On September 28th, Hurricane Ian barreled through Florida’s shore as a catastrophic category 4 hurricane with winds up to 150 mph. Over 590,000 people (about half the population of Hawaii!) are without power, and officials admit that it could be a bit longer until the outages are resolved.
The storm also left more than 1.1 million homes and businesses without power in North and South Carolina after hitting those states on Sept. 30-Oct. 1 as a category 1 hurricane.
As rescue missions continue and power and water outages have persisted, it is clear Hurricane Ian has caused immense devastation across the state of Florida and along the coasts of South & North Carolina.
How to Help
It can be tempting to immediately want to send items such as clothes, furniture, diapers, food, and other supplies but cash is the best way to contribute to a long-term recovery effort with the most flexibility and least waste. Avoid frauds and ensure victims receive the funds by giving to a well-known and trusted organization or directly to someone you know. If you are unsure of an organization then check ratings at charity navigator.
Through Ethos Relief, we donate a portion of all sales to disaster recovery and resilience building. Last year, we took the Resilient Response Pledge, solidifying our promise to give back in a sustainable way that understands the true disaster recovery timeline goes well beyond when the news crews leave.
Where to Give
SBP
SBP's roots in New Orleans began just 6 months after hurricane Katrina. They know they cannot prevent natural disasters. But they can prevent some of the sufferings they cause. By increasing resilience before disasters occur and streamlining the post-disaster recovery process, they are able to fortify people against unnecessary stress and trauma. Help them invest in long-term resiliency HERE.
All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts arrives early and stays late to address the immediate and long-term needs of communities affected by natural disasters. Thanks to passionate volunteers, donors, and partners, they have provided 16 years of disaster relief support to over 1.2 million people, and we have active programs around the world today. Sign up to volunteer or donate to the Hurricane Ian fund.
American Red Cross
As of October 3rd, 80 Red Cross emergency response trucks were on their way to deliver thousands of meals and relief supplies. More than 1,500 Red Cross workers have already given out over 140,000 meals to those affected by the storm. Donate here to help Hurricane Ian victims.
World Central Kitchen
Chef José Andrés, who leads an organization that provides food relief in areas hit by disaster, announced that teams in Florida have already been handing out sandwiches and cooking hot nourishing meals at their relief kitchen. Donate to keep people fed here.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to respond with services tailored to local community needs. Mobile feeding units are being prepared for deployment to serve food, drinks, and emotional and spiritual care to survivors and first responders. Each mobile feeding unit can serve 500 to 1,500 meals per day. Donate here.