'Apple community' pulls in $13M for disaster relief in US, Mexico & Caribbean

The "Apple community" — including workers and customers — has raised over $13 million for the relief of recent hurricanes hitting the U.S. and the Caribbean, and earthquakes in Mexico, Apple said on Thursday.

The money is going towards "shelter, food, clean water and other emergency services," the company said. Apple staff are said to have volunteered for storm preparations and recovery efforts, including donating clothes, distributing food and water, and in Texas opening personal homes to displaced people.

Local Apple stores were reopened as soon as possible, Apple noted, using store space for volunteer initiatives and providing Wi-Fi and charging to victims.

Customers have reportedly donated over $2 million to the American Red Cross and the Hand in Hand hurricane relief benefit. The company itself has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross and UNICEF, targeting Hurricane Maria efforts, and another $1 million to GlobalGiving for Mexican earthquake recovery. The $5 million Apple donated to Hand in Hand will support charities like the Rebuild Texas Fund, Feeding Florida, Habitat for Humanity, and the ASPCA.

Apple is still taking public donations to the American Red Cross through iTunes and the App Store. That organization has sometimes come under fire, however, for how it spends donations and handles relief efforts, as well as a lack of transparency.