With Hurricane and Tropical Storm Helene in the rearview mirror, now is the time for cleanup — and efforts are needed all across the southeast.
First steps:
— Get in touch with family and friends of people in the disaster-affected areas, and check social networking sites for information about loved ones, like with American Red Cross’s “Safe and Well” or “Contact Loved Ones” lists.
— Text, don’t call, as texting leaves lines open for all emergencies.
— Cash donations always help, and should be sent through FEMA.gov.
Furthermore, National “Volunteer and Assist” members and partners are currently assisting communities in need, and they will remain as long as necessary.
There is no request for donations outside of cash, and citizens are urged not to send dontated goods, nor currently engage in self-deployment.
Contact these organizations directly if you want to send assistance:
+ In Alabama, Alabama VOAD (alvoad.org)
+ In Florida, FLVOAD (wpengine.com)
+ In Georgia, Georgia VOAD (gavoad.org)
+ In Kentucky, Kentucky Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (kentuckyvoad.org)
+ In North Carolina, North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ncvoad.org)
+ In South Carolina, SCemd.org/recover/volunteer-and-donate/
+ And in Tennessee, Tennessee VOAD (tnvoad.org)
More than 100 have died following the storm’s wake, and as of late Saturday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was in Florida surveying damage and assessing the need for federal resources to support Hurricane Helene response activities.
More than 2,300 federal personnel and voluntary agencies across six states are involved in the recovery. And more than 800 FEMA personnel have been deployed to assist with response efforts and are working to determine the scope of the storm’s impact and coordinate resource support and assistance.
Federal emergency declarations have been activated in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
