How to Help People Affected by Hurricane Michael

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On Wednesday afternoon, the Florida panhandle was hit with Hurricane Michael. It began as a Category 4 hurricane, and was placed in Category 3 by the time it reached Georgia—unprecedented for the area. Powerful winds and rains are expected throughout Thursday and Friday through North Carolina.

One thing you can do to help in the long term is vote out climate change deniers this November. But for immediate aid, here are some places you can donate who are supporting people on the ground.

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GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving supports local and grassroots that work to restore areas hit by disasters, and their Hurricane Michael Relief Fund can be found here. They have a current goal of two million dollars, some of which will be directed toward immediate needs, and they also direct money to rebuilding efforts.

World Vision

World Vision works with local groups as well, though many of them seem to be churches in the area. This might be an effective strategy, as houses of worship often serve as shelters during storms. World Vision is putting together “food, clean water, personal hygiene items, flood cleanup kits” and more for families. They are not based in Florida, but seem to run programs worldwide. You can donate here.

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The Florida Disaster Fund

Volunteer Florida is urging people to register as volunteers in Florida with them to support Hurricane Michael victims, and suggesting the Disaster Fund as a place to donate money. The Fund is Florida’s official private fund for helping communities recover from disasters.

Team Rubicon

Team Rubicon is a group of military veterans who mobilize for rescue efforts in disasters. They already have a number of members in North Carolina who are still helping with recovery efforts after Hurricane Florence. You can help them out here.

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Samaritan’s Purse

Recommended by Charity Navigator, this group is a network of non-denominational evangelical Christian churches that has a long history of responding to disasters. They have equipment stationed and ready to move in along the Gulf Coast and in Albany, GA, according to their website.

Direct Relief

Direct Relief is also noted on Charity Navigator for their commitment to financial transparency. They are also firmly unaffiliated with any religion or political group and say they provide aid to anyone in need without “regard to politics, religion, ethnic identities or ability to pay.” They support in part almost 200 health facilities in Michael’s path, and have outfitted ten of them with emergency medical packs in anticipation of the storm. You can donate here.

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Americares

Americares is a health-focused humanitarian organization. They announced on Twitter that they have deployed an emergency response to team to Florida. You can donate on their website.

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