Guide: How You Can Help Disaster Relief Efforts in Alabama

You want to help out our fellow Americans struggling in tornado-stricken Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but may not be able to get down there to do all the heavy lifting. There are still plenty of ways to pitch in. In collaboration with Youth Service America, we put together a list of things you can do to lend your support, as well as ways you can be prepared should disaster strike your community in the future.

To help the Alabama disaster relief effort:

Donate blood.
The University of Alabama encourages those who wish to help to donate blood at any American Red Cross location and designate it for Tuscaloosa. This is one of the most important actions we can take to help those affected in the Tuscaloosa area.

Volunteer.
If you are or will be in the Western Alabama area, you can donate your time to any of the organizations listed below:

• American Red Cross - West Alabama Chapter
• United Way of West Alabama
• City of Tuscaloosa
• ServeAlabama.gov

Send supplies.
Many types of supplies are needed in the disaster regions. For the people on the ground who lost everything, ready-made and non-perishable food, flashlights and batteries, blankets, camping cookware, infant supplies including formula and diapers, new clothing including jackets and rain ponchos, and especially underwear and socks, tennis shoes, sunscreen, soap, deodorant, and other hygienic products. Laundry detergent, shower bags, and cleaning supplies, along with school supplies, are also needed. For the people rebuilding, items in high demand include long-blade chain saws, tarps for roofs, batteries, heat packs, and back hoes. Please don’t send used clothes. Often after disaster, well-meaning citizens send used clothes to the region and relief workers on the ground must figure out how and where to store it, taking valuable time away from the rebuilding process. To make the process easy, we set up a registry on Amazon that goes directly to Tuscaloosa.

Fundraise.
Use the fundraising strategies included in the “Gathering Resources” chapter of the Global Youth Service Day Toolkit available.

Donate.
To send money directly to Team Rubicon for their efforts in the American South, donate to their Operation Roll Tide campaign through Universal Giving. To help provide temporary shelter to people who've lost their homes, and to aid the disaster relief efforts by youth-led organizations on the ground in Alabama and surrounding areas, donate to the Rebuilding From Devastation campaign, a partnership between EDAR and Splashlife, through Universal Giving. 100% of all donations accepted through Univeral Giving go directly to their intended causes to provide immediate aid to the organizations.
 

To be prepared before disaster strikes your area:

Here are a few resources to help you prepare your home, neighborhood, school, or community.

• Prepare your family using the American Academy of Pediatric’s Family Readiness Kit.
• Help your school be ready for a disaster using the Red Cross Ready Rating Program.
• Learn how to train your neighbors to be ready for a disaster at the MLK Day website.
• Make sure your own emergency kit is complete, using Splashlife's guide.