The entire federal family continues to lean forward to support the states, communities, and tribes in their ongoing response efforts as they work to save lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
We salute individuals at every level of government, in nonprofit organizations, and in the private sector whose work is helping save lives, provide shelter, and rebuild communities.
Our work is just beginning as first responders and other emergency personnel manage life-saving and rescue efforts. Hundreds of national service members are deployed and before the recovery is complete, we expect thousands of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members to help in the recovery. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of our members, state offices, and state commissions, all of whom are making possible this vital national service response to this unprecedented weather event.
For Those That Want to Help
Volunteer
Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Immediately following a disaster, a community can become easily overwhelmed by the amount of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
Be safe: Do not self deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.
Be patient: Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.
National, state, and local nonprofits and public agencies will be looking for volunteers to help with the disaster recovery. Learn more by visiting the links below.
The need for blood rises during disasters of this scale, and this problem is exacerbated in affected areas where blood drives may have been cancelled. You can locate information about donating through the American Red Cross or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Cash Contributions
Cash donations are very useful in situations where supplies must be acquired quickly. This is the most efficient way to make an impact with your donations. If you need help in determining who to give to, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website has a list of major nonprofits that are active in disaster work.
Don't Send Unsolicited Donations
One of the biggest issues around disasters is the amount of unsolicited item donations that start to come in immediately. It's better to wait until communities assess and confirm their needs before you start to send things in. At that time, you can make your donations through non-profits in the National Donations Management Network.
