Want To Help The Victims Of Harvey, Irma & Maria? Make Sure You’re Not Part Of The Problem

September 28, 2017

I’ll never see a hurricane in Colorado. While there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be near a forest fire at some point, or a crazy blizzard, at the moment it’s hard to watch my fellow Americans in the south endure storm after storm, disaster after disaster. The news out of Puerto Rico devastates me while scenes of pets waiting to be reunited with their people in Houston tug at my heart strings.

That’s the way it is for most of us. While the news makes every disaster look like a world-wide apocalypse right at our front door, the truth is that most of us are safely out of the fray, and our minds naturally turn to how we can help. I look around and say to myself “I’ve got plenty of food, water, clothes, and toys.  There must be some way I can get these to folks in need. The news keeps showing me how desperately without these people are.”

We definitely need to help those in need, and satisfy OUR need to help out our fellow people wherever they are in the world. But there are also ways that our well-intended help can actually add to the problem. We all have limited time and dollars, so it’s best to avoid wasting our money.

Here’s a guide on what to send (and not to send) to make an impact.

Medicine

If you’ve got extra, unexpired medicine in its original packaging, and want it to go to people in need, you should send it to Project Cure or Medshare. These aid organizations have a system for evaluating medication and making sure it gets to where it’s most needed. Do NOT send medicine to the disaster area directly, it can waste precious resources. For example, the World Health Organization shares a story about seven truckloads of expired aspirin that arrived in Eritrea as aid that took six months to burn in 1989.

Clothing

If you’ve got clothes you want to donate, it’s actually better to sell them and donate the money instead OR donate them to a local charitable second hand store like Salvation Army, Goodwill, ARC, etc. These organization are designed to do a better job than you and I at getting these goods to people in need. Do NOT send clothes directly to a disaster area. They often end up rotting there if they’re not part of an organized relief effort, and direct clothing and furniture donations are actually known in the industry as the disaster after the disaster. Besides, by donating them through a charitable organization, you’ll have the benefit of the tax deduction.

Blankets

Best to keep your blankets or consider taking them to a local animal shelter. Large scale disaster organizations have more blankets on hand than they know what to do with. After the Japan tsunami of 2011, small donations of blankets from around the world ended up interfering with clean up efforts more than helping. It’s estimated that 60% of direct donations aren’t beneficial to disaster victims.

Food & water

Leave this to the pros! Large disaster relief organizations are able to obtain food and water much more efficiently and effectively than by having you send it to them. It’s a waste of resources to package yours up. Donating money to disaster relief instead will not only obtain these items, but also stimulate the local, decimated economy. That’s where you can help them out the most.

Money

Obviously, this is what works the best, but how do you know your donation is going to someplace legit? Unless you’ve got a substantial, reliable history, always check the group out on Guidestar or Charity Navigator before donating; and always get a receipt or confirmation to be sure your funds got to the right place.

Plus, you can take a tax deduction because your money for this purpose is usually more efficient in the hands of an aid organization than it is in the hands of the government – and the IRS backs that up! Your workplace may also be the very best place to donate to relief for fellow employees or larger disaster relief organizations.

Pet supplies

Pets seem like the lost and forgotten victims in a disaster, but a donation of supplies ends up in the same place as food or clothing donations — mostly trash. Be more effective by donating to the American Humane Society Red Star (like the Red Cross, but for animals).

Your time & expertise

Just showing up at a disaster scene is actually another disaster, no matter how competent you are. Connect with a major disaster relief coordinator (Red Cross, UMCOR, FEMA, etc.) to volunteer your skills before you just hit the road. The pros know best where and when to deploy you so you can do maximum good without getting in the way.

Your generosity, especially in times of need, goes a LONG way to help others. Keep it up!  Just don’t expect a thank you note. Think of it more like karma — people will hopefully return the favor when you need help someday.

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5 Steps To Start Your Recovery After A Hurricane

September 19, 2017

I’ll never forget the first day I saw the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie — homes smashed together like accordions and cars upside down throughout the streets.

Not only were the cars upside down, but a lot of the people I talked to felt like their lives were also turned upside down. They all said that they were initially shell shocked, not sure what to do. I can only imagine.

If you find yourself in a similar situation after one of our recent natural disasters, consider using financial toolkits like the one on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s  website to map out a game plan.

Beyond that, here are 5 steps you can take to begin the process of getting your life turned right side up again:

1. As soon as you can, contact any of the following organizations for assistance:

  • FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) — They can provide the latest information and resources specific to your area.
  • Call 2-1-1 — This is a free service offered by the United Way to help people find local resources. They can provide information about shelter and housing options along with utility assistance and disaster relief support.
  • Your local chapter of the Red Cross — They can help you find shelter, and in some cases, aid and vouchers.
  • Local places of worship — When I volunteered after Hurricane Katrina, my group (I went with my local church) went to other local places of worship to find out who had contacted them for help. We divided up the assignments by skill set and availability, then attempted to help everyone on the list. We helped with everything from cleanup and moving people’s possessions to actually repairing homes (this may vary depending on the volunteer skill level.)
  • Disaster Assistance Improvement Program —  You can use this website to see if your area has been declared eligible for individual assistance.

2. Contact your insurance company. Verify your coverage and if you do not already have a copy of your policy, ask for an electronic copy. Consider taking pictures and videos of any damages before you start cleanup to document any claims you are making. Use the Insurance Information Institute website to walk you through how to settle an insurance claim.

3. Contact your creditors. Even if you think you have it financially together, contact ALL of your creditors and inform them that you have been affected by a natural disaster. At a minimum, they will have it on record, so if you run into problems, you’re good to go. The key is to contact them BEFORE you miss a payment. If your income has been impacted, you can ask your creditors to work with you.

4. Beware of scammers and verify everything before working with a contractor. I was blown away by the amount of contractors going door to door offering their services (for a fee) during my volunteer time after Hurricane Katrina. Many were honest, but a few were scammers. Before agreeing to any type of work, get everything in writing and do not pay in cash and do not pay up front. Make sure you go online to read reviews of your potential contractor. And before you just sign up with someone who knocks on your door, try asking for referrals for local contractors, preferably one that has already worked with someone in your area.

5. Take care of yourself. You and your family have been through major trauma. If you are struggling to sleep or feel yourself slipping into depression, contact your company’s Employee Assistance Program for guidance. Don’t forget to talk to your kids — oftentimes they may need your help to express how they are feeling. Be patient; tempers may be shorter than average and your kids may be extra clingy. As you contact organizations for relief, consider also asking for counseling for you and your family, if needed.

Remember, recovering from a natural disaster takes time and often persistence. Consider using the steps above as a guide to get on the path to recovery.

Post-Hurricane Tips: Before You Go Home Again

September 18, 2017

For anyone displaced due to a natural disaster, it is tempting to rush back home as soon as possible. I get it – you want to see how bad the damage is. I felt the same way with my condo in Clearwater, FL after Irma came for a visit. I wasn’t hunkered down in an emergency shelter, but at my primary residence over a thousand miles north stuck watching the Weather Channel to get a glimpse of the aftermath.

My first reaction was to rush down to inspect the damage soon after the storm had blown through. However, I heeded the warning of local authorities to just stay out of their way and let them do their job for awhile, like getting roads cleared and power restored. When I do head down south, I’m going to follow some of the tips provided at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

Here’s a summary: 

Before you open your front door when you return, here are some things to watch out for:

  1. Look for any downed power lines or obvious structural damage and DO NOT ENTER your home if you have any doubts about your safety.
  2. If any of your appliances run on natural gas, do the smell test. A gas leak will have a rotten egg smell. Open a window and turn of the gas valve before heading back outside to call the gas company.
  3. If you have lost power, turn off the main breaker and unplug your appliances. Turn off your AC. My husband’s biggest concern, being an HVAC guy, was that the outdoor AC condenser had been submerged underwater and might short out when the power came back on.
  4. Don’t drink the tap water! Many municipalities have issued a water alert for the public water systems. If you are on a well, you may need to do a chlorine bleach shock to disinfect the water from any bacterial contamination. Imagine all that dirty flood water seeping in the ground and into your well.
  5. Speaking of bacteria, resist the temptation to grill up those burgers in your freezer. If your power had been out for awhile but got restored before you came home, food in your freezer may have refroze but you don’t want to take the risk. Throw out all perishables, especially meats and dairy foods.
  6. Finally, you may not be the only one who calls your place their home. Some of my neighbors reported hearing the pitter patter of footsteps in the attic, and found that a raccoon had taken refuge from the storm. If you can, simply open a window and try to get the animal to leave on its own, or call your local animal control office if necessary.

I’m hoping I don’t find any issues when I do make my way down to Florida, but even if it’s a couple months from now, I’ll still be following these steps.

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