Austrian initiative raised over 25 million euros for flood relief
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The “Österreich hilft Österreich” initiative reported raising approximately 26.5 million euros after severe flooding occurred in September 2024, with 25.5 million euros already distributed to people affected, primarily in Lower Austria.
Peter Kaiser, deputy secretary-general of the Austrian Red Cross, stated that the public showed impressive solidarity through donations. The initiative provided bridging assistance and support for rebuilding after the floods.
Nearly 8,500 applications for bridging aid were received, and around 10.9 million euros were paid out, giving individual recipients up to 2,100 euros. Households particularly hard hit by the floods received additional rebuilding assistance of up to 10,700 euros each. “Österreich hilft Österreich” originally formed in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic as a collaboration between Caritas, Diakonie, Volkshilfe, Hilfswerk, the Red Cross, and ORF.
The initiative has since become a non-profit foundation and now supports long-term social projects for children, young people, and families in addition to disaster relief. ORF continues to support the initiative as a media partner through fundraising appeals, reporting, and benefit events.
