Red Cross gives up to $30,000 to each family with dead or missing member in attacks

By BROOKE DONALD
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The Red Cross will give grants of up to $30,000 to families of people who died or are missing in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The first tax-free payments were sent to families Friday and are meant to assist with short-term expenses such as mortgage or rent payments and funeral costs.

"Although the recent tragedy has touched all of us, it has touched these families in a very personal way," Dr. Bernadine Healy, president of the Red Cross, said Tuesday.

Red Cross officials said that with more than 6,200 dead or missing at the World Trade Center and 125 people believed dead at the Pentagon, the organization's gift to families amounts to $100 million. The Red Cross has received $200 million in donations since the Sept. 11 attacks.

For now, the grants will not be given to families of those who died aboard the hijacked jets because the airlines have already provided substantial assistance, a Red Cross spokesman said.

In the wake of the attacks, many charitable organizations have been flooded with donations. Relief agencies are trying to think of new ways to spend the money.

"It's just been an unprecedented amount of money in this amount of time," said Kelly Alexander. "The gift fund provides immediate relief that other organizations, such as insurance companies, can't provide right now."

Alexander said payments to families from employers and other agencies have been held up by bureaucracy and eligibility requirements, such as producing a death certificate before benefits are released.

"Many of these people are listed as missing," she said.

The size of the payments is based on the number of dependents of a victim and the amount the family pays toward a mortgage or rent up to $5,000.

A spouse with two children and a monthly rent of $3,000 is likely to receive around $18,000, Alexander said. A larger family could receive around $30,000.

The payments are meant to cover funeral costs, utility bills and three months of rent or mortgage payments and will be given to families in a lump sum. Families could also apply the grants to transportation, food, clothing and other living costs.

The Red Cross is contacting the families of those missing or dead and coordinating with employers for verification. Family members are also required to fill out a one-page form available through local Red Cross chapters. Once the application is processed, a check will be issued overnight.

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On the Net:

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org