Hurricane relief donations top $1B

KAT R I NA RED CROSS RAISES MOST Giving outpaces amount for 9/ 11, tsunami

Americans have donated more than US$ 1billion to charities for victims of Hurricane Katrina, maintaining an unprecedented pace of giving, according to a newspaper that tracks charitable contributions.

The said the outpouring of money is unprecedented in American history, although some charities expect to need even more funds to respond to the disaster.

The newspaper said that as of Friday, U. S. charities had raised US$ 1.06- billion. That tops the US$ 558- million given to charitable causes in the first two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In the 21⁄ weeks after the tsunamis hit Asia, major U.S. relief groups had received US$406million.

In total, the said U.S. charities raised more than US$2.2-billion for victims of Sept. 11 and nearly US$1.3-billion for tsunami relief.

The American Red Cross has raised far more than any other charity, taking in US$762.5-million dollars, compared with US$173-million in the 21⁄ weeks after the tsunamis.

A relief fund started by former U.S. presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton has amassed the secondsum, with US$100million.

But the newspaper said the needs of the charities are greater than during any previous disaster and that the Red Cross expects to spend more than US$ 2- billion on relief for Katrina.