News

On Tuesday, August 8, wildfires–fueled by dry weather and high winds from passing Hurricane Dora–quickly overtook the Hawaiian island of Maui, decimating homes and businesses. Residents who were forced to quickly evacuate suffered major losses, with hundreds killed or injured and many more displaced by the fires. Lahaina, a well loved and historic town was […]

April 25, 2023 We at OpUSA are saddened by news of the passing of Harry Belafonte, legendary singer, actor and activist. Our thoughts are with all those who knew and loved Harry, and we are grateful to have known him. From our President & CEO, Richard Walden: “Once in awhile something happens in life that

February 9, 2023–We at OpUSA are saddened at the passing of the great Burt Bacharach, legendary composer, producer, songwriter and pianist. We were lucky to work with Mr. Bacharach in 1999, when he joined “Music Bridges” to Cuba, a program where American artists (including greats like Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Frampton!)

On February 6, 2023, two powerful magnitude 7.8+ earthquakes struck Turkey, causing widespread damage across Turkey and Syria. A a magnitude 6.4 aftershock on February 20, 2023 and a magnitude 5.2 quake on February 27, 2023 caused further destruction. These quakes, along with subsequent, powerful aftershocks, were the worst to strike the area in modern

January 18, 2023–For several weeks, California has been overwhelmed by major storms. Heavy rainfall has inundated many communities, leading to floods/flash floods, mudslides, power outages and significant damage across the state. At least 20 people have been reported dead, with many more injured and/or displaced. We at Operation USA are committed to helping our neighbors

We at Operation USA are deeply saddened and offended by the recent surge of antisemitism in the United States. This overt hatred, fueled by the words and actions of public figures and hate groups and intensified by the prominence of social media, is disgusting and must not be tolerated. We stand with Jewish people everywhere—along

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba early on September 27th as a Category 3 storm, knocking out power for the entire country, before slamming into the U.S. days later as a Category 4-5 storm. The hurricane brought devastating 155+ mph winds, heavy rainfall and a catastrophic storm surge to Florida’s coast. Recovery from this disaster,

On September 18, 2022, Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico. The Category 4 storm devastated communities still grappling with the ongoing impact of Hurricane Maria in 2017, bringing high winds, heavy rain and catastrophic flooding to the island. Our ability to provide effective support to Puerto Rico is entirely dependent on the generosity of you, our

September 12, 2022 Dear Friends, As the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once said: “To put it mildly, the world is a mess.” We here at OpUSA know all too well just how vast and urgent pervasive global needs are in 2022. More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, in the wake of

August 31, 2022– Operation USA is deeply saddened by recent devastating floods in Pakistan. This catastrophic disaster reminds us once again of the ever-worsening impact climate change has on communities grappling with disaster worldwide. Due to the ongoing flood crisis–since the rainy season started in June–more than one third of the country has been severely