Alberta Floods 2013: How your donations are spent

Thanks to the generosity of Canadians like you, the Canadian Red Cross has assisted thousands of people affected by floods in Alberta. In the immediate aftermath, the Canadian Red Cross took action, providing support in shelters where many sought refuge, helped reunite families, and distributed close to one million relief items as Albertans began the long task of cleaning up their homes, neighbourhoods and businesses. We helped people like Elizabeth Vigueras who was forced from her home in High River. After helping to rescue her neighbours, she found herself with her three children at a Canadian Red Cross-managed shelter in nearby Okotoks. Vigueras says that although the situation is not ideal, the support of other people staying in the shelter and the staff has been amazing.

“We feel like we’re with family,” she says. “We feel confident, secure and relaxed.

As Alberta starts to recover from the floods, our work will continue with shelter and reception support, assisting families with necessities such as food, clothing, personal services, childcare, and transportation. We will continue to collaborate with other disaster response organizations and provide support through a community grant process, including those with clean-up and muck-out experience. We will also facilitate collaboration at the grass roots level between community and neighbourhood leaders and key stakeholders and linking in with existing groups to ensure that relief efforts are not duplicated.

In the long term, the Canadian Red Cross is committed to helping affected communities in Alberta for as long as the recovery takes. As of August 12^th, more than $30.1 million has now been donated by generous individuals and corporations, allowing us to continue our work.

The Red Cross is committed to ensuring that the cost of fundraising does not exceed 5 per cent. For every dollar donated, a minimum of 95 cents goes to support those in need.

For a more detailed update on how your donations are being spent in Alberta, click here.

UPDATE: The following appeal is now closed. You can support our ongoing work by donating to the Canadian Red Cross.