Many Bladen County folks have been asking BladenOnline.com staff members how they can help the people hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. Whether you want to donate cash, goods, or services to assist in the Hurricane Harvey response, make sure you do so responsibly with information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Learn the safest and most effective ways to donate or volunteer with these FEMA guidelines:
- Cash is the most efficient method of donating. Cash offers voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover.
- Donate through a trusted organization. Find trusted national and state level agencies to donate or volunteer from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
- Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Contact and affiliate with an established organization to ensure that you receive training to respond in the most effective way.
- Be safe. Do not self-deploy. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and authorities identify opportunities to help.
- Be patient. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster.
If you need help in determining who to give to, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website has a list of major non-profits active in disaster work or contact your FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison for guidance. For more information, visit www.fema.gov/volunteer-donate-
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