How much will the American Red Cross need to provide assistance to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina?
A Based on our 125-year history of bringing aid to disaster victims, the Red Cross estimates it will need more than $1 billion to provide emergency relief. Needs will continue to emerge in the weeks and months to come. The American Red Cross anticipates that it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars simply to meet the immediate needs of disaster victims. At this time, the Red Cross is focused on getting life’s basic essentials-food, water and shelter- to hurricane survivors. The sheer volume of people affected, as well as the extensive geographical area impacted will require long-term, massive feeding and sheltering operations for many months to come. Remember, 90,000 square miles have been affected- about the same size as Great Britain. The Red Cross has provided more than 5.4 million hot meals and provided a safe haven for almost 159,000 survivors. The Red Cross is opening additional shelters throughout the United States for evacuees who temporarily don’t have a place to call home
