American Red Cross raises $117mln in Sandy relief effort

PanARMENIAN.Net - The American Red Cross continues to see an outpouring of donations in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, according to CNNMoney.

The relief agency has raised $117 million as of Friday, Nov 9 morning, up from $103 million on Wednesday.

Between Monday and Wednesday this week, donations rose from $85 million to $103 million, thanks in large part to the "Day of Giving" fundraiser hosted by ABC on Monday, which brought in almost $17 million for the Red Cross.

An NBC telethon and benefit concert held on Friday featuring Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon raised another $23 million.

Companies that have pledged $1 million or more to the Red Cross and other nonprofit aid organizations include JPMorgan Chase, Walt Disney, News Corp,Kohl's, Morgan Stanley, Mercedes-Benz USA, and Enterprise Holdings Foundation.

Overall, businesses have announced donations totaling $101 million, according to the Chamber of Commerce's Corporate Aid Tracker.

With the money it receives, the Red Cross is operating shelters and offering food, water and relief supplies to areas struck hard by Sandy. The agency has set up 472 shelters to date in more than 10 states, providing 66,500 overnight stays to storm victims since the hurricane hit. It has delivered more than 3.5 million meals and snacks and has handed out more than 176,900 relief items, including hygiene kits, clean-up kits, shovels and rakes.

The $117 million that the Red Cross has raised beats the $8 million raised over the entire recovery period for Hurricane Isaac, which struck the Gulf Coast earlier this year, according to Neal Litvack, chief development officer at the Red Cross. It's also much more than the $14 million raised in the wake of 2011's Hurricane Irene.

Hurricane Katrina is the only U.S. natural disaster that has garnered more support, with the Red Cross raising $2.2 billion for relief efforts in its wake.