H is for . . . Hurricane: How to Help

At a friend’s birthday dinner this weekend, we were discussing the current catastrophes around the nation, and world, when a friend mentioned feeling so helpless. One friend took the initiative to start a diaper drive at work, and is still feeling at a loss for these people in the path of the hurricanes.

This post turned into an interview with my mom after I sat down with her on Sunday afternoon to talk about her home in the British Virgin Islands, her friends that are safe, and her island that is devastated. She weathered hurricanes as a tot growing up in the Virgin Islands, has traveled around the nation and world in humanitarian efforts (mostly India and Africa), worked with Habitat for Humanity for over a decade, and has taught me a lot about the Humanitarian Services of the LDS church that go mostly unknown. In times like this, it helps to not feel so helpless. In my mother’s opinion, the following are the best ways to help.

Three ways to help others

1. Donate your time locally

You may not be able to go to Houston and physically clean up the flood areas. You may not be able to move trees off of cars in Florida or rebuild homes in the Virgin Islands, however, you can help locally to help ease the pressure on a chosen organization. Follow me for a minute . . . Our dog is a Catahoula Leopard Hound, a Louisiana breed so how did she end up in Arizona, then shipped to a No Kill shelter in San Diego? Pets that were lost after Katrina ended up all over the nation. Shelters needed help everywhere, not just around New Orleans. Environmental groups, soup kitchens, or any other local non-profit, whether they are working directly with relief efforts in affected communities, or not, they need our help. You can do it in the name of a person, a city, or the disaster itself.

Post on social media to continue to bring attention to the cause because in a month or a year, we will have moved on and most likely forgotten, but these people will most likely not have moved on, and definitely will not have forgotten.

2. Send money

It may feel better to send something tangible, rather than a monetary contribution, something from the heart, but straight cash money is the best for many reasons. There are already organizations on the ground that know from experience what’s needed, the best products to get the job done, and how to deliver them. For example, a local not for profit can create potable water fast and cheap, without running out to buy bottled water and fill a truck or airplane with packs of plastic at a huge cost.

Research your charity of choice, and consider donating to charities who work with other charities. For example, LDS charities already work with local organizations abroad, so they deliver supplies to those who can get it out directly to people in need.

"Cash donations are so much more effective [because] they buy exactly what people need, when they need it. And cash donations enable relief organizations to purchase supplies locally which ensures that they are fresh and familiar to survivors, purchased in just the right quantities, and delivered quickly." - Juanita Rillings via CBS news (via a facebook post from my sister - gotta quote my sources)

3. Team up your efforts

Find out who is already putting together a drive and support them with your time and effort, or your money and donations. Rather than boxing up items you think people may need, find a friend that is already packing up much needed diapers and delivering them directly to a diaper bank. Anybody remember Occupy Sandy? They set up a wedding registry style of donations because so often loads of things are delivered that cannot be used and only end up being a burden to relief efforts.

In advance of disasters we saw this month, you could start a giving circle with a group of friends or church members. The purpose being to save money, raise money, and give money by contributing a set amount each month, the money grows throughout the year, and at the end of the year, your group votes on where you want the money to be donated. Giving money to a school in the Virgin Islands helped the school better prepare for hurricane season and they sustained less damage in Hurricane Irma than they could have.

Three ways to help yourself

"Help me help you!" Consider how helping yourself will help others. We all hope this won't be us, but that doesn't cover our bums in an emergency.

1. Set up a contact person outside your area in case of emergency

Make sure a friend or family member has copies of your insurance, your medications, driver’s license, will, medical power of attorney, title to your home, and insurance. Most of us have access to information online, but what if our family members don’t have our password? If something happened to me, my family doesn’t know my health insurance provider number and I am not sure even my husband knows who provides our home insurance or our login name because I just pay that bill annually and stuff the papers somewhere to be filed later.

2. Put together your own 72 hour kit

Twenty years ago, a friend of my mom’s started giving First Aid Kits as a wedding present. Not the little box you keep in your car, but a big ole Red Cross First Aid Kit to weather a storm. Not cute, but surely helpful and with the best of intentions. My parents gave all us kids a backpack of supplies a few years back. While we may have made fun at the time, it’s not a huge deal to put together but does ensure you’ve got a few key items in case of emergency. I am not saying we all need to create a bomb shelter built out of a year’s worth of canned goods, but we should all have flashlights, batteries, a hand crank radio, bottled water (and iodine tablets for water), a ziploc with a washcloth, tampons, diapers etc. And tea tree oil cures so much, right? Throw that in the pack. My mom has also printed her prescriptions and few family photos, in case she needs to post or show proof of lost loved ones.

You could roll your eyes and say some things are a bit extreme, or unnecessary, but taking a minute to pack a few essentials isn't a bad idea. We had a mysterious blackout across Southern California a few years back. It may not sound scary because I was hardly in the middle of nowhere, but there was no cell service or internet, no power. I was alone and afraid of the dark and that hand crank radio (which is also a flashlight) helped me listen to updates on what was happening, as well as brush my teeth in the dark.

3. Assess your family’s emergency plan and emergency contacts

Where would you meet in case of an emergency in your home? In your town? Who is authorized to pick up your kids in case of emergency? I am getting mama bear here, but we teachers practice this situation and protocol in case of earthquakes or wildfires in Southern California. You want to make sure a family member or friend can get your kid if you cannot. If the name is not on our pre-printed list, your baby is sitting on the black top until further notice.

We will always have our thoughts and prayers for people in need, but when you feel the need to do something active too, I hope this list helps.

#charity #incaseofemergency