Oklahoma Tornadoes - Disaster Assistance and How You Can Help

Oklahoma Tornadoes - From the USA.Gov Blog:

For Disaster Victims

The following resources are available to people who were impacted by the Oklahoma tornadoes:

• Apply for disaster assistance at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
• Find an open shelter if you need a place to stay.
• Let friends and family know you’re safe by registering at the Safe and Well Registry.
• Talk to a counselor by calling the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. It’s free and confidential.

How to Help Disaster Victims

If you want to help the disaster victims, the State of Oklahoma has donation information available at OKStrong.

Prepare for Tornadoes

Tornadoes can strike at any time. Learn how to stay safe during tornado season and download the Red Cross tornado app for your mobile phone.

Disaster Recovery Scams Prey on Victims and Donors

From the USA.gov Blog:

Disaster Recovery Scams Prey on Victims and Donors:
Scams often follow disasters. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns to expect scams that prey on disaster victims in need of assistance and generous Americans hoping to contribute to the recovery. Here’s how to protect yourself.

For people considering donating:

• Donate to charities you know and trust. Be alert for charities that seem to have sprung up overnight.
• Look closely at the names of the organization. Some fake charities try to gain your trust by using names that are similar to legitimate charitable organizations.
• Ask if the caller is a paid fundraiser, who they work for, and what percentage of your donation goes to the charity and to the fundraiser. If you don’t get a clear answer or don’t like the answer you get, consider donating to a different organization.
• Do not give out personal or financial information – including your credit card or bank account number – unless you know the charity is reputable.
• Never send cash. You can’t be sure the organization will receive your donation, and you won’t have a record for tax purposes.
• Don’t donate to unknown individuals that post their needs on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. They may actually be fake victims.
• Check out a charity before you donate. Contact the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance at www.give.org.

Find out how to donate effectively and safely.

Homeowner victims:

Fraudsters target disaster-affected areas, hoping to cash in on property owners’ insurance settlements and financial relief from the federal government. Home and business owners who need to hire a contractor should:

• Check the contractor’s identification, and references as well as licensing and registration requirements.
• Ask for copies of the contractor’s general liability and worker’s compensation insurance.
• Avoid paying more than the minimum in advance.
• Deal with reputable people in your community.
• Beware if the contractor comes door-to-door or seeks you out
• The FTC’s 3 Day Cooling Off rule gives you three business day to cancel home repair work, without penalty.
• Call local law enforcement and the Better Business Bureau if you suspect a con.

How to Safely Donate to Disaster Relief

How to Safely Donate to Disaster Relief:From USA.gov


Dept. of Defense photo of U.S. military members helping Japanese citizens clean up a park in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami.

"Many places are taking donations to help the disaster relief efforts in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami that took place on March 11. As donations to help the victims flow in, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) warns that con-artists are quick to try and scam generous givers.

Here are some tips from the IC3 to help you avoid becoming a scam victim:

• Check to see if the charity is legitimate by visiting their website directly. Don’t use through any questionable links you may have been sent.
• Verify that the charity of your choice is a non-profit organization that will use your donation to help the cause.
• Do not give out your personal or financial information to anyone soliciting contributions or you could become a victim of identity theft.

More tips for safe donating.

If you are looking to donate to the disaster relief efforts going on in Japan, use the tools recommended by the Federal Trade Commission to research your charity of choice.
"

Send Money to Effective Oil Spill Charities and Avoid Scams [Giving]

Send Money to Effective Oil Spill Charities and Avoid Scams [Giving]: From LifeHacker: "As oil continues to flow in the Gulf of Mexico, organizations helping to heal, assist, and rescue need regular help. Here are trusted, checked-out charities you can donate to, and tips on avoiding less helpful groups and outright scams.

Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video.

As was the case when earthquakes ravaged Haiti, a lot of fast-acting organizations, both new and existing, mobilized to help, but some were inefficient, some non-specific about where funds were headed, and some outright scams.

The U.S. Better Business Bureau (BBB) offers a list of 13 agencies working in the Gulf that meet the corporate responsibility agency's Wise Giving Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability. We've listed, and properly linked, those 13 firms below. If you'd like the BBB's findings on expenditures, governance, and reputation of each charity, hit the link at this post's bottom for individual reports.

• American Bird Conservancy


• Defenders of Wildlife


• Ducks Unlimited


• EarthShare


• Environmental Defense Fund


• Friends of the Earth


• Greenpeace Fund


• International Fund for Animal Welfare


• National Audubon Society


• National Wildlife Federation


• Natural Resources Defense Council


• Nature Conservancy


• Oceana

The BBB is not a perfect arbiter of justice and fair-minded spending, mind you, but its research on national-scale charities seems fairly sound.

If you're looking to donate or offer help to an organization not on the list, or not widely known in general, consider the advice we compiled in avoiding scams during the early stages of Haiti's crisis. We're reprinting it here, in abbreviated form:

• Send money, not stuff. Charity organizations can use your financial help to restock their supplies, but sending clothes, food, or other items is, at best, misguided.


• Charity Navigator is an independent evaluator of non-profits and aid organizations has a list of gulf-related groups that have attained three- or four-star ratings from their studies, and are generally considered trustworthy and efficient.


• If you first see an offer to donate or pledge money online or through a specialized text message online, through Facebook, or in a mass email, be sure to do a good bit of research into the group and the specific offer.


• Check out any group you're not entirely familiar with (and some you are) at The Foundation Center web site, where you can look up that group's most recent tax filing and non-profit status.

If you've found a great group that's helping heal the Gulf coast and wildlife after the Gulf spill, be sure to tell us about it in the comments. Where else have you been able to have an impact?

Gulf Oil Spill Recovery: Tips for Donors and Volunteers [BBB News Center via The Consumerist]

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Support the Gulf Recovery

Support the Gulf Recovery: From GovGab: "Whether you live near the Gulf of Mexico or not, there are ways that you can help the region and its wildlife recover from the oil spill.
If you want to help the animals affected by the spill, remember that cleaning oiled wildlife is complex and can be dangerous. It requires training, so don’t try to rescue wildlife on your own. If you are in the Gulf region and want to work on rehabilitating wildlife, there are organizations that can train you.

If you’re not able to offer direct assistance, you can always send donations to the organizations that are on the ground and working on the spill.

As with every disaster, there are scams that arise to take advantage of those that are eager to donate and support worthy causes. Be wise and be careful about where you’re sending your hard earned money. If you think you've found a fraudulent charity, report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud by calling (866) 720-5721. The line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week."