Hurricane Dorian victims: From humans to pets, here's how to help

A woman seeks cover from wind, blowing sand and rain whipped up by Hurricane Dorian as she walks on the beach on September 2, 2019 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

HOUSTON – As Hurricane Dorian spins out of the Bahamas and travels toward Florida, the rest of the country – especially in states like ours that have been impacted by these types of storms – are wondering how we can help those who will need assistance most in the aftermath.

Here are some established ways to help Dorian victims: 

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Habitat for Humanity
From the Habitat for Humanity website: “We will assess resulting shelter and housing needs, so please give generously to our Disaster Response Fund so we can effectively serve those impacted by this storm and disasters around the world as they occur.”

City of Miami
From its website: “If Miami is spared the worst of Hurricane Dorian, we’ll have plenty of newly purchased emergency supplies that we can offer to those who need it the most. The Bahamas have been devastated and we are dedicated to helping as much as possible as fast as possible.”

See the needed items and dropoff locations here.

Humane Society of America
From the Humane Society website: “As Hurricane Dorian approaches, animals may soon be in need of urgent rescue—with your support, we’ll be ready to answer the call.”

International Medical Corps
From the International Medical Corps website: “Hurricane Dorian threatens millions in southeastern United States and the Bahamas. Help us get on the ground quickly and deliver critical healthcare and urgently needed supplies to those affected by this dangerous storm.”

International Relief Teams
From the International Relief Teams website: “International Relief Teams has already prepositioned more than 1,000 disaster health kits to Florida and we are standing by to see what other assistance we can provide once the storm hits.”

Save the Children
From the Save the Children website: “Vulnerable children need your help. As Hurricane Dorian approaches the southeast United States, vulnerable girls and boys are at great risk. Life-threatening winds and heavy rains are predicted to bear down on this region and could force families to evacuate.
With your support, Save the Children is deploying an emergency response team to help support the urgent needs of children and families. Ten percent of funds donated for specific emergencies go to our emergency reserves Children's Emergency Fund.”

World Central Kitchen
From its website: “By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of food trucks and emergency kitchens, WCK provides freshly made, nutritious meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. … We prepare meals that are fresh, never pre-packaged, made with locally sourced proteins and vegetables, and when we can find them, served with recyclable plates and cutlery.”

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross has already established a helpline to donate funds to victims of this latest storm. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word DORIAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The organization says donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance. You can ensure your donation helps people affected by Hurricane Dorian by choosing that option on redcross.org/donate or 1-800-RED CROSS.  

What organizations did we miss? Leave them in the comments.