How to Help Hurricane Victims: Easy Ways to Send Them Necessities

When disasters strike, specifically natural disasters, they can leave a lot of wreckage behind, and when that happens, people we both know and don’t are the victims. Their homes can be upended, leaving future paths unknown and lots of unfortunate clean up. Hurricanes are one such natural disaster, and recently with Hurricane Helene hitting Florida hard, there’s a lot of people who are left adrift. You might be living in a place where you weren’t affected by it, and want to help. Luckily you’ve come to the right place as we’re going to go over how to help hurricane victims in small but big ways. 

One method we believe is the easiest way to help, even when you’re all the way across the other side of the country is GiftYa. GiftYa is an online service that specializes in digital gift cards from restaurants, fast food chains, famous retailers, department stores, hotels, airlines, and more. You can send up to a $250 gift card to a place that can help hurricane victims through text and/or email with a few clicks of a button.

A Lowe’s Gift Card

Experience minor property damage? Lowe’s can help you with all the supplies you need.

Buy A Lowe’s Gift Card

Unfortunately hurricanes don’t pick and choose which houses they affect, so if you know someone that has a home that was impacted by the hurricanes then you might consider getting them a gift card to a home improvement and supply store like Lowe’s. Lowe’s is a popular retail company that provides the essentials people need to help rebuild their homes in small to big ways. They can’t replace everything, but they can provide wood for damaged areas, state of the art appliances, gardening equipment, cement, tools, paint, and more. Slowly with the help of Lowe’s you can help a victim's house start to look like their own home again.

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card to Lowe’s here!

A Hotels.com Gift Card

If friends and loved ones need a place to stay, send them on their way!

Text A Hotels.com Gift Card

There are a lot of people who won’t just have minor property damage, in fact lots of people will have had their homes ruined because of the hurricane(s), so what will they do now that they don’t have a bed to sleep in at night until they get things sorted out? If they don’t have someone close by who can take them in, paying for (part of) their stay at a hotel would be massively helpful and Hotels.com is a great place to start. 

Hotels.com is a resource where you can find places to stay close by, safe away from the hurricanes, that are affordable for the victim’s family. You can search for a hotel, look at their accommodations, and book it through Hotels.com which will look for any deals to help you pay less for your stay. Find a reprieve away from the chaos with Hotels.com.

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card to Hotels.com here!

A DoorDash Gift Card

Get food delivered to you so you don’t have to worry about cooking.

Email A DoorDash Gift Card

Trying to figure out a meal plan during a natural disaster is almost impossible. And if you were hit hard by the hurricane then you might not have a kitchen to cook in. So having food delivered to you during these harder moments is super beneficial and with DoorDash they can make getting food and essentials possible. DoorDash, the online food ordering and delivery app can get you comfort foods from your favorite restaurants, groceries, and convenient store necessities. Download the app, place your order, and a Dasher will get it to you ASAP. And with a DoorDash gift card you’re able to spend less and save more time.

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card to DoorDash here!

A GiftYa Select Gift Card

Give the choice to the victims, they get to choose what gift card they need.

Text A GiftYa Select Gift Card

GiftYa Select is a relatively new invention from GiftYa and it might just be the most beneficial option for help on our guide today. If you’re unsure on how to help, but want to in some small way then a GiftYa Select Gift Card is the way to go. Instead of you choosing the business, the recipient chooses, that means they get to pick where they want a gift card from. So if they need a food gift card, they can pick from GiftYa’s many restaurants, or if they need clothes, they can pick a retailer. GiftYa’s catalog has something for every situation.

All you do is decide how much money you want to give ($5 to $250 is your range), and the customization of the card itself and what it looks like when it’s sent over. The recipient will then be able to do all of these things with said GiftYa Select card:

• Select a merchant of their choice
• Activate to a Visa, Mastercard or Amex
• Use as an eGift
• Get a Visa gift card mailed to them
• Transfer to their Zelle Account

Super helpful in trying times.

You can Purchase a GiftYa Select Gift Card from GiftYa here!

A Custom Visa Gift Card from Gift Card Granny

Don’t shop from just one store, shop from multiple- all with one card!

Send A Visa Gift Card

A limiting factor of gift cards is the fact that they normally only work for one business, and that can mean several things: you might not have a need for all that money to go to one place, it may go to waste, or the specific card isn’t exactly right for their situation.

With a Visa gift card that all changes.

Visa gift cards work like any other gift card except instead of being limited you can use the gift card at any place of business that accepts Visa. This means the recipient can use this gift card to get exactly what they need to help themselves without being limited to only using it at one place. With Gift Card Granny you can load up to $500 on the card and send it either to the person’s email or get it made as a plastic card that’s delivered via mail.

You can Purchase a Custom Visa Gift Card from Gift Card Granny here!

A Donation Guide: Where Best to Send Money and Supplies

Want to help at a larger scale? We’ve got resources and ways for that!

You might not know anyone personally whose been affected by the hurricanes but you still want to help, and there is plenty you can do on a larger scale like donating supplies to those whose homes and essentials were all taken by the hurricane’s destruction, or donating to charities and nonprofit organizations who specifically help those affected by natural disasters. 

Donating Supplies

One thing many of us take for granted in our everyday life is basic utilities and products like toothbrushes and towels, but when everything has been turned upside down on its head, you might be in need of those basic supplies. You can contact Red Cross and donate the following items to help those in need:

• Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Floss
• Medicine and First Aid Kits
• Solar Powered Batteries and Chargers
• Portable “Crank Powered” Chargers
• Deodorant and Shampoo
• Soap and Hand Sanitzer
• Disinfectant Sprays and Wipes
• Gloves, Masks, and Trash Bags
• Bottled Water and Non-perishable Foods
• Purified Water for Sanitation Usage
• Tampons and Pads
• Flashlights
• Blankets and Towels
• Baby Formula and Baby Food
• Wet Wipes and Diapers
• Cat, Dog, and other Pet Food or Feed for Farm Animals

Care for Pets

And speaking of animals, during a natural disaster like a hurricane, pets can be a major concern for homeowners, especially when real disaster strikes. If an emergency evacuation is in order and they aren’t able to get all of their furry friends out, then of course your top priority is getting them back. 

Local shelters on the ground where the hurricanes have hit are always going to help those in need and you can help volunteer looking for lost pets when the storms have ended. On a larger scale, the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is an amazing organization that looks to help bring missing pets home to their owners. 

You can Donate to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) here.

Donate to Charities (Local and Nationally)

Just like donating supplies is beneficial, donating to causes that especially help hurricane victims is beneficial. Charities and organizations both locally and nationally that get on the terf to help those on the ground. We mentioned the Red Cross before and that’s an organization that you will most likely see on the ground, but there are others and they get their supplies from donations.

Local charities will require research from you as it is dependent on where the hurricane has hit and what organizations are around to help. Though ones you can always surely count on are local Food Banks. Food Banks provide food for people who don’t have access to or can’t afford to buy sustainable meals for themselves. Local Emergency Aid is the number one place to donate your money because you know that these places are directly aiding those in need.

• Direct Relief actively helps those who are affected by hurricanes, as you can see they even have a Hurricane Relief: Hurricanes Milton & Helene page where you can see the work they put in. They are on the ground there coordinating with local and national organizations to help those impacted by the hurricanes. This resource is very helpful for those affected as of late and for future hurricanes.
• Habitat for Humanity is another organization helping those affected by natural disasters and more recently Hurricane Milton and Helene. They help build and rebuild homes for those greatly affected by the hurricanes so they can get their life back to somewhat normal.
• Americares provides disaster relief through medical help and emergency supplies. This way those whose health has been affected by the hurricane(s) can get some aid. They have Mobile Clinics and Water Systems deployed to the areas in most need.

Don’t donate to any non-vetted GoFundMe’s as there can be scammers that pop up in times of crisis like a hurricane. Donate directly to vetted charities and organizations for a more direct helpful hand.

Having a constant stream of supplies can make a major difference for hurricane aid and through donating supplies, donating your money to these organizations, and/or donating your time to get on the ground there to help out.

A GiftYa Tip:

To wrap up the article we will say the number one most important thing to keep note of is to call and ask what it is needed before sending supplies to these charities and organizations. A lot of the time people will send stuff they think hurricane victims need but in actuality they don’t and those supplies will often go to waste or thrown away. 

There are a lot of ways on how to help hurricane victims but one of the main things you can do is talk to those affected and give them what you can to help in their recovery.