Donations to the Red Cross Local Flood Relief fund have exceeded a quarter of a million dollars.
As of Friday, $227,365.79 had been received by mail and $33,860 had been received via the Internet, for a total of $261,225.79.
The fund drive, which continues, is a joint campaign of Times-Shamrock Communications, of which The News-Item is a part, and WNEP Channel 16.
"The only good thing about the floods has been the outpouring of goodwill and generosity from residents across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania," said George Lynett Jr., Times-Shamrock CEO and publisher of The (Scranton) Times-Tribune. "With damage estimates now in the tens of millions of dollars, every penny contributed will help."
Contributions are tax-deductible, and all of the funds raised will be directed toward flood victims in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania, including through other Red Cross chapters such as those that operate in Northumberland County.