September 14, 2008
Charities Anticipate Major Damages From Hurricane Ike
By Caroline Preston
In the wake of Hurricane Ike’s destructive tear through Texas, relief groups continued to feed and shelter thousands of evacuees from Galveston, Houston, and other areas damaged by the storm.
But many charities were concerned about how they would pay for their aid efforts, given that few had raised anywhere near the amount necessary to help victims of Hurricane Gustav alone.
The American Red Cross has still raised only about $5-million after Gustav, while it anticipates needing between $80-million and $100-million this hurricane season. The Salvation Army has brought in only about $123,000.
As Ike approached, the American Red Cross sent 1,200 workers to assist the 1,500 Red Cross workers already in Texas. The Salvation Army readied 45 feeding trucks statewide.
Catholic Charities USA, Save the Children, and the Southern Baptist Convention were also sending volunteers, supplies, and other assistance to the region.
‘A Stretch’
Many charity officials say it has proven challenging to mount a response to Ike even as they were still feeding and sheltering victims of Hurricane Gustav.
“It’s a stretch, without a doubt,” said Jonathan Aiken, director of media relations with the American Red Cross. “But we’re fortunate to have a reservoir of people we can turn to.”
Mr. Aiken said the Red Cross has built a network of 50,000 volunteers who the charity can deploy to disaster zones.
Relief workers said their biggest immediate concern was ensuring that people evacuated parts of Texas that would be hit hard by Ike’s winds and rain.
Charity officials in Texas said that, so far, the response of the government and aid groups was taking place relatively smoothly.
“The city governments are taking all the necessary precautions,” said Edward Alonzo, the Salvation Army’s incident commander for the staging division in San Antonio. “They have installed plans, which are working very, very well, and making it easier for all the groups to work together.”
Gifts ‘Nominal’
Even as aid workers praised the early response, they said they remained very worried about donations.
Patricia Hvidston, senior director of development with Catholic Charities USA, said the group had received gifts from fewer than 500 people for Ike and Gustav, compared with 181,000 individuals following Hurricane Katrina.
“We have received some donations to support our work, but, quite honestly, they have been nominal,” she said.
At least one group, however, received a lift from corporate donors. Save the Children said on Friday that it was stepping up its response to Ike after Toys R Us gave tens of thousands of diapers, baby wipes, and cribs. The group also won 3,240 kits of books and crayons from Scholastic, a company that produces children’s books.
Despite the lack of donor support, relief groups said they would press ahead in their aid efforts.
The Red Cross has so far has had to borrow money to support its hurricane-response efforts. Mr. Aiken said that he wasn’t sure if there was a cap on how much the group could borrow, but that he was confident donors would enable the group to repay its loan.
“We borrowed significantly during Katrina and were able to pay it back quickly when people saw the need,” he said. “I have no doubt that will happen this time.”
The Red Cross’s new president, Gail J. McGovern, outlined her long-term plans for addressing this issue in a Chronicle interview.
Holly Hall contributed to this article.
Comments
Commenting is closed for this article.
Previous: Relief Groups Shelter Thousands of Texas Residents Displaced by Ike
Next: Community Service Gets a Big Push at High-Profile Conference
how can i help? im a soldier in korea, but im aa TEXAN, and want to help
— CRIS HOPKINS Sep 16, 07:22 AM #