Meager donations for wildfire victims
Over half a million people have left their homes to flee the threat of wildfires in Southern California. But despite the largest evacuation in the state's history, donations haven't exactly been flooding in. Jill Barshay reports.
Firefighters battle a wildfire in Escondido, Calif. (Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)
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Scott Jagow: The big story in California this week, of course, is the wildfires. It's all over the national news, too. But so far, the rest of the country isn't showing a lot of sympathy for Californians. At least, not in the form of donations. Jill Barshay reports.
Jill Barshay: More than a half a million people have had to leave their homes in California. It's the largest evacuation in the state's history.
Monsignor Gregory Cox of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles says so far, the donations haven't been flooding in.
Gregory Cox: They have been coming in slowly. I would say we've received about $10,000.
Cox wonders if television images of burning seaside mansions aren't helping.
Cox: When people are looking in California, they think of Malibu. People may think, you know, they may have resources.
But it's not just Malibu that's been affected.
Paul Schulz is chief executive of the Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. He saw a big uptick in donations yesterday. Millions of dollars came in as people watched the fires get worse.
Paul Schulz: I'm mainly hearing from donors in California. And they know that it affects everybody, not just the wealthy.
Schulz says more money should come in as the media focuses on bigger fires in places like San Diego.
I'm Jill Barshay for Marketplace.
