Some Thoughts About Helping the Victims

Given that the devastation of Hurricane Irma is forefront in the news, at least here in North America, I thought I would share a few points for you to consider:

1. People need help. Hundreds of thousands of people have been negatively affected by this storm. They need our help.

2. Don't forget victims of other tragedies. As we focus on dealing with the aftermath of Irma we mustn't forget the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the wildfires raging on the West Coast, Cyclone Mora (had you even heard of it?), and others. There is a very real danger that the "popular tragedy" will get the bulk of the help. 

3. The victims may be different from us, but they still need help. They might belong to a different religion, or none at all. They might have been born in a different country, and they might even be in a different country than you. They might be in your country illegally. They may have voted in an election differently than you, and may have even voted against their own best interests given the current situation. They may have a different skin colour than you. There may be a myriad of other differences compared to you, yet they are still victims of a tragedy and they need your help.

4. Other charities will be starved of funds. An unfortunate side effect of the attention that a massive event like Irma gets is that people divert funds that they normally donate to other causes to help the victims currently getting the media attention. For example, a friend of mine recently asked people who would normally donate to her efforts to raise money for fighting cancer to instead donate money to help the victims of Harvey. This is absolutely the right thing to do, but it does have an unfortunate side effect (which is well documented from similar events in the past).

5. Not all charities are created equal. Research the charity before you give. What percentage of the funds that you donate will go directly to dealing with the problem versus go towards running the charity? What will they actually do with the money?

6. It won't be enough. Please help as much as you can. However, the hundreds of millions that will be raised will be a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of billions that will be needed to recover. The appropriate governments will need to step up and help their citizens, which will be a struggle both financially as well as politically.

7. Irma hit more than just Florida. Last week Irma ravaged several islands in the Caribbean,nations that do not have the resources of rich nations such as the US. Look beyond what is getting the lion's share of the media attention when you decide how to help.

8. Rebuilding will take years. Although it's human nature to jump in immediately to help, which is wonderful, the fact still remains that many people will need help for a long period of time. Although it remains to be seen how the US government will respond over the long term to the tragedies of Harvey, Irma, Jose (hopefully not), the wildfires, and whatever else comes their way I suspect it will be a struggle both financially and politically. 

Just a few things to think about. 

I hope you decide to help others in need.