The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other nonprofit groups are asking for hundreds of millions of dollars to help pay for one of the largest relief efforts in U.S. history as the full devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina starts to become clear.
So far, Americans have given at least $108-million four days after the disaster, a pace that appears greater than the amounts donated in the days following last December's tsunamis in South Asia, which killed more than 250,000 people. Three days after the deadly waves hit 11 countries last year, $30-million had been raised by international aid organizations.
Corporations are among the largest donors to the relief efforts. They have contributed $42-million, including $16-million in cash and products donated by Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Ark.
However, some relief organizations worry that concerns about the disaster's impact on the national economy and on fuel prices could cause some donors to give less than they might otherwise have given.
The Red Cross alone plans to raise at least $130-million to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina -- an amount that exceeds the $109-million that the charity spent for its charitable efforts for the four hurricanes that hit the United States last year.
"The damage will be far worse then the back-to-back hurricanes we saw last year," says Devorah Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, which has its headquarters in Washington.
As of Wednesday, the charity had raised $71.6-million, a fund-raising rate that is likely to exceed the outpouring of contributions it received for the South Asian tsunamis. A week after the December 26 catastrophe, the American Red Cross had raised $79.2-million.For hurricane relief, the charity has received several large corporate contributions, including $3-million from the Chevron Corporation, in San Ramon, Calif., and $2-million from Exxon Mobil, in Irving, Tex.
Similarly, the Salvation Army, in Alexandria, Va., received $1-million from Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Ark. So far, the charity has garnered $15-million total in donations for hurricane relief.
The Salvation Army previously estimated it would require $50-million for its response to Katrina, but it now says the need will exceed that amount. "We can't even put a number on it," says Major George Hood, the charity's spokesman. "The devastation will exceed September 11." After the 2001 terrorist attacks charities raised more than $2.2-billion.
Other nonprofit groups also have been inundated with contributions, but many are unable to estimate how much they have raised.
"It's crazy here," says John Walker, spokesman for Mennonite Disaster Services, in Akron, Pa., which provides volunteer labor for cleanup and repair of houses damaged in natural disasters. "We just haven't gotten into the tally business yet."
Similarly, the Salvation Army, in Alexandria, Va., received $1-million from Wal-Mart. So far, the charity has garnered $15-million total in donations for hurricane relief.
Dangerous ConditionsDespite the outpouring of generosity, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government organizations have prevented many charities from entering the most devastated areas, saying conditions remain too dangerous.
"As soon as we're given the 'OK' by FEMA and the National Guard, we'll be going into the hardest-hit areas," says Kristen J. Vischer, spokeswoman for Operation Blessing International, in Virginia Beach, Va. For now though, "everybody's waiting," she says.
The Christian relief group, which has raised $230,000 from online donations, plans to work with the Salvation Army to provide food to people staying at the largest emergency shelters, such as Houston's Astrodome.
Volunteers from Mennonite Disaster Services who live in the region devastated by the hurricane have started chainsaw crews to help with initial cleanup, but Mr. Walker, the charity's spokesman, says he expects it will be "weeks, rather than days" before the organization can send other volunteers.
Ron Patterson, executive director of Christian Disaster Response, in Lake Alfred, Fla., cautions charities from moving too quickly into Gulfport, Miss., and other cities badly damaged by Katrina. "Some agencies that are new rush their volunteers in," he says. But "we don't want to become an additional burden on the communities."
Mr. Patterson says Christian Disaster Response had to change its plans as the scope of the disaster emerged during the last few days. The charity sent 200 volunteers with water pumps and other supplies to a warehouse in Mississippi, but they were forced to find a new "staging area" because electrical power had yet to be restored to many parts of the state, he says.
While Mr. Patterson says he expects Americans to give generously for hurricane relief, he says he worries that the disaster's effect on gas prices will hinder fund-raising efforts. "How many donations can you make when you're paying $3 a gallon?" he asks.
So far, Christian Disaster Response has garnered $5,000, mostly from online contributions.
Among the results from other organizations responding to the disaster:
M.J. Prest contributed to this article.