shelter at a school near that burned complex to take care of people. >> reporter: good morning. the school is landels elementary school and this is where those almost 60 displaced residents came after that fire at the apartment complex here in mountain view. a huge fire for the firefighters. they called in backup from several other fire departments in the area to assist them. you're looking at the video now at the dana gardens apartments. this fire was reported just before 3:30 monday afternoon. five of the units were destroyed. five more had smoke and water damage. in all, 26 units were affected. but some of the residents may be able to return to their apartment homes today. that's after they are evaluated. now, the good news is that no residents were injured and only one firefighter had a minor injury. it took more than an hour to get the fire under control. >> because there is a multi- unit facility, and we wanted to prevent it from extending to other units as quickly as possible. >> reporter: it's believed that that

." >> of the red cross evacuates 20 women and children and some badly injured victims of the violence in homs. hillary clinton and attacks russian and chinese opposition to u.n. action over syria. >> it is despicable. whose side are they on? they are not on this side of the syrian people. >> the iaea has concerns over iran nuclear program. at least 12 people have been killed in anti-american protests in afghanistan. welcome to bbc news. whoywood's biggest night, will come out on top at the oscars? despite all the condemnation and the diplomatic maneuvering, the violence in syria has continued. there are reports of 100 killed in homs. at a meeting of world leaders, hillary clinton described russia and china is opposition as despicable. there has been one tiny glimmer of hope in the city. the red cross has evacuated about 20 a healthy women and children and seven badly injured people. they have been taken to a hospital outside the area. our diplomatic correspondent begins our syria coverage. >> no end to the shelling in homs. tonight, there is a glimmer of a breakthrough. some severely

the red cross is calling for a ceasefire. >> concerns mount over iran's nuclear program of official talks failed to make progress. >> live in christchurch as new zealand marks one year since the devastating earthquake broke through the heart of the country's second-biggest city and left 185 people dead. >> it is new and in singapore. >> it is 4:00 in the morning in london. -- it is noon in singapore. good >> it is 4:00 in the morning in london. welcome to newsday. in syria, at least 100 people are reported to have been killed by government forces on tuesday. the red cross has called on the government and rebels to agree to a daily cease-fire to allow medical supplies to civilians. the u.s. said it might consider giving military help to the opposition if talks fail. >> and lomonosov region and when ominous sign in the suburbs, syrian tanks rolling through a two reaffirm the government. in some places, shells rained down in the hundreds. damateur video from inside the district. it fits the pattern of the last 17 days. a syrian opposition leader visiting from damascus said the situation for

the red cross has evacuated about 20 healthy women and children that did not want to be there. our diplomatic correspondence began our syria coverage. >> no end to the shelling today according to this unverified video. tonight, a glimmer of a breakthrough. some severely wounded casualties including women and children in the district were evacuated to a local hospital. not of the injured foreign journalist, they refused to go. negotiations on their fate are continuing. meanwhile, today's conference in tunis sent a strong message. dozens of countries in forcing the main opposition group and calling for bashar al-assad to go. >> i do believe that they justify our intensified support and working with them. i have offered them whatever help we can provide from the united kingdom from the political opposition outside of syria. i believe they are doing the right thing and they will be able to bring greater unity. >> among the points, to promote the syrian national council as a legitimate representative of the opposition, to wrap up economic sanctions against syria, and close embassies

syrian forces hit homs again as the red cross calls for a cease- fire to evacuate the wounded. fury in afghanistan, hundreds protest outside the main u.s. military base after reports that copies of the koran were destroyed. one year after the earthquake shook new zealand, we return to see a recovery taking root. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the plight of civilians and the syrian city of homs is so dire, the red cross is asking for a 2 hour cease-fire to evacuate the wounded and deliver aid to those inside. opposition activists say at least 80 people were killed in the latest shelling. our diplomatic correspondent reports. >> an ominous a fight in a residential suburb. syrian tanks rolling through to reinforce the government assault on parts of the city of homs where rebel fighters are now deceased. in some places, shells rained down in their hundreds. unverified video from inside fits the pattern of the last 17 days. a syrian opposition leader visited london from damascus says the situation for the residence is desperate. >> areas are cut off f

the international red cross is calling for a ceasefire to get civilians in and out.estern and arab powers are preparing for a meeting on friday to step up pressure on the regime and support for the opposition. there is no clear way ahead. >> the syrian regime is going to be under increasing pressure which will create perhaps more space for all of us to push hard on a transition and we will intensify our diplomatic out reached to those countries that are still supporting the assad regime. >> the world is not united. russia and china continue to resist the idea of regime change and they accuse the west of fuel in civil war. they advocate dialogue but there's very little that going on. >> many syrian exiles have fled the escalating violence into neighboring turkey. joining me is a senior fellow at the hoover institution who just finished meeting with civilians in istanbul. what was the impression of the civilians you met in istanbul? >> thank you for meeting me. but we are seeing in syria on the ground, we can see that homs is like sarajevo. just like sarajevo had to wa

you also have to work with the nonprofits, red cross, salvation army, many more.ç on a daily basis with a sml emergency. it may be in somebody's home unfortunately caught on fire. it is a disaster to them. ççwho is thereç during the dr for that family? it is the city. it is the red cross. the salvation army, the local church, synagogue,ç mosqueç, whatever. the faith based community is there to help the mountçç -- o help them out. when things are little bigger, who else is there? neighbors helping neighbors. ças it gets a little bigger, or even if it is a small house fire, in the neighborhoods of this city and neighborhoods across the country, if something çhappens, there is usually a local business that knows the family and been dealing with for a while and says that will help them out in some way or another. i remember last year i was traveling in the floods of north dakota. there was a family i was talking to at one of the shelters who lost their home. he said the one good thing was he did not lose his car. he had sent it to the shop the day before. th

now, the red cross they tried. and they were over there and some -- you'd get what you wanted, you give them a donation or they'd charge you for something. so one day we were going -- all the organizations, and getting ready for the basston and the battle of the bulge. here's a good place over there. we went in and there was a red cross truck there. a bunch of soldiers. they didn't call them donors, but called them crawlers. two crawlers and a cup of coffee. where are you going, george? so okay, so he said do you want a cup of coffee? said yes, sir. i drove up to the truck. she gave me two crawlers and a cup of coffee. ten francs. the government made our money over there, american money. war time money. so i gave her the -- gave her ten francs. he said, did you pay her for that? yeah, ten franc notes. stay here. i stayed there, sat there and he went over there and he said, i'd like to have the crawler and a cup of coffee. the two sisters from el paso, texas, they were in this truck. and she said, general, you don't

a red cross provided dinner from the fire victims. not me say that they're still trying to figure out what to do next. officials said the red cross will likely help seventh people who would hire a sentence that number could go up because of the displaced victims have not checked in yet. this 80 year old man was told that his unit was destroyed. he said and he was as and when the fires broke out. three others i spoke with said that they're still in shock. >> and robert roy if my daughter had not been there either night no firewood of woken up or not because i had taken medication. >> what am i going to do? have to find someplace to live maybe go to the city. to the reporter thought is mountain view fire officials say that if only 70 assistance than the red cross will give them a hotel voucher but is more need help, they may turn to the senior center into a shelter. most of the fire victims already staying with family and friends. and of the blaze in san francisco started in the back of the house and then spread to the attic. it took al

the red cross and other clinics throughout rural california. as the public health director and previous health director she is conducting a -- an intense -- and housing. barbra will work with the needs and services and the aftermath of the earthquake and beyond. barbra? >> good morning. the loma prieta earthquake was probably a redefining of my career in 1989. i learned through crisis, it can create opportunity and conflict can bring collaboration and even friendship. and i was about -- i lived about five miles away from the epicenter of the loma prieta earthquake and our clinic was about seven miles from the epicenter. loma prieta means dark mountain. and we would always say during the earthquake we were kind of on the dark side of the mountain. san francisco did an incredible job but to give you a little bit of background to the city. i think this experience also brought me to city government. i had worked in the non-profit field for over 25 years. the city of watsonville was not prepared to communicate with the 60% spanish-speaking community

during the week and i think there is a little problem now in almost in the city of homs where the red cross the syrian red crescent and the international red cross are trying to to have access and there are some serious obstacles i have read before i came to the studio that. the french news agency just published that there were some journalists complaining that the that the insurgents from the syrian army and the armed gunmen are the ones who are placing obstacles to the red cross and that person to have access to the to some of the journalists who are wounded and who and some bodies that are there in the in the area of baba amr now this is very unfortunate i hope now after one year almost one year of demonstrations and trouble inside syria i think it is now clear that there are some foreign forces interfering in syria smuggling weapons into syria smuggling money for these groups to actually shoot at the government institutions assault the government and you know it's clear also from the speeches that we heard in that conference that took place in tunisia that the direction is western polit

the american red cross provided assistance and raised money to help the survivors. we mourn the losses in the whole community and the community came together to recover and rebuild. during the rerecover phase we looked for how we could be better prepared and promised those we lost that we would be better prepared. since the loma prieta earthquake we have made great strides. we rebuilt the city stronger, and great strides in retro fits especially on the bay bridge and new buildings. and the catastrophic plan under nancy's leadership and the partnership with fema, we've enhanced some warnings and made a concerted effort to focus on personal preparedness and get message out residents really need to help take care of themselves and others. so i am pleased to be part of the legacy and want to thank all of you for your hard work, time and effort to help others. so thank you. [applause] >> a little transition work here. jim? >> thank you. thank you mike for joining us today to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the loma prieta earthquake. i'd also like to thank our commun

they are offering clothing and food and all the things the red cross comes through with.there are four people who have no home. at least five units are heavily damaged. again, 26 units impacted, 50 people with their lives changed rapidly. terry mcsweeney, abc7 news. >>> a shooting rampage at an ohio high school has taken three lies. two more students died this morning. 17-year-old russell king, jr. died overnight and a third passed away a little more than an hour ago. the suspect tj lane is scheduled to be at a juvenile court hearing today. lane did not attend the high school but an alternative school for students with academic or behavioral problems. friends who saw him yesterday say they didn't notice anything wrong. >> he didn't seem different just how he would be on a normal day he didn't show any expression on his face he was just tj. >> some describe lane as an outcast who had been repeatedly bullied. others say he was just quiet. police say they've not determined a motive. no word on the condition of the two surviving students. >>> fbi may soon join the investigati

red cross negotiations on their fate are continuing.eanwhile, today's fighting sent a strong message, endorsing the main opposition grouping, the syrian opposition council. >> i have offered them whatever additional practical help we can provide from the united kingdom and the political opposition outside. i believe they are doing the right things and that they will be able to bring greater unit to the opposition. >> among the points agreed, to promote the national council, to ramp up economic sanctions against syria, and to close embassies and to preposition humanitarian aid just in case president assad recedes. >> behind-the-scenes, there was chaotic disagreement about whether to arm the rebels. britain has always been against it. the americans this week hinted they might consider it. sitting next to hillary clinton, the saudi foreign minister said he was all for it. an excellent idea, he called it. >> what do you think about arming the syrian opposition? do you think it's a good idea? >> i think it is an excellent idea. >> why? >> be

what's happened is that the red cross has gone in.hey haven't brought out the journalists, according to our sources, yet, but they are bringing out some of the worst civilians. only seven so far. it's just the beginning. hopefully this will go on in the perhaps hours or days to come to get out the worst injured. brooke? >> hopefully so. that is seven out of who knows how many people need help. michael holmes for us in beirut. michael, thank you. >>> talk about dramatic video of racecar driver danica patrick crashing in her daytona nascar review, and this guy over here, meteorologist rob marciano normally covering weather. hey. >> nice to see you. >> you had kind of a cool assignment recently. >> i did, speaking of nascar and the daytona 500. >> so cool. we'll be right back. yeah... i knew that i was doing the right thing, when i gave him the bayer. i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. so

before they were allowed to come back into their apartments, the red cross will continue to assist them until they are able to find a place to live. reporting live in mountain view, lisa washington, cbs 5. >>> well, three city unions say that san jose mayor chuck reed broke federal securities laws and are filing a formal complaint. the "mercury news" reports that an attorney for three employees unions accuse the mayor of not disclosing that pension prices could soar up to $650 million by 2015 when he plotted to certain bonds. the allegation that the city won't be able to pay the bonds in the future. the city used them to raise hundreds of millions to renovate mineta international airport and to build the mcenery convention center. >>> san francisco's school board will likely vote tonight to tell hundreds that they may lose their jobs. by law, the board must notify employees of potential layoffs by march 15 but actual layoffs may not happen if a tax extension proposal reaches the state ballot. otherwise, the district could lose $27 million so some 400 workers including 172 teachers will

they are offering clothing and food and all the things the red cross comes through with.there are four people who have no home. at least five units are heavily damaged. again, 26 units impacted, 50 people with their lives changed rapidly. terry mcsweeney, abc7 news. >>> a shooting rampage at an ohio high school has taken three lies. two more students died this morning. 17-year-old russell king, jr. died overnight and a third passed away a little more than an hour ago. the suspect tj lane is scheduled to be at a juvenile court hearing today. lane did not attend the high school but an alternative school for students with academic or behavioral problems. friends who saw him yesterday say they didn't notice anything wrong. >> he didn't seem different just how he would be on a normal day he didn't show any expression on his face he was just tj. >> some describe lane as an outcast who had been repeatedly bullied. others say he was just quiet. police say they've not determined a motive. no word on the condition of the two surviving students. >>> fbi may soon join the investigati