Banks Collecting Money for Hurricane Victims

Two banks are collecting money at branches in southeast Los Angeles County to aid the Red Cross' efforts to help victims of Hurricane Georges.

Puerto Rico-based Banco Popular has put out canisters in its Norwalk, Downey and Montebello branches, and First State will begin collecting donations at its Santa Fe Springs branch today, according to Cindy Marquez, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross' Rio Hondo chapter.

The money will go toward meeting the Red Cross' fund-raising target of $50 million to help people affected by the hurricane, which struck the Caribbean and southern United States roughly two weeks ago.

In Puerto Rico, the storm seriously damaged or destroyed the homes of more than 169,000 people, Marquez said. In Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, more than 8,000 families had to leave their homes.