USA TODAY International Edition
Donations may fall short for Philippines
Americans are opening their wallets for the typhoon- battered Philippines at a pace that may be the third- highest ever for an overseas disaster. But it’s still not enough to meet the demand.
As Philippine officials try to get aid to desperate Typhoon Haiyan victims, relief organizations from the Salvation Army to Mercy Corps are reporting strong initial donations from individual donors. Corporate donations and government aid have also been robust.
“International disasters like this where the scenes we’re seeing on the news are so overwhelming, people want to reach out and help,” says Salvation Army spokesman Ron Busroe. Donations accelerated from $ 300,000 Monday to about $ 1 million by Tuesday, Busroe says.
Separately, large- scale aid from the U. S. government is also coming into play. The U. S. Agency for International Development landed in the region within 24 hours of Haiyan’s crushing pass over the chain of islands Friday.
The agency has been assessing the damage, traveling to some of the most remote, coastal cities that were battered by the storm and working with the local governments to direct emergency aid to those areas.
There are currently more than 300 U. S. military personnel assisting in the recovery, a number that could reach 1,000 by the end of the week. The U. S. government has initially pledged $ 20 million in assistance.
Patrick Rooney, associate dean at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, expects individual donations to relief agencies to top out at about $ 1 billion, exceeded only by the $ 1.5 billion donated after the 2010 Haitian earthquake and the $ 1.8 billion following the 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia.
The international relief donations trail the $ 4.2 billion given following 2005’ s Hurricane Katrina and $ 2.6 billion following the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Despite the outpouring of generosity, organizations are still calling for help.
UNICEF has sent out an appeal for $ 34 million to help 4 million children affected by the typhoon, saying funding is urgently needed for food, medicine, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF has taken in $ 4.6 million in donations the past three days vs. $ 12.3 million from donors in the same period after the Haiti quake and $ 5.4 million it received within three days of the 2004 tsunami.
Save the Children, which issued an appeal for $ 30 million, has raised over $ 1 million so far. The organization is sending 12,000 blankets, 2,500 kitchen sets, four mobile clinics and other items, spokeswoman Francine Uenuma says.
Typically, 75% of donations come within three to six months of a disaster.