Heating bills are bounding, gasoline prices are still high and Iowans have already donated tens of thousands of dollars to hurricane relief — yet they’ve come forward again. Leslie Schaffer, executive director of the Central Iowa Chapter of the American Red Cross, says donations have now covered the cost of the relief effort for Saturday’s tornadoes that ripped through six central Iowa counties.
Schaffer says 15-thousand dollars was raised within a couple of days “which is just absolutely amazing.” She says even with all of the other disasters people have donated money to, with the other added expenses we’re facing with the cold weather, and with the holidays just ahead, still Iowans showed their generosity.
Schaffer says “it is very indicative of the community here in central Iowa where neighbors truly help neighbors.” Governor Vilsack declared Dallas and Hamilton counties disaster areas. Reports say more than 80 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged in several towns and dozens of homes were damaged. She explains how the money is being used in communities like Woodward and Stratford.
Dozens of families are being helped with temporary housing, food and clothing as people who lost their homes in this sort of disaster usually don’t have much left. She says most of those people who were effected by the tornadoes -did- have insurance, which she says is finally kicking in.