After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, WTAE took action by establishing a phone bank in cooperation with the Salvation Army. Viewers' donations to the Disaster Relief Fund from Sept. 12-14 topped $500,000.

People who attended the Sept. 22-23 Healthy 4 Life Expo at Monroeville Mall helped raise an additional $9,000 because $3 from every admission went to the fund.

Donations are still being accepted. The Salvation Army's 24-hour number is 800-454-1156, or you can send a check to:

The Salvation Army
424 Third Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Some people are trying to take advantage of Americans' generosity by setting up fraudulent relief efforts. Click here to read Susan Koeppen's Call 4 Action report and learn what to watch out for.

Numerous community actions are taking place in the Pittsburgh area and beyond:

• A memorial fund has been set up for the United Flight 93 crash in Somerset County. You can send donations to:
  Somerset Trust Fund
  PO Box 777
  Somerset, PA 15501
• For information on writing letters and donating to the Fire Dept. of New York, visit www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/fdny.
• Click here for a list of upcoming local benefit events.
• President Bush is asking children in the U.S. to help Afghan children. Click here to learn more.
• Allegheny County has set up a rumor control hotline for people who are feeling anxious and need to talk to someone to find out the latest events: 412-820-4300.
• American Red Cross: to donate blood, call 800-GIVE-LIFE; to donate money, call 800-HELP-NOW
• Central Blood Bank: 866-DONORS1 to donate blood
• Sept. 11 Fund: 212-251-4035 to donate to the United Way
• Twin Towers Fund: 877-870-4278
• Salvation Army: 800-SAL-ARMY to donate money
• Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese is offering free counseling sessions with professional therapists to help with emotional distress. Call 412-456-6999.
• Report tips to FBI at www.ifccfbi.gov.

Local Information:

Advocates want to hear from Pennsylvania residents who were directly affected. Survivors of the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks and victims' relatives can call 866-328-2800 toll-free to learn about benefits. There's also a Web site: pasept11.org.

Families of those who died on United Flight 93 in Somerset County are also eligible for assistance from Pennsylvania, regardless of whether they lived in the state.

More Resources:

• Consumer Watch: Web Sites Sell Patriotic Merchandise
• Call 4 Action: Avoid Relief Effort Scams
  
• Flag History, Etiquette; Patriotic Screensavers