Request for help

[SeaBrz_FL]

Grimreaper, Caribepr, and themusk are right on target. Andrew taught many lessons, and material donations early on just overburden the relief team. Another lesson learned from Andrew, that they are implementing this time, is staging of volunteers. Immediately after a disaster volunteerism is high, but often the resources are not yet needed.

Florida has setup the following site:

http://www.floridadisaster.org/

for information on all of this and more.

Thank you so much for wanting to help!

[Anonymous]

Red Cross will feed the people, I think that is what alot of the money goes to also IMO. But I also know that grocery stores will donate some stuff to the red cross.

[FireCracker]

Sorry, after Andrew people donated crap by the tons. At my Fire Station we had: undersize underware, used stuffed toys, odd canned goods, blankets (in september) etc, etc. IF YOU WANT TO DONATE. DONATE MONEY. Every dollar donated to Red Cross will help. They have to buy the supplies right? Do not clean out your attic or basement junk. This all taked staff to sort, log ship, etc. If someone advertises a specific need then donate that. A friend of mine has loaded (at his expense) his van with water and headed to Charlotte county. At least it is not old yard sale items. I felt uncomfortable too but after a state CERT training class, I see the wisdom in donating cash. Please give it some thought.

[azsnowman]

I really hate to politicize this...but this was brought up in another thread..
Will the Red Cross guarantee they will spend our donations on Charley victims??

NOT to sound like a broken record BUT...."YES", I've seen it first hand, funds that are collected for a SPECIFIC disaster WILL and DOES STAY in the area in which they are collected for, trust me on this one, after the Rodeo Fire 2 years ago, we too thought the same thing and THEN.....we saw PROOF of it!

Dennis

[GalvestonDuck]

*ahem* ARC volunteer here -- Simply write on the check "HURRICANE CHARLEY RELIEF" and it WILL get used for that purpose.

Here's how it was explained to me when I asked about the whole problem with the 9/11 donations:

UNDESIGNATED donations go to the chapter in your area. They budget funds into accounts for disaster assistance and aid, counseling for victims, vouchers for food and clothing (most commonly used for victims of one-family [house] or multi-dwelling [apartment] fires), disaster assessment, mass shelter materials, and so forth. Money OVER what they need for the local chapter gets sent to the state's Red Cross so that if one chapter in that state has a larger need for funds (like when a train derails, plane crashes, flood occurs, tornadoes strike, or what have you, those states funds can be distributed to those chapters in need. And finally, surplus monies from the state are sent to the national offices of the American Red Cross for federal assistance in times like these. Remember, that's for "undesignated" donations -- like, for example, I donate to UTMB's Charitable Employee Campaign and I bookmarked deductions from my paycheck to go to the ARC, the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children, and the American Lung Association. What I donate most likely goes to the Galveston chapter of the ARC. In order for me to make a financial donation for victims of Charley, I need to write a check and specify it for that cause. That's not to say that they don't already have money (previously budgeted for disasters), but ADDITIONAL money that is DESIGNATED will go directly to those efforts.

I had no clue what all the ARC does until I went to some of the training classes. They do a lot more than just teach CPR and run shelters for mass casualties and natural disasters.

So, if you want to make a monetary donation to the ARC for Hurricane Charley relief, PUT IT ON YOUR CHECK.

[bevgo]

OK guys, good points. I guess I will try to put my faith in the Red Cross and hope they use donations wisely. I want to help and feel so helpless to do anything--all I can do is give a little $. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation and not be able to DO something. I want to be hands on but that is certainly not possible so I guess I will make a donation and pray.

Bev in New Orleans

[caribepr]

I found this from one of the local papers online....

HOTLINES: Here are some phone numbers for statewide hotlines: Florida Emergency Information Line: 800-342-3557.

American Red Cross: 1-866-GET-INFO (for information) and

800-GIVE-NOW (for donations).

Attorney General's price gouging hot line: 800-646-0444.

Florida Power and Light: 800-4-OUTAGE.

Elder Services: 800-963-5337.

FEMA Disaster Assistance: 800-621-3362.

State Volunteer and Donations: 1-800-354-3571.

[alicia-w]

It may not seem like a big deal, but take a shoebox and fill it up with all those little hotel soaps, shampoo, conditioner, etc. How about a little bottle of hand sanitizer too? We collected TONS of this kind of stuff to build care packages for our troops in war zones. And they loved it. Now we have our own war zone right here in our back yard and this kind of stuff does help.

[alicia-w]

Here is a list of folks appealing for help:

http://www.floridadisaster.org/eoc/eoc_Activations/Charley04/Reports/PressReleaseDonations.pdf

[Miss Mary]

Saw this list also at St. Petersburg Times' website:

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/16/Weath ... help.shtml

How you can help
By Times Staff Writer
Published August 16, 2004

If you want to help communities smashed by Hurricane Charley, send money, not food or clothing, Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday.

Bush suggested sending contributions through the American Red Cross or Salvation Army.

Food and water can become contaminated and the people needed to clean and sort clothing can be used for other jobs, said Red Cross spokeswoman Janet McGuire. "The worst thing we can do is create another disaster within a disaster," she said.

Here are some of the organizations that accept donations to help victims of Hurricane Charley:

*Adventist Community Services, 1-800-381-7171, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.

*American Red Cross, 1-800-435-7669, 818 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

*Catholic Charities, 1-800-919-9338, 1731 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314.

*Christian Contractors Association, 1-800-278-7703, PO Box 15615, Brooksville, FL 34604.

*Church World Service, 1-800-297-1516, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115.

*Humane Society of the United States 1-888-259-5431, Southeast Regional Office, 1624 Metropolitan Circle, Suite B, Tallahassee, FL 32308.

*Lutheran Disaster Response, 1-800-638-3522, 8765 W Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631.

*Salvation Army, (813) 962-6611, Florida Divisional Headquarters, 5631 Van Dyke Road, Lutz, FL 33558.

*United Methodist Committee on Relief, 1-800-554-8583, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115.

*For a list of agencies recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, visit the Web site http://www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm