Donations, supplies rush in

0 Comments | USA TODAY, September, 2005 | by Wendy Koch

Americans are donating millions of dollars to help Hurricane Katrina's victims as private relief agencies warn that the need could exceed that of any previous U.S. disaster.

On Tuesday, the American Red Cross received 100,000 donation calls -- the largest ever in one day. As of Wednesday, it had raised more than $21 million. "We're seeing an outpouring of compassion that's truly humbling," Red Cross spokeswoman Carol Yelverton says. She says many people are also offering to volunteer.

Yelverton says the agency is mobilizing more resources than ever before for a single disaster and will need more than the $130 million it spent on last year's four major hurricanes that hit Florida.

The Red Cross immediately dispatched 15 mobile kitchens to feed 350,000 people...