The scale of the disaster in the Philippines caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda is almost beyond imagining. The latest count is 10,000 dead and over 600,000 displaced by the strongest storm to make landfall in recorded history. As we enter a season when many of us are already called on to make charitable donations, I hope many of us will find a few extra dollars to donate to one or more of the organizations leading relief efforts. Here’s how to find them.
- For many of us in the U.S., the American Red Cross is the quick and easy organization of choice.
- CNN has a good roundup of the many major organizations providing support, breaking down the list into groups providing emergency support, shelter, food and water, medical assistance, and help for children. They include several national Red Cross/Red Crescent organizations, faith-based organizations, and more. They also provide links to Google.org’s Typhoon Yolanda Person Finder and Crisis Map that shows evacuation centers and relief areas.
- Charity Navigator has another, slightly different, list of major organization helping out, along with their ratings for financial health, accountability, and transparency.
My heart goes out to all of those affected by the storm. May we all show the best of humanity in our response.