American Red Cross Out of Cash, Borrows Money
Monday, June 16, 2008 at 5:42PM The American Red Cross disaster relief fund is out of cash and in need of immediate donations. The agency has already spent $15 million USD in the Midwest due to the floods and has announced that it has taken out loans to pay for shelters, food, and other disaster assistance.
The agency also stated that spending for this disaster could top $40 million USD if the Mississippi River causes more flooding in Saint Louis later this week, as the flood waters make their way down the river.
The Red Cross stated that people are currently giving less most likely due to rising food, and fuel costs in addition to the collapse of the housing market.
"The disaster relief fund today is completely depleted. The balance is zero," Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer, said in a conference call with reporters. Towers added that the Red Cross "needs immediate funds to deploy in a variety of ways to provide the scale of services that this disaster demands."
"It's a continuous series of storms and disasters that have led us to where we are today," said Joe Becker, senior vice president for disaster services. He added, "We're not going to stop serving people because we don't have the money. We'll have to redouble our fundraising efforts and present the need to America and ask them to respond."
If you can please take the time to visit the American Red Cross site to make a donation today, every little bit helps.
Reader Comments (1)
I deleted a comment that went to a site asking for donations for Iowa flood victims that was not legitimate.
If you want to leave sites for donations make sure they are legit, I will not tolerate people trying to rip off victims of disasters.