WEBVTT - How Can You Help After a Natural Disaster?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogobam. Here. We humans have big hearts,

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<v Speaker 1>and when we see someone suffering, even if it's a

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<v Speaker 1>stranger on the other side of the globe, we want

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<v Speaker 1>to help. But in the rush to help others, we

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<v Speaker 1>can end up doing more harm than good. If you

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<v Speaker 1>really want to help the victims of devastating hurricanes, earthquakes, famines,

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<v Speaker 1>and floods, here are a few tips. First of all,

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<v Speaker 1>send money, not stuff. Charitable organizations receive so many boxes

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<v Speaker 1>of used clothing, shoes, canned food, and flashlights that it

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<v Speaker 1>overwhelms local staff and creates what some relief workers call

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<v Speaker 1>the disaster After the disaster, unsolicited donations clog up the

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<v Speaker 1>supply chain, take up space that could be used for

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<v Speaker 1>life saving supplies, and are often inappropriate to the local

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<v Speaker 1>needs and customs, like sending cans of spam to a

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<v Speaker 1>Muslim community, for example, not to to the expense of

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<v Speaker 1>transporting these goods, and that's why almost all disaster relief

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<v Speaker 1>charities ask for cash donations. With money, they can buy

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what victims need, often from local sources. Buying locally

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<v Speaker 1>or regionally keeps money in the storm rattled local economy

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<v Speaker 1>and cuts down on the logistics and costs of shipping.

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<v Speaker 1>In rare cases, a charitable organization will ask for specific

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<v Speaker 1>supplies to meet some urgent need. Local donations are always

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<v Speaker 1>the best option, but if you really want to ship supplies,

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<v Speaker 1>talk to the charity first. Make sure that you're sending

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what they need and that someone on staff is

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<v Speaker 1>prepared to receive it. Speaking of when you can give

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<v Speaker 1>to local organizations, national and international organizations have convenient ways

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<v Speaker 1>to donate, like via text and everything does help, but

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<v Speaker 1>they're not automatically the best equipped to help local populations.

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<v Speaker 1>In some cases, local groups with deep roots in the

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<v Speaker 1>affected community have a better understanding of how to meet

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<v Speaker 1>the immediate and long term needs of their people. The

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<v Speaker 1>trick is finding the right organization to support. You want

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<v Speaker 1>your money to make the biggest impact, and you certainly

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<v Speaker 1>don't want to get scammed. Organizations like Charity Navigator and

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<v Speaker 1>Charity Watch rate charitable organizations by their trustworthiness and transparency,

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<v Speaker 1>and if you can think long term to help keep

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<v Speaker 1>charities accountable. The investigative journalism organization Pro Publica encourages donors

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<v Speaker 1>to follow up with organizations and ask for detailed information

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<v Speaker 1>about how their money was spent and how many people

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<v Speaker 1>were helped. You can also write to your congressional representatives

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<v Speaker 1>and ask them to enact laws that require charities to

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<v Speaker 1>disclose their spending in greater detail. Also on the topic

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<v Speaker 1>of long term it's incredibly helpful to keep up the

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<v Speaker 1>support after the headlines have faded. According to a report

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<v Speaker 1>from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy or the c DP,

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<v Speaker 1>of disaster related donations from large ritable foundations, corporations, government agencies,

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<v Speaker 1>and online giving was spent on immediate disaster response and relief.

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<v Speaker 1>That's because the intense media coverage surrounding disasters like hurricanes

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<v Speaker 1>spurs people and foundations to give, But once the TV

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<v Speaker 1>cameras leave town, donations dry up. C DP President and

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<v Speaker 1>CEO Bob otten Hooff says that after about a week

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<v Speaker 1>of overwhelming generosity, very little private money is invested in

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<v Speaker 1>the longer term recovery of a storm battered region. I

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<v Speaker 1>think of the homes, businesses, transportation, and jobs lost. Otten

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<v Speaker 1>Hoff says a FEMA official from Texas told him the

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<v Speaker 1>disaster recovery works in multiples of ten for every day

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<v Speaker 1>of immediate relief, there are ten days required of mid

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<v Speaker 1>term rebuilding and a hundred days of long term recovery.

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<v Speaker 1>As so if it took ten days to provide immediate

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<v Speaker 1>relief to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the long term

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<v Speaker 1>recovery for families, businesses, and Houston's infrastructure could go on

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<v Speaker 1>for many years. The CDP collects charitable donations immediately after

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<v Speaker 1>a disaster, but waits to invest the funds until it's

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<v Speaker 1>clear what needs aren't being met by other nonprofits, government agencies,

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<v Speaker 1>and insurance companies. That could be months after the initial disaster.

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<v Speaker 1>Responding to Typhoon Hayen in the Philippines, in the c

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<v Speaker 1>DP learned that sixty women were due to give birth

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<v Speaker 1>without functioning hospitals, so the organization invested all of its

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<v Speaker 1>money in maternal health services. Individuals can take the same

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<v Speaker 1>approach if you can give to help with the immediate crisis,

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<v Speaker 1>but then wait a few months and give again to

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<v Speaker 1>support organizations that are doing ongoing work and housing, mental

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<v Speaker 1>health counseling, employment assistance, and other long term services. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler

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<v Speaker 1>Playing for more on this than lots of other helpful topics.

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