After criticism over the way money was spent following the September 11th attacks, the American Red Cross is modifying the way it handles donations. Donors will be given more specifics now laying out exactly how the money will be spent, like for shelter, food or counseling. Donors will also be asked to confirm they understand where their money is going. Carol Grant is executive director of the Central Iowa chapter. Grant says they’ll do a better job of educating people about the disaster relief fund.Relief efforts are underway in several flooded eastern Iowa counties right now to which people -are- allowed to earmark donations. Grant says donations to specific disasters -will- still be taken for any disaster, but donors will be urged to donate instead to the more general Disaster Relief Fund.She says that would give the Red Cross more latitude in case more money is raised than is needed for a specific disaster. Grant says the week of nine-eleven, there were 166 disasters. Only three involved terrorism.
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