[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 39, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 39CFR259.2]

[Page 101]
 
                        TITLE 39--POSTAL SERVICE
 
                 CHAPTER I--UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
 
PART 259--SERVICES PERFORMED FOR OTHER AGENCIES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 259.2  Red Cross.

    (a) General. The Postal Service and the Red Cross cooperate to 
maintain communication between the individual and the community during 
times of disaster. This applies only to natural disasters such as those 
caused by floods, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, explosions, 
etc., and not to those caused by enemy action.
    (b) Role of Postal Service. The Postal Service and the Red Cross 
will share information on the whereabouts of persons displaced by 
disasters, and otherwise cooperate with each other, as follows:
    (1) The Red Cross will use Form 3575, Change of Address Order, as a 
standard item in Red Cross disaster relief. It will urge disaster 
victims displaced from their homes to obtain and complete the forms, it 
will distribute the forms to disaster victims who need them, and it will 
collect from the victims and turn over to the Postal Service any 
completed forms received.
    (2) The Postal Service will provide the Red Cross the blank forms 
needed.
    (3) During each disaster and subsequent disaster relief efforts, the 
Postal Service will establish a separate file of change of address forms 
completed by disaster victims, and will make available to the Red Cross 
information in the file. This information will be used by the Red Cross 
only to locate individuals and families, to answer inquiries from 
relatives and friends concerning the whereabouts and welfare of the 
disaster victims, or to make contact with disaster victims who have 
applied for assistance from the Red Cross but who cannot be located 
because of a change of address.
    (4) The Postal Service and the Red Cross will encourage appropriate 
local postal officials and Red Cross chapters to maintain contact with 
each other and to participate in local and community planning for 
disasters.
    (5) When appropriate, the Postal Service and the Red Cross will meet 
and exchange information at the national headquarters level concerning 
the effectiveness of their joint efforts for disaster relief.
    (6) Regional Postmasters General and Postal Inspectors in Charge are 
responsible for seeing that post offices implement these cooperative 
arrangements in disaster situations.
    (7) The instructions in Sec. 259.2 serve as a broad framework within 
which field officials of both agencies may coordinate their facilities 
and resources. However, postal officials shall cooperate with Red Cross 
officials to the maximum feasible degree during times of natural 
disasters.

(39 U.S.C. 401, 411)

[36 FR 4773, Mar. 12, 1971, as amended at 40 FR 26511, June 24, 1975]

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