It isn’t necessarily easy to know how to effectively contribute to relief efforts to aid those impacted by the series of recent hurricanes, Harvey, Irma, and Jose.
As usual, the Red Cross was out in front with their very public fundraising efforts, including a simple text to contribute $10. But many are wary of the organization after its actions in Haiti several years ago came under scrutiny.
This series of tweets from Pro Publica traces their prior in-depth reporting on Red Cross relief efforts.
A recent article in the Washington Post reviewed the Red Cross controversy and alternatives (“People are urging donations for Harvey relief efforts — just not to the Red Cross“).
The New York Times recently wrote about how to donate to victims of Hurricane Harvey (“Where to Donate to Harvey Victims (and How to Avoid Scams)“).
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is soliciting donations.
CDEMA presently comprises eighteen (18) Participating States (PS): Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Republic of Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands and the Virgin Islands.
Former Honolulu resident Lora Williams Helmer, now living in Oregon, is asking her friends to donate to ShelterBox, which provides aid kits in disaster areas with tents, rebuilding tools, and items such as solar lights, blankets, etc.
To donate, go to Shelterboxusa.org. Lora asks that you please designate Rotary D5100 and her when making your donation.
Obviously, there are likely many other ways to donate to disaster relief. Please share information on your favored relief agency.
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Unfortunately, I cannot remember where I found it, but I sent a donation to the Houston Food Bank for Harvey. I have had friends who worked with Red Cross on relief efforts, and they became disappointed with them.
Red Cross while worthy has a CEO collecting 6 figure salary. Salvation Army has no payroll. 99.9% of funds goes to cause.
Salvation Army is anti-choice and anti-marriage equality. Don’t donate if you are for those things.
Thank you for addressing the issue of how we can do the most good with our donations. For my wife and me, deciding what charities to support includes consulting organizations like the following:
Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ and
GiveWell: http://www.givewell.org/
We also are influenced by articles like this one by Nicholas Kristof about the looming famine that threatens 20 million people in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and Nigeria: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/opinion/sunday/that-food-saved-my-life-and-trump-wants-to-cut-it-off.html?mcubz=3
GiveWell does a good job of explaining why our donations do more good overseas. http://www.givewell.org/giving101/Your-dollar-goes-further-overseas
Overseas–that’s where our money goes. We are long-time supporters of Partners in Health and Doctors without Borders, but there are many other excellent charities out there.
When it comes to citizen participation in emergency management, I take a lesson from a grove of redwood trees. Redwood trees are centuries old and can be as tall as the Statue of Liberty (305 feet). But despite their tremendous height, their tree roots are very shallow, averaging five to six feet deep, but these roots can spread out from the trunk up to 100 feet. Redwood trees survive by growing close to each other where their root systems can intertwine and fuse together giving the grove tremendous strength against high winds and raging floods.
I celebrate that Governor Ige replenished the state’s Hurricane Relief Fund, but it isn’t back where it should be after the fund was raided in a budget crisis.
The same can be said of human community – that we are stronger when we are networked and stand together in close communications for mutual survival. Emergency managers know this and must tap into the power of community to inspire collective desire to prepare for disasters – natural or manmade. In this way, not only can people help themselves but also others when heroes and saviors are in short supply.
On Oahu at the county level, the department of emergency management is located in the Fasi Municipal Building in downtown Honolulu where they conduct monthly CERT trainings for community volunteers. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Teams, and members are trained to respond to life-threatening situations in that time gap before first responders arrive. In my rural community on windward O‘ahu, first responders may not arrive for at least 14 days, so ordinary everyday citizens must be trained to access emergency resources for disaster aid and recovery thereby helping themselves and their neighbors.
I have utmost confidence that when I send my donation directly to the Quaker community in Houston, it will be used well:
https://www.fgcquaker.org/news/update-quakers-and-hurricane-harvey?utm_campaign=thisweek&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak
The Red Cross is not “out front” according to what I read. A number of news outlets has reported that Christian aid groups like Samaritans Purse eclipse FEMA and most private giving. I also have friends in Texas who had some disappointing impressions on the job the Red Cross was doing recently. The Red Cross is all press release, politics and lip service. Talk to the people in the trenches and don’t assume the old standbys are doing the greatest job. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/09/10/hurricane-irma-faith-groups-provide-bulk-disaster-recovery-coordination-fema/651007001/