Sep 13, 2008 4:49 am US/Pacific
With Hurricane & Train Crash, Red Cross Needs Help
(CBS 5 / AP)
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A Red Cross disaster relief worker comforts a hurricane victim.
AP
The wave of storms battering the U.S. has plunged the American Red Cross deep into debt as it rushes to help with Hurricane Ike relief in Texas, the embattled charity said.
In addition, the Red Cross said blood donors were urgently needed following Friday's deadly train crash and derailment in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles.
Officials said blood needs for those injured in the train crash were believed to have been met, but donors were needed to replenish the critical supplies that have been used.
Any person 17 years or older—16 if accompanied by a parent—and weighing at least 110 pounds is eligible to donate blood. Eligible donors were asked to schedule an appointment to donate by calling 1-800-GIVE LIFE or by visiting
http://www.GiveLife.org.
On the financial front, the Red Cross said it has raised only $5 million to cover costs from Hurricane Gustav in Louisianna that will total at least $40 million, possibly more than $70 million. It has borrowed money to meet those bills, and now is incurring more expenses as its response teams deal with Hurricane Ike in Texas.
"The reason I'm calm and cool and collected is because the American public always comes through for us — always," Red Cross president Gail McGovern said in an interview as her organization deployed 1,000 out-of-state volunteers to Texas to deal with the menacing Ike. "I just believe that this country will not let harm come to the American Red Cross."
Red Cross officials were calling Gustav a "silent disaster" because it entailed sizable costs for sheltering displaced people, yet did not trigger the flood of donations that often follows more deadly and destructive storms.
If you'd like to help out, you can make a donation by visiting
the Red Cross website.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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