hedaclara:

hedaclara:

hedaclara:

Guys, the first images of Irma’s level of devastation are coming out of Barbuda and it’s heartbreaking. The President of Barbuda says that 90% of the island is uninhabitable, upwards of 60% of the TOTAL population are now homeless because the hurricane destroyed virtually every building and home on the island, and that the estimated damage is valued at no less than $200 million dollars. That’s money a small island like that doesn’t have. They’re saying it’s going to take years to rebuild and Hurricane Jose is right behind Irma on the same path which means they could be hit twice. This is just one of the islands being affected.

Please, show up for the Caribbean like you did for Houston. There is no safety net for any of these islands including mine. They’ll rely entirely on foreign aid. Find local charities or global trustworthy charities (NOT the Red Cross) and make a donation asking them to aid the Caribbean. There’s whole countries being turned into rubble with no financial means to repair their infrastructures. They’re going to need help.

For the hundreds of people replying or in my inbox asking “Why not the Red Cross?!”:

1. Google is free.
2. Why The Red Cross Faces Backlash on Harvey Relief Efforts [Washington Post]
3. Red Cross Built Exactly 6 Homes For Haiti With Nearly Half A Billion Dollars In Donations [Huffington Post]
4. Red Cross Exec Doesn’t Know What Portion Of Donations Go To Harvey Relief [NPR]
5. Report: Red Cross Spent 25 Percent Of Haiti Donations On Internal Expenses [NPR]
6. Seriously, guess where I found all of those in two solid minutes of searching? Google. Even better, they didn’t charge me a penny for it. 

Stop wanting things to be spoonfed to you. While you waited for someone to link you to sources, you could’ve done it yourself and already donated to people who desperately need it. 

Because people are also asking where to donate instead of the Red Cross:

1. MercyCorps [89% rating on Charity Navigator]
2. Heart To Heart International [97% rating on Charity Navigator]
3. Direct Relief [100% rating on Charity Navigator]
4. Habitat For Humanity [83% rating on Charity Navigator // Because with islands like Barbuda 90% destroyed and French St. Martin said to be 95% destroyed then people are going to need homes built]
5. Catholic Relief Services [90% rating on Charity Navigator // For those who would want to donate to a religious organization]

If there is a note or comments section on their donation page please do let them know that you would want your money to go to their Caribbean relief efforts. Houston and Florida have the US government backing them in whatever they will need but these islands will have very little except for these charities to fall back if they have any hope of rebuilding what seems to be entire countries in some cases. For the people who lost everything even a few bucks will go a long way. 

For the most part I would suggest staying away from privately launched GoFundMes unless you know the person directly. Ultimately, you just never know where those funds are going to end up and if your money will be used wisely. Sure, the same can be said for charity organizations but at least there is a better shot at possibly helping through them. The five listed above are world known and have been studied by charity oversight organizations. It’s as close to perfect as we’re going to get.