Canadian relief agencies say Canadians are opening their pocketbooks to support relief efforts for the hundreds of thousands of victims in cyclone-ravaged Burma.
World Vision Canada, which has set a target of $1 million, is almost at the halfway point, having received around $470,000 in the three days since it launched its appeal.
The organization is providing 10,000 kilograms of rice and 7,000 litres of water, along with critical supplies including sarongs, T-shirts, tarpaulins and blankets.
The Canadian Red Cross said its online donations from individual donors so far total $156,000.
"I think people are starting to see the images of devastation through the media and we're seeing an outpouring from Canadians," said Tanya Elliott, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross.
The Ontario government has also donated $100,000 to the agency.
Canada has pledged $2 million for relief efforts with $500,000 of that going to the Red Cross.
The Salvation Army in Canada has said it will allocate $50,000 from general funds to support the relief effort and is continuing to receive donations from Canadians.
Sue Rook, a spokesperson for Save the Children, said the Humanitarian Coalition has raised $70,000 since Monday afternoon. The Humanitarian Coalition also includes CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada and Oxfam-Québec.
“It's really picking up," said Rook. "The phones are really starting to ring. It's fantastic,"
Cyclone Nargis killed at least 22,980 people, according to the latest death toll published by state media Thursday, while more than 42,119 people are missing. The UN estimates about one million people were rendered homeless by the storm.
But a U.S diplomat who heads the U.S. Embassy in the capital Rangoon said Wednesday that more than 100,000 people may have perished in Burma, also known as Myanmar.
While relief agencies have some people on the ground in Burma who are helping give out supplies, many are still waiting for entry visas to be allowed into the country.
Relief workers have warned that time is of the essence for bringing in vital supplies - including food, drinking water, plastic sheets, mosquito nets and water-purification tablets - if a worse humanitarian crisis and higher death toll are to be avoided.