Who Will Help Me After a Natural Disaster?

• Author: Mary Singleton
• Posted: 2024-10-11

A natural disaster is an incredibly stressful experience, and you may not know who will help you or your family. You may need help with childcare, disaster cleanup and repair costs, or you might need to seek mental health care. Fortunately, many government and non-profit organizations have disaster relief programs. If you are in need of immediate assistance, contact local government officials or voluntary organizations. Disaster relief organizations can assist with immediate needs and make the recovery process easier.

The first step in disaster situations is ensuring that everyone is safe and healthy. You should prepare a go bag and lock box for important documents. Check with your state and county emergency management agencies to see what resources are available. You can also use the U.S. Hospital Finder to determine which facilities are nearest your home. If you cannot return to your home right away, you can move valuable items to an area where storage facilities will be located. Your insurance policy may cover the cost of storing your property.

If you cannot afford to purchase a new home, you can donate unused items to a disaster relief organization. These groups will use the money you donated to rebuild. Make sure to donate only items that people will need. Donating items that are not needed will take up space and be difficult to sort and store. Often, donations are the only option if you can't find shelter or a place to live.