Looking at boston.com’s The Year 2008 in Photographs this morning, I was struck by how many of the photos involved events the American Red Cross responded to this year.

Tropical Storm Hanna
The Big Picture’s photo of the year #4

The American Red Cross obviously responded to Hanna in the United States, but we were also present in hard-hit Gonaives, Haiti.

Sichuan, China Earthquake
The Big Picture photo of the year (part 1) #6

The American Red Cross has contributed $14 million to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Red Cross Society of China.

Central US Floods and Tornadoes
The Big Picture photo of the year (part 1) #9

The Central US Floods and Tornadoes made our own list of the Top 5 Disasters of 2008 as it caused the worst US flooding episode in over a decade. The American Red Cross provided shelters, meals, clean-up and comfort kits, mental health contacts and more.

California Wildfires
The Big Picture photo of the year (part 1) #19

As wildfires raced across many parts of Southern California, Red Cross volunteers opened the doors of shelters to ensure evacuees had a safe place to rest.

Cyclone Nargis
The Big Picture photo of the year (part 1) #21

The American Red Cross has provided more than $2 million to support relief efforts in Myanmar. Numerous plane and boat loads of supplies— such as nearly 20,000 tarps, 8,800 kitchen sets, 70,000 insecticide-treated bed nets, 15,000 hygiene kits, 25,000 blankets and 30,000 water containers— have arrived in Yangon. The American Red Cross also provided $250,000 in financial assistance and deployed an international disaster response worker to help with relief and recovery efforts.

Hurricane Ike
The Big Picture photo of the year (part 2) #20

Thousands of Red Cross staff and volunteers were in the storm-affected areas, offering those who were in Hurricane Ike’s path a safe place to stay, food, toiletries and a comforting ear.

Filed under: Campaign for Disaster Relief, Development, Disaster Response, Flickr, Health & Safety, Holiday, International, Volunteers