I’ve been glued to the TV watching the devastation that IRMA has caused in its path and I’m heart-broken. What the people of the Caribbean, Florida, and Mexico have to face right now is horrific and it just seems unfair as I sit here writing this from my home on a beautiful day… I feel so helpless. Florida holds such a special place in my heart, it’s our second home, and the islands are little slices of heaven on earth. To imagine the destruction and the homes of their people is just unfathomable. I’m going to have this page up and will be updating it as I learn of new ways to help, but for now, here is what I got:
DONATE
UNICEF puts children first in emergencies. To start responding to the needs of children affected by Hurricane Irma as soon as possible, UNICEF is on the ground with pre-positioned staff and supplies — equipment for water treatment and hygiene, provisional shelters and education kits, and more. UNICEF will help ensure that affected children and families can get clean water, that there are safe spaces for children, that education and health services can continue, and that basic humanitarian supplies are distributed.
The Red Cross has mobilized its second massive hurricane response in two weeks to help people affected by Hurricane Irma. Relief efforts stretch from the U.S. Virgin Islands through Florida to the mid-Atlantic region. The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Irma by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word IRMA to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
GO FUND ME GO FUND ME has an entire page of places to donate to those affected by Irma. It appears you can scroll through and select different direct paths of people and organizations working for relief.
GLOBAL GIVING GlobalGiving is the largest global crowdfunding community connecting nonprofits, donors, and companies in nearly every country. GG vets the local organizations it helps fund and is well-regarded by charity watchdogs. (GlobalGiving prioritizes local organizations over the long term, but often steers money toward larger entities like Save the Children or the International Medical Corps during the early days of disaster response.) *taken from NYTimes
USE YOUR SKILLS
Florida needs 1,000 volunteer nurses to help at special-needs shelters. Nurses can email: HelpFL@FLhealth.gov.
Officials are seeking other workers who have a “specialized healthcare skill.” Such workers “would be incredibly helpful,” a spokesperson with the Florida State Emergency Operations Center tells NPR.
GIVE SHELTER
Airbnb, the online rental site, lets hosts in the region offer their homes at no charge to Irma evacuees.
That’s all I got for now. I will be updating this post as I learn of more information.
FOR UPDATES, I created a page on my navigation bar IRMA you can reference moving forward. If you have any ideas, or know of anyone in particular in need, please let me know via email, liz@purejoyhome.com.
Thanks gals.