CHENANGO COUNTY – The National Disaster Relief Fund is virtually empty, according to Red Cross Southern Tier Chapter Executive Director Cynthia Smith Gordineer, and with disaster relief efforts for the victims of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav still underway, the Red Cross is hoping to raise $100 million by the end of the year.

“In the last 30 days, we’ve opened 900 shelters, served 11 million meals and snacks, deployed 18,000 volunteers and provided mental health services to 80,000 people,” Gordineer said. The combined cost of Ike and Gustav are over $100 million so far, and the Red Cross is still serving 140,000 to 170,000 meals a day in affected areas.