Thanking donors, Irish Red Cross Secretary General, John Roycroft said: "We have raised \x80585,000 in just over a month and money continues to arrive. "This money will make a
real difference to those who we are helping in Myanmar and China and I would like to thank the people of Ireland for their very generous response."
Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone
The
Irish Red Cross has also received a total of \x80410,000 for the victims of tropical cyclone Nargis. The cyclone struck the mid-south of Myanmar on 2 May. The scale of destruction and loss is massive
with government figures listing 78,000 people dead and another 56,000 missing. The UN estimates that 2.4 million people are affected.Since the disaster, over 327,500 people have been helped
by the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement.
China Earthquake
To date, over \x80175,000 has been raised by the Irish Red Cross for the victims of the devastating China earthquake. The
8.0 magnitude earthquake on 12 May devastated eight provinces: Sichuan, (the most severely affected), Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Yunnan, Shanxi, Guizhou and Hubei.The death toll currently
stands at 69,195. Over 15 million people are displaced, including over five million without shelter. To date, more than one million earthquake survivors have received relief items from the Red Cross.However, much more needs to be done. Please call 1850 50 70 70 or donating online
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Residents wait as people from a non-governmental organization arrive to donate rice at a Cyclone Nargis-hit village in Bogalay, southwest of Yangon in this picture taken June 25, 2008. Picture taken ...
