Red Cross Two-Year Superstorm Sandy Report Shows 99 Percent of Funds Have Been Spent or Committed

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Oct 22, 2014, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly two years since Superstorm Sandy unleashed its fury and devastation across New York, New Jersey and other states, the American Red Cross has helped tens of thousands of people recover with financial assistance, housing-related expenses and grants to nonprofit groups serving residents of storm-damaged communities.

A two-year report released today shows that the Red Cross has spent or made commitments to spend more than $310 million, or 99 percent of the $311.5 million donated for its Sandy response and recovery work.

"Our work has been possible because of the compassion and generosity of donors, and we have spent the money people donated for Sandy quickly, carefully and wisely – and in line with the intent of our donors," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the Red Cross. "And we're still helping, as the Red Cross and other groups we have funded continue to offer a range of recovery services that meet the needs of Sandy survivors."

Recovery from such a massive storm takes time and the involvement of many organizations, and the Red Cross has worked with government and community partners over the past two years to provide assistance to those who need it most. Almost $92 million in Red Cross grants have supported critical recovery services by organizations providing home repairs and rebuilding, mold remediation, financial assistance, food, and mental health counseling. The Red Cross also has made a multi-year commitment to support community roundtables that will help ensure that the needs of Sandy survivors are met in the future through direct financial assistance and coordination of construction supplies and volunteer labor.

In addition, the Red Cross Move-In Assistance Program has provided more than $32.2 million to more than 5,100 households by late September, mostly in New York and New Jersey. This highly successful program provided financial assistance to the hardest-hit people whose primary homes were destroyed or made uninhabitable and who needed help relocating or rebuilding.

The recovery efforts in Sandy-impacted communities over the past year build on the emergency relief in the months following the storm's landfall on October 29, 2012. This work, powered by 17,000 trained workers from all over the country – 90 percent of them volunteers, included:

17.5 million meals and snacks.
More than 7 million relief items such as cold weather items and clean-up supplies.
Nearly 113,000 health services and emotional support contacts for people who have been living in very tough conditions.
74,000 overall shelter stays for Sandy.

Even as its emergency relief work was occurring, the Red Cross began to help people in the long recovery process, and that work continues. Trained Red Cross workers are meeting with those in need, providing case management and financial assistance to help with security and utility deposits, home repairs and rent as well as linking them to available social service programs.

The report and other information on the Red Cross Sandy relief and recovery efforts can be found at www.redcross.org/sandy-response.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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SOURCE American Red Cross