How to Help Victims of Disasters
Catastrophes Include Tornado, Flood, Hurricane, and Earthquake
Sep 24, 2009
While money is always needed most after a catastrophe, there are many other ways to help people who are in the midst of disasters. After flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes, there is often a great deal of clean up that needs to be done. Rebuilding may also be necessary. People may need basic household items to get them through a rough patch. Pets and children may need care. Here are a few ways, beyond offering financial assistance, for anyone to help a victim of a natural disaster.
Offer to Care for Pets
When someone's home is damaged or destroyed, they must seek the help of family and friends for a place to stay or, if financially fortunate, stay in a hotel. In either case, pets are not often wanted at the homes of family or friends. Perhaps it's just too crowded or the family or friends have pets of their own. Many hotels do not allow pets or have size and breed restrictions.
This leaves very few choices for pet owners who have lost their homes or are delayed from staying in their home. Offer to care for their pets until they are able to move back into their home or relocate to a permanent place. Reducing the burden and worry of someone already undergoing a disaster is a kind and wonderful thing to do but also helping to ensure their pets will be safe and waiting for them can truly make a huge difference. This also reduces the number of homeless animals in already overcrowded shelters and can likely save their very lives.
If taking the pets into your home is not possible, pay for boarding costs at their veterinarian or a local boarding facility. Speak with the veterinarian or facility and explain the situation and ask for a discount. If the pets have somewhere to safe to stay, purchase food, toys, collars and leashes, and any needed medications for them as those things are often lost in a damaged home.
Offer to Care for Children
If the family is close, offer to take the young children into your home and care for them so the parents can concentrate on clean up and all of the necessary and time consuming things that must be done to re-enter a home after a disaster. Make certain the children get to school each day, have clothes and good meals, and are kept safe. While older children may be able to aid in clean up and repair of a home, young children can not and will often cause more difficulty simply by needing to be watched. Knowing that the children are safe and cared for will reduce the burden on parents trying to rebuild a home. If the children are better served by staying wherever the parents are staying, offer to shuttle them to school or activities and watch them in the evenings.
Offer the Use of a Computer
After a disaster, many things are lost, including computers. The vast information available on the internet could easily aid in rebuilding a home, but this information is not accessible without a computer. Offer the use of a laptop or a desktop for as long as the family is unable to return to their home. This will also aid in occupying children and helping children to complete homework assignments.
Provide Meals
Whether serving meals in your home or delivering casseroles to the victims of disasters, hot and nourishing meals are always needed and appreciated. Have neighbors each host a dinner throughout the week to aid one neighbor or have the church group, book club, or PTA members each cook a meal for a family in need. Meals are often overlooked and many people in need will not ask for help. Just provide the meals without being asked. If physically unable to provide meals, perhaps living in another state, send gift cards to grocery stores to ease some of the burden. Take up a collection from the book club or PTA to purchase the gift cards.
Be an Ear, Make Phone Calls, Run Errands, Bring Coffee
People in the midst of a disaster will not often ask for help and don't know what to ask for if they wanted to ask. Be an ear for someone to complain or cry or rant, whatever they need to do. Just divesting oneself of the emotions is often healing and allows one to move on in a logical and reasonable manner. Make phone calls or run errands to reduce the burden on someone. Bring coffee or tea. Just that simple act can turn someone's day around and let them see that their is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
Give of Yourself
The most unselfish and helpful thing a person can do for another is to give of oneself. Help clean up. Help move things to storage or back into the cleaned home. Help build. Even without knowledge of construction, one can help a knowledgeable constructor. Habitat for Humanity has worked for years on this principle. Carry loads of rubbish to the landfill or help to load it into a dumpster. Clean what items may be saved. Restore pictures if able or search for a place that can do such work. Pick up supplies or just bring lunch to the crew. Any little thing one person can do for another helps everyone.
When facing terrible circumstances, especially losing one's home and household things, people often do not know how to ask for help. Step in and offer help, specific and needed help. "If there's anything I can do" does not carry the same impact as "let me take your dogs to my house" or "I'm bringing lunch". Helping others is good for everyone and one never knows when one might require such help in return.
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