Hurricane-Relief Donations Fall Short of Needs So Far

Charities have received more than $38-million to help the victims of Hurricane Charley, but nonprofit groups

say far more will be needed to help those affected by one of the biggest storms in history.

The American Red Cross, which has raised $28.5-million in gifts and pledges, estimates that it will need to spend at least $50-million to help the victims.

The charity faces a serious financial struggle because its disaster-relief fund was seriously depleted before the storm hit. At the end of June, its emergency fund had just $835,000; the organization says that to be able to adequately respond to disasters nationwide, it tries to keep at least $56-million on hand.

The Red Cross’s fund-raising efforts for Hurricane Charley got a major lift just a few days after the hurricane when the Lilly Endowment announced that it would provide $5-million to the organization. The Lilly Endowment also plans to give $5-million to the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army has received about $1-million in cash donations, in addition to the promised Lilly grant. The charity estimates that the daily costs of helping the victims are running, on average, close to $100,000.

Among the other fund-raising efforts under way to pay for the hurricane recovery:

• United Ways in Florida have raised at least $2.5-million, including a $1-million gift from Publix Super Markets Charities, which will be shared by the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
• The Southwest Florida Community Foundation in Charlotte County, which was hit very hard by Charley, has raised more than $1.3-million, including a $1-million grant from the Allstate Foundation. The Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, the largest community foundation in the state, has collected about $245,000 in donations, while the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has raised about $65,000. Those foundations serve regions hard hit by the storm, but others in the state are also trying to raise money for victims.
• Catholic Charities USA has raised approximately $145,000 and sent a direct-mail appeal seeking additional aid to about 20,000 donors last week.
• The United Jewish Communities Hurricane Charley Disaster Relief Fund has received approximately $50,000.
• Church World Service has raised $18,000 for its Hurricane Charley Recovery Fund, entirely from individuals.

Ted Granger, president of United Way of Florida, says the reaction among donors has been more sluggish than after Hurricane Andrew caused $26.5-billion in damage in 1992. He speculates that donors responded quickly to Hurricane Andrew because it hit a large metropolitan area that was familiar to many people around the country.

“The response to Andrew was much greater in the short term,” Mr. Granger says. “I received far fewer calls from organizations around the country for Charley than for Andrew. Charley hit areas that people may never have heard of and rural areas. The damage is extraordinary, but people might not realize it’s as great as it is.”

Wendy Hopkins, vice president of programs at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, says that while charities still need money for the hurricane-recovery efforts, she has been impressed by the number of people who have donated their time.

“The amount of volunteerism has compensated for the funding that hasn’t come yet,” says Ms. Hopkins.

She says the foundation has turned the county arena into a temporary shelter primarily for elderly and disabled people who were evacuated from nursing homes and other health-care facilities because of the storm.