This is a message to all of those people who would like to assist the victims of Hurricane Sandy. It is great that so many people want to help out but you have to be careful how you go about it. You can't just get in your car and drive to an affected area and help. The area is still dangerous and if you get hurt, you then become part of the problem, not the solution. If you want to help, become a part of your local CERT, CART, MRC, RACES or the Red Cross where you will receive training and become part of the response community.
Also, please be careful collecting donations and just sending them down. They may not be prepared to receive donations. The problem with material goods is that they need to be stored and transported, etc. which uses manpower and space that is needed for other important parts of the response/recovery efforts. The best way to help is to donate money to the Red Cross, this way it can be used to help victims as needed. Whether it be for food, supplies, sheltering or any number of other things that are needed in these times, money goes a lot further. You do not have to donate a lot, every little bit can make a difference.
It is unfortunate that I need to mention this but just be careful who you are donating money to. It has happened in the past that people say they are collecting money for a certain cause but the money gets into the wrong hands.
