Hurricane Ida arrived on the coast of Louisiana as a devastatingly powerful category 4 storm, bringing destruction with it that will take months, if not years, to fully recover from.

Luckily, there are groups already on the ground in the affected areas that are there to help. Here’s some information to help you navigate donating money and other items to those who may need it most as storm victims now focus on rebuilding what’s been lost.

The American Red Cross

With just under 1,000 volunteers across multiple states in the impacted areas, the Red Cross is running multiple evacuation shelters where people without homes can take refuge. Because of the sheer volume of people, the Red Cross is asking for donations, which you can deliver in multiple ways:

• Visit redcross.org to donate
• Call 800-RED-CROSS to donate
• Text the word “IDA” to 90999 to make a $10 donation

World Central Kitchen

This organization provides food in disaster-affected areas. It’s been reported that before the storm hit, there were enough supplies on-hand to feed 100,000 people, but as you can imagine, that number is shrinking fast. The group primarily gets its donated food from local-area kitchens, but is asking for and accepting donations at this link.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation army brings a fleet of mobile kitchens with them to feed those without power or food. They’re also using a refrigerated truck, a laundry area, a shower area, bunkhouses, and two stationary field kitchens. Even with all of those tools, more help is needed. Fortunately there are a multitude of ways to do this:

• Donate to the Salvation Army online at this link.
• Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
• To donate items by mail, please fill out their in-kind donation form at this link

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