How to Help the Victims of Hurricane Ian

The storm made landfall in Florida and has brought floods and downed power lines

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Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as one of the most powerful storms in decades, leaving residents without electricity, submerging streets and sweeping homes off their foundations.

Many residents boarded up their homes and fled to shelters ahead of the storm.

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Here's how you can help.

The American Red Cross

More than 500 trained Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground in Florida to help victims shelter from Hurricane Ian.

Before the hurricane made landfall, the organization moved additional cots, blankets, comfort kits and other supplies into the region to be prepared to help as many as 60,000 people.

Emergency vehicles are ready across the state.

The organization sent several hundred blood products to the state ahead of the storm to make sure patients continue to have access to a blood supply.

The American Red Cross is taking donations here.


Volunteer Florida

Volunteer Florida is the state’s lead agency for organizing volunteers. It manages the Florida Disaster Fund, a private fund established to help communities recovering from disasters.

Its website already lists volunteer opportunities for Hurricane Ian, from helping in a Red Cross shelter to providing disaster mental health services.

Volunteer Florida is accepting volunteers here.

NASA shared images of Hurricane Ian shot from the International Space Station on Wednesday.

Global Empowerment Mission

Global Empowerment Mission has deployed teams and trucks loaded with donated items to the areas affected.

A non-profit based in Doral, Florida, Global Empowerment Mission is supporting state emergency shelters and providing family necessity boxes containing essentials and food. 

Information about donations to GEM can be found here.


Global Giving

Global Giving has started a Hurricane Ian Relief Fund that will provide immediate and long-term assistance to Florida and Cuba.

Hurricane Ian killed two people in Cuba and displaced thousands of people before moving on toward Florida, where it made landfall just short of a Category 5 storm.

Global Giving's Hurricane Ian Relief Fund is accepting donations here.


Team Rubicon Disaster Response

Team Rubicon staged two route clearance teams in Orlando and Tallahassee that are quipped with trucks, compact track loaders, a cache of chainsaws and more. The clearance teams begin working immediately after landfall to clear trees and other debris from roadways. 

Team Rubicon also staged multiple reconnaissance teams just outside the path of Hurricane Ian to be ready to assess unmet needs after the storm. 

It also will assist homeowners with emergency home repairs such as putting on roof tarps and removing water and debris.

Team Rubicon was started by two Marines, Jake Wood and William McNulty, after the 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Donations are accepted here for Team Rubicon.


Center for Disaster Philanthropy

The center focuses on communities’ longterm needs including infrastructure, long-term housing solutions, the effects of trauma on mental health and protection against future hazards.

Donations are accepted here for Hurricanes Ian and Fiona.


Direct Relief

Earlier in the summer, Direct Relief prepositioned a dozen hurricane prep packs in Florida. They contain more than 210 products, including antibiotics, syringes, basic first aid supplies, and medications to treat conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and severe allergic reactions.

The program began after Hurricane Katrina to help health centers.

Direct Relief is accepting donations here.


Good360

Good360 pre-positioned response products with nonprofit partners in several Florida locations including Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa, anticipating a need for water, tarps, non-perishable foods, hygiene kits and blankets. It has mold remediation products for the clean-up effort, including Tyvek suits, respirator masks and N95 filters, and will remain for the long term focused on rebuilding.

Good360 was established more than 35 years ago and serves a network of more than 80,000 nonprofit organizations. It has distributed over $9 billion in goods to those in need.

It is accepting donations here.

This article will be updated with more organizations.

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