How You Can Help the Victims of Hurricane Matthew

The residents of Haiti, parts of the Caribbean, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have been affected by Hurricane Matthew and will be trying to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Matthew. In Haiti, it is expected that food, water and medical supplies will be in short demand.
The U.S. states affected by Hurricane Matthew are facing the challenges of dangerous storm surges, flooding and power outages. Humanitarian organizations have already begun mobilizing to step in as soon as the storm passes. Many local churches and other relief agencies throughout the United States will be collecting donations in the weeks to come.
 
Here are some organizations you can support:

 The American Red Cross has mobilized more than 3,000 disaster workers, 149 response vehicles, and 100 trailers filled with water, ready-to-eat meals, shelter and kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies and comfort kits, insect repellant, gloves, masks, shovels, rakes, coolers and more. The Red Cross is working in close collaboration with government officials and community partners to coordinate response efforts to ensure people receive the help they need as quickly as possible. The Red Cross depends on donations to provide immediate relief. _­Help people affected by Hurricane Matthew by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word MATTHEW to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.  Hurricane Matthew has also forced the cancellation of dozens of blood drives in the Southeast, and dozens more could be cancelled. For those in areas unaffected by the storm, please give blood or platelets now to help patients in need. Please visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800- 733-2767) to make an appointment.

International Red Cross Societies across the Caribbean and central America began preparing for impacts as the hurricane plowed through the Caribbean. “Our Red Cross teams in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Colombia are currently running preparedness activities with the communities. In Haiti, the Red Cross has put all its branches on alert and prepositioned stock to respond to the needs of more than 3,000 people. To donate, visit the organization's website here.

The Salvation Army maximizes resources and allocates those resources to the units expected to see the most impact from Hurricane Matthew. To donate to the domestic relief effort and help provide food, shelter, and other forms of emergency assistance to disaster survivors and rescue workers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and other U.S. states affected, visit this page.  The Salvation Army also asks people who want to help those directly affected by the storm to call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or text STORM to 51555. The Salvation Army is also mobilizing resources and personnel to assist with the international relief effort in Haiti and Jamaica. Donations to Caribbean relief efforts can be made here, or by going to salar.my/Matthew. 

World Vision serves more than 900,000 people, including 58,000 sponsored children, through programs in 200 rural and urban communities in Haiti, and  according to Lauren Fisher, public relations manager for disasters and international news for World Vision, said the non-profit organization had mobilized ahead of the storm to aid the Haitian people."(We have) pre-positioned emergency supplies to assist up to 15,000 families with items including tarps, water containers, hygiene kits and blankets," said Fisher. "We’re mobilizing with plans to provide relief for approximately 250,000 people, depending on the impact of the storm." You can donate to World Vision here.

The United Nation's Children's fund is dedicated to the survival and well-being of children. 
According to the organization's website, 90 percent of all donations go directly to children. They are accepting donations for disaster relief in Haiti here.

Operation Blessing International (OBI) is one of the largest charities in America, providing humanitarian services such as strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development in 37 countries in the last year, according to a press release. To learn more about their efforts in Haiti and to donate, visit their website here. 

Food For The Poor is one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, according to its website. The organization has loaded trucks with rice, canned meats, rice-based nutritional meals known as MannaPack, first aid kits and blankets that will be sent to the worst-hit areas of Haiti. Thirty ship containers of relief to Haiti are expected to ship out within the next two weeks, according to ABC 10.

Mercy Corps senior communications officer, Lynn Hector, said "We already have 32 team members in Haiti and our team is prepared to shift its operations to determine how we might help meet urgent needs and support longer-term recovery." Donations can be made to Mercy Corps’ Humanitarian Response Fund, which helps us respond to emergencies as quickly as possible.

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in Haiti. In response to Matthew, CARE plans to supply clean drinking water, food assistance and emergency supplies such as tarps for shelter, blankets and hygiene kits. “The biggest needs following the storm will be clean drinking water as the anticipated flooding will contaminate the water supply.” You can support CARE's efforts in Haiti here. 

Direct Relief runs the world's largest hurricane preparedness medical supply program, according to an email sent to weather.com. "Since the Haiti earthquake in 2010, Direct Relief has been the largest private provider of medical aid into Haiti and has supported over 200 medical facilities with donations of medicines and medical supplies totaling $240 million wholesale," said Paul Sherer, who works with the non-profit organization. To donate to Direct Relief, visit their website here.

Catholic Relief Services is a faith-based organization committed to assisting the poor and vulnerable overseas. As soon as the storm passes, CRS is also poised to provide cash to victims so they can purchase critically needed relief supplies and distribute relief items, including bottled water, water purification tabs, blankets, tarps and tents, and kitchen kits. CRS engineers are on standby to assess structural damage and begin repairs once Matthew clears out. Based on the extent of damage, part of CRS’ response could include temporary shelters and distribution of shelter materials like tarps. To donate to CRS, visit their website here.

Save the Children has deployed an emergency response team to work with staff and partners on the ground to help the children and families affected by the storm. The organization says they have pre-positioned a stockpile of non-food items, including hygiene kits, baby items, household kits, mosquito nets and jerry cans, which will be used in coming days, according to an email sent to weather.com. To donate to Save the Children, visit their website here.

International Medical Corps is also responding to Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, giving priority to water, sanitation, and hygiene needs. “We have pre-positioned our teams so that they will be prepared to immediately," said Chris Skopec, Senior Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “They will assess the most urgent needs so we can respond appropriately with lifesaving assistance and help communities recover and rebuild.” For more information and to donate, visit their website here.

GlobalGiving's Fund will support these vetted nonprofits that are deeply-rooted in Haiti and other Caribbean nations and have strong track records of success. GlobalGiving is a top-rated charity on Charity Navigator. For more information and to donate, visit their website here.

Concern Worldwide officials said workers are already on the ground responding to life-threatening Hurricane Matthew. They already have contingency stocks in place as well as life-saving items such as blankets, shelter equipment and aqua tablets. To learn more and donate, visit Concern Worldwide's website here.

Handicap International is on the ground and ready support to people with storm-related injuries, and to those with disabilities, provide essential needs support, support people who have lost their mobility devices and provide psychological support for those distraught by the storm’s damage and impact.For more information and to donate, visit the Handicap International website here. 

Samaritan’s Purse is sending its DC-8 airplane loaded with 20 tons of essential items such as clean water, hygiene items and plastic sheeting for emergency shelter to Haiti. The organization is also sending a Disaster Assistance Response Team to join staff already on the ground to respond to the catastrophe. For more information and to donate, please visit their website here. 

Americares has emergency response teams in Haiti and Florida focused on meeting the health needs of hurricane survivors. The organization is delivering $1.6 million in medicine and relief supplies in southern Haiti, including intravenous fluids to treat cholera and medical supplies to treat storm-related injuries. In Florida, Americares relief workers are on standby ready to assess needs and quickly offer assistance as soon as it is safe to venture into affected communities. For more information and to donate, please visit their website here. 

ActionAid USA is an international development organization working with over 15 million people in 45 countries to eradicate poverty. The organization has been working in Haiti on the ground with local partners right now, providing clean water, improving hygiene, and helping women find safety in the areas worst-affected by Hurricane Matthew. Your donation will help ActionAid reach more people more quickly. You may give here or at globalgiving.org.

All Hands Volunteers is a U.S.-based natural disaster relief and reconstruction organization that enables volunteers to help survivors of disasters around the globe. All Hands provides shelter, food and volunteer management.  People who want to help just need to get themselves to the project sites. All Hands Volunteers spent two years rebuilding in Haiti after the last earthquake. For more information, visit their website here. 

SOS Children's Villages is an international organization dedicated to the care of abandoned, orphaned and vulnerable children in 134 countries around the world. SOS's ongoing work in Haiti consists of providing children a safe home in their villages, many of whom were orphaned in the earthquake of 2010; helping children and families stay together and thrive as part of their family strengthening programs; and providing day-care, counseling and psychological support to families. For more information and to donate, visit the organization's website here. 

Source: https://weather.com/news/news/hurricane-matthew-how-help

Being Good Can Make You Happier

An Oxford University analysis has found that performing good deeds can actually make someone happier. Researcher Dr. Oliver Scott Curry used the results of twenty-one studies, involving a total of over 2,500 people from around the world, to examine the link between kindness and happiness. Curry said that the effect is small and "will not change your life" but "might help nudge it in the right direction." He stated that, "Offering kindness to others has been explored as a possible panacea for many of our social ills, ranging from social isolation to more serious mental and physical health conditions."

Dr. Oliver Scott Curry explained the reasoning for this to be that, "we genuinely care about others’ welfare, and because random acts of kindness are a good way of making new friends, and kick-starting supportive social relationships." More research is planned to be done on this subject to "find out if some people benefit more from being helpful than others."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3822502/Helping-DOES-make-happier-Doing-good-deeds-effect-like-paracetamol-improving-mood.html#ixzz4N4DjaZlY