Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction within the Southeast this previous week, inflicting extreme structural injury, flooding, accidents, and, at present estimates, the lack of almost 200 lives. As communities grapple with the storm’s aftermath, the necessity for support continues to rise quickly. Right here we can be posting updates, assets, and data on how one can assist.
Methods to Assist
The outpouring of communal and nationwide help for affected areas has been inspiring. Nonetheless, it’s vital to concentrate to the requests of organizations to finest assist their efforts with out unintentionally creating new challenges. Officers are urging individuals to not self-deploy into the affected areas. As an alternative, these wishing to assist can name 2-1-1 to attach with native assets, together with reunification companies, meals banks, and different help facilities.
Many individuals misplaced their properties, companies, and private belongings to Hurricane Helene. Highway and structural injury has left many stranded, with out energy, and struggling to entry clear water and hygiene provides. Affected areas are in determined want of funding and provides. Right here’s what and the place you’ll be able to donate.
What to Donate
- Hygiene Merchandise
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes
- Deodorant
- Bar cleaning soap
- Tampons/Pads/Female Merchandise
- Diapers and child garments
- Wipes
- Socks
- Nutrient Dense Gadgets
- Beef jerky
- Peanut butter
- Fruit pouches
- Child meals
- Shelf secure milk
- Shelf-stable gadgets that don’t require water
- Hazzard Cleansing Provides
- Trash luggage
- Paper towels
- Buckets
- Rags
- Gloves
- Cleansing merchandise
- Disinfecting wipes
- Misc. Gadgets
- Flashlights
- Coolers
- Batteries
- Bottled water
- Different
- Pet meals and merchandise
- Blankets
- Comfy Clothes
- First Support Merchandise
The place to Donate: Provides and Funds
Please test every group to see if they’re taking particular gadgets or are strictly taking sure sorts. Inquiring prematurely will forestall overwhelming these locations with issues they don’t want.
Common
- Mutual Support Catastrophe Reduction: This group offers catastrophe aid and shares updates on provide drops and support stations all through all affected areas.
- Americares: Americares is responding to pressing medical wants within the wake of Hurricane Helene.
- The Crimson Cross: The American Crimson Cross is offering emergency shelter, meals, and aid provides to these affected by Hurricane Helene. They’re additionally organizing blood drives to keep up the blood provide and mobilizing volunteers to help restoration efforts in impacted areas.
- Salvation Military: The Salvation Military is providing emergency housing, meals, and important provides to these in want. They’re actively accumulating monetary donations to help their catastrophe aid efforts and make sure that support reaches affected communities shortly.
- Area A.H.E.A.D. This group permits donors to designate which Tennessee or Virginia county their cash will go towards. In addition they have the choice to donate to a normal fund to be shared with all affected counties.
- Samaritan’s Purse: Samaritan’s Purse mobilizes employees, tools, and hundreds of volunteers to offer emergency support to victims of tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and different pure disasters throughout the US.
- Operation Airdrop: Targeted on delivering important provides, scorching meals, and help to communities affected and/or stranded by the storm, Operation Airdrop offers data on find out how to get entangled, together with volunteer alternatives and donation choices.
Virginia
- Virginia Voluntary Organizations Lively in Catastrophe (VOAD): This coalition of nonprofit organizations coordinates catastrophe response efforts throughout Virginia. They facilitate communication and useful resource sharing amongst member organizations to make sure efficient support supply to communities affected by Hurricane Helene.
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
- East Tennessee State College: This school is accepting donations of flood buckets, hygiene kits, and blood to help these in essential want.
- Assist Erwin Heal: This native initiative helps households in Erwin affected by extreme flooding. Contributions will present important provides, non permanent shelter, and monetary help for restoration efforts, guided by native officers and the nonprofit RISE Erwin.
- East Tennessee Basis: This group serves as an official supply for financial donations to impacted counties.
- Second Harvest Meals Financial institution of Northeast Tennessee: This meals financial institution is in search of donations to proceed distributing meals and water the place wanted most. You may donate by calling 423-279-0430 or on-line.
- The Salvation Military of Kentucky and Tennessee: This nonprofit is offering essential help to flood-impacted areas and is requesting donations to help ongoing efforts. Donations may be made at helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
- United Approach of East Tennessee Highlands: Serving a number of impacted counties, this group accepts donations for its catastrophe aid fund
- True Rescue: Volunteers are aiding with animal rescues within the space. The shelter is accepting monetary donations, pet meals, and provides for animals affected by the flooding. Donations may be dropped off at True Rescue Shelter, situated at 12110 Lebanon Rd. in Mt. Juliet.
Georgia
- Georgia Emergency Administration and Homeland Safety Company: This authorities group is accepting donations and volunteers. For extra data, e mail [email protected].
- First Baptist Fairhope: This native church is rallying to help First Baptist Hazlehurst, GA, after extreme injury from Hurricane Helene. They’re conducting a donation drive for important gadgets, with ultimate collections till Wednesday night time.
Florida
- Florida Catastrophe Fund: This official state fund assists Florida communities throughout emergencies and disasters. Donations may be made on-line, through PayPal, or by way of bodily checks.
- Feeding Tampa Bay: Be a part of their Emergency Response Volunteer Staff, which companions with native emergency operations to distribute meals, hygiene gadgets, and water.
- Rebuilding Collectively Tampa Bay: This nationwide group has native chapters working in Central Florida and North Central Florida. Latest initiatives embrace overlaying susceptible properties with roof tarps and coordinating hurricane aid kits. They’re accepting volunteers and monetary donations.
- World Central Kitchen: Led by Chef José Andrés, this nonprofit is serving free meals throughout Florida and different states affected by the storm. To join volunteer shifts or donate, go to wck.org.
- 211 Tampa Bay Cares: This group connects individuals to very important assets, together with meals, psychological well being companies, and housing help, and is accepting monetary donations.
- Metropolitan Ministries: This group collaborates with 65 neighborhood companions to help households throughout Tampa Bay. Donations will assist present meals, water, shelter, and important provides post-Hurricane Helene.
- Florida Voluntary Organizations Lively in Disasters: This statewide coalition of nonprofits works collectively to help people affected by disasters.
We can be creating a listing of small and native companies in search of monetary help within the wake of Hurricane Helene. If you want your enterprise included, please e mail [email protected] with the topic line, “Hurricane Helene Support: Enterprise”
Contributors: Amanda Liverette and Craig Snodgrass.
Cowl picture: Morning mild over the Appalachian mountains alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Courtesy of Getty Photographs.