The Metropolitan

Atlanta Chapter, like many other Red Cross chapters, has seen a marked

increase in the expenditure of disaster relief funds over the past few

years.

Stephanie Wright,

who directs the Red Cross disaster program in the south metro counties

of Fayette, Clayton, Henry and Butts, reported that last month alone disaster

action teams from the Morrow service center responded to 25 calls for

aid. Sixty-three people received a helping hand from the Red Cross.

More than $8,600

in food, clothing, shelter and other assistance was provided.

"The American

Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes, around the clock,

365 days a year," said Dr. John Clizbe, vice president of Disaster

Services at the American National Red Cross. "Due to many costly

disasters and the absence of major high-visibility disasters, our costs

have outpaced our contributions from the public."

Nationwide

in the past year, the Red Cross has spent more than $27 million providing

lifesaving relief to the victims of almost 300 major disasters in 45 states,

but has raised only $16 million toward those efforts, putting a significant

strain on the organization's resources.

The Atlanta

disaster relief figures show a significant increase over the last three

years. During the period August 1998 to March 1999, local Red Cross workers

and volunteers responded to 360 disaster assistance calls, helping 639

families, or 2,274 people. More than $379,600 in food, clothing and shelter

assistance was provided.

The same period

2000 ­ 2001, shows 509 calls for assistance, 149 more than 1998 ­

1999. Assistance totalling $575,100 went to 914 families/3,073 people

during this time. Many of those calls were in the south metro area.

Three years

in a row of increased disaster activity have put a strain on the local

chapter's disaster budget, said Nancy Brockway, director of disaster services

for the Metropolitan Atlanta Red Cross. "We exceeded our total annual

budget with two months still remaining in the fiscal year," she said.

She continued,

"People in our community don't realize how many disasters are reported

to the Red Cross almost every day of the year. Our volunteer disaster

action teams are constantly responding to these calls and taking care

of immediate needs," she explained. "These often are not headline-grabbing

events which usually generate financial donations to the local disaster

program. As a result, we see a constant drain on our budget."

All disaster

assistance provided by the Red Cross is free. "The only way we can

do that is through the generosity of citizens and businesses," emphasized

Wright. Red Cross is not a government organization so it relies on individual

contributions, she explained.

There are a

number of ways to help. Contributions can be made to the Metropolitan

Atlanta Chapter, P.O. Box 101590, Atlanta, GA 30392. The local chapter's

donation line can be reached by calling 404-876-3706.

Contributions

can also be made to the national American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund

at 1-800-HELP NOW or by sending a donation to American Red Cross, P.O.

Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online

credit card donation by visiting www.redcrossatlanta.org .

Coinstar machines

in many area grocery stores such as Kroger and Harris Teeter will also

accept contributions for the Disaster Relief Fund. Consumers can visit

HtmlResAnchor www.findcoinstar.com or call 1-800-928-CASH to find

the nearest Coinstar machine.

Wright emphasized,

"The helping hand the Red Cross extends is, in reality, that of our

generous and caring community."

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