Citi raising fund for Typhoon Yolanda victims

MANILA, Philippines - Citi Foundation has pledged a $250,000 disaster relief grant to the American Red Cross Pacific Typhoon Fund, to support relief and recovery efforts in the  communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).  Citi Philippines has set up a special account to raise funds to go to the Philippine Red Cross, a member of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to support the relief efforts and longer term rebuilding of these communities. Citi Asia Pacific CEO Stephen Bird, in an open memorandum, said that Typhoon Haiyan destroyed nearly 80 percent of the area in its path with a casualty toll of 10,000 lives and increasing.  “With entire communities flattened, Typhoon Haiyan displaced more than 600,000 people, leaving this area in a state of emergency and in desperate need of relief. Our attention now needs to turn to supporting those who have lost families and homes as result of the destruction,” Bird said.