In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the American Red Cross announced that it has raised more than $11 million in donations. The money will go toward helping the millions of families displaced by storm.
A number of big donors, including the United Airlines Foundation and CVS Caremark, gave the charity $50,000 or more to abet the Sandy relief effort. The New York Yankees reportedly donated $500,000, while the Citi Foundation gave $1 million (on top of the $500,000 it gives annually to the Red Cross National Disaster Fund).
Since the superstorm made landfall over the weekend, killing dozens and impacting tens of millions, the Red Cross has been carrying out a major relief operations throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
According to a Wednesday press release, the Red Cross has "provided more than 23,000 overnight shelter stays since Saturday." On Tuesday night, more than 9,000 people reportedly stayed in 171 Red Cross shelters across 13 states.
An earlier press release notes that these numbers could "increase as the storm moves into cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee."
"Our first priority is to get people the help they need -- providing families and individuals with a safe place to stay and food to eat," said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of Disaster Services for the Red Cross. "While it is too early to know the full extent of Sandy's damage, we expect to be working with a variety of partners to help people for the next several weeks."
Thus far, the Red Cross has mobilized "more than 2,300 Red Cross disaster workers from all over the country who have served more than 100,800 meals and snacks." The charity has also activated "nearly 200 emergency response vehicles that are beginning to circulate through some communities distributing meals, water and snacks."
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama headed to Red Cross national headquarters to offer his support and encouragement.
"This storm is not yet over," Obama said at the charity's national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The president went on to describe the impact of Sandy as "heartbreaking for the nation."
Correction: The Citi Foundation has given more than $1 million to the Red Cross in support of the Sandy relief effort, not $100,000 as had been reported previously. In an email to The Huffington Post, a Citigroup representative wrote that Citi and the Citi Foundation "gave $1 million to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief, in addition to an annual contribution of $500,000 to the Red Cross for disaster relief efforts."
Related
Before You Go
