Disaster donors lag after Maria

Red Cross got more money after Harvey and Irma disasters

Hurricane Maria wrecked the U. S. territory of Puerto Rico, causing a near shutdown of the island’s economy and leaving most of its 3.4 million citizens without power and other vital goods and services.

As contributions soared to homegrown fundraising for the victims of Sunday’s Las Vegas shooting, those devastated by Maria have seen relatively small donations especially compared with money raised for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, according to groups contacted by USA TODAY.

The Red Cross reported it collected $ 350 million in donations and pledges to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey, which slammed Houston and environs. It received $ 45 million for Irma victims and $ 9 million for Maria.

Catholic Charities reported it distributed $ 2 million to its agencies in

Texas, $ 2.4 million in Florida, $ 10,000 in Louisiana and $ 1.2 million to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

uU. S. Chamber of Commerce statistics indicate that corporations donated $ 270.8 million for Hurricane Harvey and Irma relief efforts in cash and in- kind donations. The Maria tally stood at $ 32.4 million. Why the big Maria gap? Those raising money say a prime reason for lower Maria numbers has to do with its damage coming after devastating storms hit the U. S. mainland in Texas and Florida, which means donors are more apt to be financially or even emotionally tapped out.

News media attention is a huge factor in generating contributions, and the supersaturated coverage that greeted Hurricanes Harvey and Irma tapered for Maria.

Puerto Rico’s plight also sits in the shadow of the mass killings in Las Vegas on Sunday, which left dozens dead and hundreds wounded. Americans donated $ 8.5 million to a GoFundMe campaign started by Las Vegas local Steve Sisolak.

Relief organization experts admit that having some sort of personal or cultural connection to disaster victims often drives the levels of funding.

A poll by Morning Consult revealed that half of respondents were not aware that Puerto Ricans are U. S. citizens.

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS

Tricia Wachtendorf, director of the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center, says, “Research shows that people are more likely to give if they are in close physical proximity to the event.”

She says, “People also give when there’s social affinity to the affected group, so where the ( Puerto Rican) diaspora lives ( New York, Chicago), there will likely be continued giving.”

Cultural affinity reasons may resonate, but they shouldn’t get in the way of helping fellow human beings who fly the same flag, says Daniel Borochoff of the relief organization rating group Charity Watch.

“It’s a humanitarian crisis down there, and they are U. S. citizens,” he says. “It would be like helping people in Hawaii.”

Bob Ottenhoff, CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, says that as devastating as the damage to Puerto Rico is, the island had the misfortune of not being part of the U. S. mainland and being hit after days of non- stop media coverage before and after Harvey and Irma hit coastal cities.

“Houston is the fourth- largest city in the U. S., Florida is a big state, but there are relatively few people living in the Caribbean, 3 million or so in Puerto Rico and a few hundred thousand in the Virgin Islands,” he says. “That means there aren’t as many people with friends and family, or as many corporations with employees. There aren’t as many personal connections, and personal connections are often the key to donations.”

Americans traditionally do not shy away from giving to victims of natural disasters overseas, says Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

DONATIONS MAY RISE

Relief organization executives say Maria donations continue to come in, thanks in part to high- profile campaigns by celebrities such as ethnic Puerto Ricans Jennifer Lopez ( who donated $ 1 million) and LinManuel Miranda ( who will release a song to raise money for the relief efforts).

A spokesman for One America Appeal, a relief organization supported by the five living former U. S. presidents, said the charity has seen an uptick in donations.

“We’ve raised close to $ 3 million online since the beginning of the campaign ( to help victims of all three hurricanes), and there is no drop- off in intensity,” says Jim McGrath, spokesman for former president George H. W. Bush.

“The images, interviews, footage all put the wind back in the sails of the recovery effort.”

Relief organization executives say donations ebb and flow with the rhythm of major media coverage of a disaster.