How to Help Flood Victims: A List of 9 Essentials That are Needed During These Tough Times

Floods can be devastating and affect families by ruining their homes, destroying buildings, wildlife, and are tragic for human lives.

Main image courtesy of The New York Times.

Natural disasters can have devastating effects on humans, animals, nature, and even your own home. From hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, and even floods, there are many natural disasters that are hard to predict, but there are many precautions you can take when you live in areas that frequently experience these tragedies.  

Floods can occur in a few different ways, the main one occurring from consistent and prolonged rainfall over a span of several days. It can even occur from intense rainfall over a short period of time, rivers or streams overflowing, or even from dams breaking. No matter the cause, floods can wreak havoc on the lives of many and cause devastation for many people and their homes.

Giving back to people who are in need during a bad flood where they could have potentially lost their home or belongings is crucial, and there are many ways to help victims in need. Check out this comprehensive list on how to help people who are affected by floods and give back to your community!

Give a GiftYa Gift Card For Those Who Need the Basics in Their Time of Need

One of the most important things you can do for the people who are suffering in your community due to floods is to give them the everyday essentials. Whether it’s food, shelter, water, or first aid, there are many ways to give back to victims of flooding. If you’re looking for something simple, yet effective in terms of providing help for flood victims, a GiftYa gift card is a great idea. GiftYa gift cards can be sent to victims via email or text message and the sender can choose the merchant, amount, personalize it with a picture or video, and have it sent virtually to someone in need in no time.

1. DoorDash Gift Card

A gift card for a flood victim to purchase food is the best gift to receive in a time of need.

Text a DoorDash gift card

DoorDash gift card

There are many ways to give back to flood victims that are struggling to regain control of their lives after losing some or all of their belongings. Whether they are staying with a friend, family member, or even in a hotel, a DoorDash gift card can be a blessing for many. Food and water is important to have every single day, and for flood victims who lost everything, a simple gesture such as receiving a gift card to have food delivered to them can mean everything to someone. 

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2. Crowdfund For Those Affected

Crowdfund For Those Affected
Donating, or starting a charity or GoFundMe for people during natural disasters is a great way to give back to local communities. Image courtesy of How Stuff Works.

For flood victims, or other people who have been affected by natural disasters, donating money to a charity is a great option to consider. If you have a loved one who is close to you that has been affected by a flood, crowdfunding is a great way to support them

Crowdfunding is starting a charity, or even a GoFundMe and sharing it across your social media networks to support your affected loved ones. It can also help get donations from other friends, family members, and even people within the community to give back to those in need.  

3. Airbnb Gift Card

This is a great gift to those who need a temporary home until theirs is fixed, or they find another source of shelter.

Text an Airbnb gift card

Airbnb gift card

Not only is food and water important for flood victims, but finding a place to take shelter is crucial too. For many flood victims, their homes have become invaded by water, and depending on the damage, it can take a long time to repair. For those who are looking to provide some support to flood victims, an Airbnb gift card can be a great option. 

Airbnb is  a place to book your vacations no matter if it's a week long or even a weekend getaway, but it's also a great resource for those who need a temporary place to stay for even up to a few months. This can be a great app for flood victims to use if they need a place to stay while their home is being patched up.

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4. Volunteer in the Area

Giving back is essential and volunteering for a charity or offering your professional services is a great way to help victims!

Volunteer in the Area
Volunteering is a great way to give to the victims that are struggling with losing their home due to flooding. Image courtesy of Food For the Poor.

Another great way to give back to the community that you live in  is to volunteer. There are many ways to volunteer to give back to victims of flooding, and you can help out local charities that are putting together food baskets for those affected, cleaning up areas that have been flooded, or even offering your professional services to help benefit victims. Volunteering has its many benefits and not only are you able to help those in need, but it can also give you a sense of worth from helping the people in your community who need it most. 

5. Lowe’s Gift Card

A gift card that is perfect for flood victims who have minor damage to their home that needs repaired.

Text a Lowe’s gift card

Lowe’s gift card

There is nothing more devastating than a flood ruining your home because you never know how much damage it can do until the water recedes. Flooding can cause all kinds of damage to homes from mold and mildew, structural damage, appliance damage, plumbing damage, drywall damage, and it can even ruin your personal belongings that mean the most to you. Some people are able to walk away with minimal damage to their homes, which makes a Lowe’s gift card the perfect gift to give someone. 

Lowe’s allows customers to come and purchase essentials that are needed for their home and they offer everything from building supplies, paint, tools, appliances, lighting, flooring, windows, doors, and even furniture. This gift card can be a great first start to help a flood victim begin to pick up what’s left of their home or fix any minor damage to regain control of their lives again. 

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6. Donate Clothing and Blankets

Getting rid of old clothing and blankets that you don’t use at home can greatly help flood victims.

Donate Clothing and Blankets
Donating things around your home that you don’t use anymore is a great way to give back to victims of floods. Image courtesy of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Long Island.

Do you have old clothing that you haven’t worn in years or things that don’t fit you anymore that you want to get rid of? Everybody has things in their home that they don’t need anymore,, but it’s important to realize that these things can help other people in need. For those who are affected by flooding and have lost a lot, old clothing around your home can be perfect for flood victims.

There are many things that you can donate to help flood victims and while clothing and  blankets to keep people warm are two big ones, donation centers will take almost anything. Some other necessities that are important to donate if you can for flood victims include cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, non-perishable food items, water, packaged drinks, baby supplies, first aid kits, dust masks, toys and books for children, rebuilding supplies, and even blood. 

7. Spirit Gift Card

With an airline that provides extremely affordable tickets, this can be great for those who have to leave their homes to live with loved ones.

Text a Spirit gift card

Spirit gift card

There are many gift cards that are great to give back to loved ones who have been struggling with their homes being invaded with flooding. Sometimes this happens to people who live in areas where they don’t have any family around and need to move back home while waiting for their home to be fixed. With this being said, a Spirit airlines gift card can be a great option to give back to those who need it most.

Spirit is very affordable in terms of flying from one place to the next. They travel to over sixty destinations around the United States and even internationally, all while being the leading airline with the lowest prices possible. Their prices start from around $24 a ticket depending on where you’re going and how long the flight is, which is great for those who have lost a lot during a flood.

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8. Cash Donations

One of the leading ways to help communities in your area affected by floods.

Cash Donations
Cash donations can be a great option when giving back to people who have lost their home and more due to floods. Image courtesy of Foundation Group.

There is nothing that will ever beat cash. We live in a very digital world where credit and debit cards are convenient to avoid carrying large sums of cash in your wallet. Even adding your cards to your cell phone is a safer and more convenient way to carry around your money without having to worry about your wallet being scanned and the numbers being stolen from your credit or debit cards.

For those who want to help out the people that have been affected by flooding, or even help loved ones on a personal matter, cash donations can go a long way. Cash is used to purchase food, medical supplies, water, and other supplies immediately, and it can help to buy supplies locally for those in need to receive everything sooner. Cash donations can be used immediately instead of giving money using a credit or debit card, and is much appreciated by charities.

9. GiftYa Select Gift Card

The perfect gift card for those to choose what they need most.

Text a GiftYa Select gift card

GiftYa Select gift card

Food, water, shelter, clothing, and blankets are some of the best things to give to people who have been affected by natural disasters, and gift cards are something that can help them directly. Sometimes letting the person choose what they need the most is crucial and a GiftYa Select gift card can be a great option to let them choose. 

A GiftYa Select gift card can be used for almost anything, and someone can choose what specific vendor they want to have. Whether they want to use it for grocery shopping, to get food delivered to their home, to get the necessities, or even use it to make repairs to their home, there are over 200,000 merchants, including local places too. Once you choose the GiftYa select gift card, all you need to do is pick the amount, personalize it with a picture or video, and then send it to the recipient via text message or email.

Text a GiftYa Select gift card

Give Back to Those Who Have Been Affected By Floods with a GiftYa Gift Card and More

Floods can have devastating effects on people, their homes, and their communities, but tragedies like this make people strong and bring them together. If you know someone who has been affected by a flood, such as a loved one, or if your community has been affected, consider giving back when you can with gift cards, volunteering, or donating.

Trae Bodge

Trae Bodge is the shopping expert here at GiftYa. Trae helps people find the best deals and ideas on popular new items to purchase.

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