The potato crop in Ireland was hit by a fungus in 1845, causing one third of the crop to be lost by October and leading to 87,000 deaths from hunger. By 1847, over 5 million pounds had been spent on relief schemes to aid the over 3 million people dependent on assistance. Soup kitchens were set up to feed the starving population, but the 1847 potato crop was small as many people were too weak to plant or had eaten seed potatoes. During the famine years from 1845-1847, around 2 million Irish emigrated due to the disastrous conditions, with many dying from disease on overcrowded "coffin ships" during the long voyages to North America. The population of Ireland dropped