Donations at $500 Million, and Climbing

LA Times ^ | 9/7/05 | By Sharon Bernstein and Amanda Covarrubias, Times Staff Writers

[BurbankKarl]

Americans are opening their pocketbooks so fast and so wide in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that donations have already dwarfed the first week's efforts to help victims of last year's Asian tsunami and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

By Tuesday evening, U.S. charities had raised more than $500 million in cash and pledges — more than twice the $239 million donated in the 10 days after Sept. 11, and more than three times the $163 million raised in the nine days after the tsunami that hit countries along the Indian Ocean last Dec. 26.

The American Red Cross had raised $409 million by Tuesday afternoon — five times the $79 million that came in during the first week after the tsunami, the agency said.

The Salvation Army had raised $51 million — six times the amount the charity took in for tsunami relief and more than it collected over the last five years combined.

The outpouring of gifts eased the concerns of some charity groups that donations might not be so robust because so many Americans had given money earlier this year for tsunami relief. But the agencies remain worried that strains on the economy, including rising gas prices, will hamper the relief effort in the long run. The damage to people and places is so huge, relief workers said, that it will take this week's donations and millions of dollars more to ease the suffering along the Gulf Coast.

They said that despite a record-breaking first week, total donations for Katrina were still a fraction of the amounts raised over months and years for 9/11 and tsunami relief. Donations for 9/11 relief are now at $2.2 billion, and U.S. charities have collected nearly $1.3 billion for the tsunami so far

[HiTech RedNeck]

these folks will be in louisiana hog heaven... that is if we can ever get them out so we can bulldoze the dern place. whewee, we can bring in the best dutch engineers now to do those dikes right. cat5 bull, do i hear a cat6?

[Recovering_Democrat]

Let's remember: those of us who are giving work for a living.

[PeteB570]

Man, you need to learn lib-thought.

Under lib-thought the more you give the more racist you are. Under lib-thought you give because you are trying to buy forgiveness for being a racist.

But then again, under lib-thought, if you only give a little (because you don't make much) you are a racist because you should have given more.

It's all based on the core lib-thought. If you ain't a lib you're some Bible thumpin', homophobic, racist war lord of a chicken hawk.

That's why it's sooooo funny to listen to them and watch them in large groups.

[libertylover]

O'Reily had Tony Snow on last night and he read from a list-check O'Reily's website.

[publana]

Far be it from me to comprehend the logic. :/

[PeteB570]

Which is why I laugh at them.

Got a good check so I paid some bills and dropped off a donation at the mall for the local radio stations. If you count the blood this is my third donation to the cause.

We are taking the extended family to eat at a local restaurant this weekend. They are donating 10% of sales to the Hurricane victims. Every bit helps.

[RightWhale]

Perspective:
FedGov is spending $1/2 billion on this, twice a day, and that will continue for several months. Ultimately it comes out of the same pocket.

[BurbankKarl]

They got drones flying over N.O.

haha

[TheForceOfOne]

500 Million so far wow!

How much do you want to bet that someone goes to jail for fraud, embezzlement, etc. related to this money. They're some really slimy people out there just licking their chops to um.. help out with the distribution of this money.

[RightWhale]

Hellfire missiles?