How Not to Help in Hurricane Helene
Bob Mitchell, Adventist Community Services and Disaster Response coordinator for the Potomac Conference, shared the following to help encourage people how to best help those impacted by Hurricine Helene:
It is appreciated that our members are so giving and supportive of those in need. However, it is requested that all collection efforts be coordinated for best results.
There are frequent national and state Zoom calls and direct communication with local and state government officials that include our Potomac Conference ACS Disaster Re- sponse Coordinator. There are also official news releases by the governments of the states involved, including Virginia.
PLEASE do NOT begin any collection process until we receive official information regarding needs and access to the affected are- as.
It is recognized that some of our members already know people in the other states, especially North Carolina, and want to help them as quickly as possible. REMEMBER— North Carolina has officially stated that they do not want anyone traveling in Western NC so they can more efficiently continue the assessment and cleanup work.
All the efforts to collect, ship, and distribute donated goods must be done in a manner that complies with federal regulations. This is to be sure the donations are used as the donor intends. This involves paperwork and recordkeeping during the overall process.
When we have official needs lists from our counterparts in the other states, especially North Carolina and Tennessee, that information will be shared. General collections usually create problems on the receiving end. Only collect the items specifically requested. Right now, that would seem to be “anything and everything”. However, there must be appropriate capacity to receive, properly store, and distribute the donated items.
While this process may seem slow, and burdensome, it has proven to be the best way in the end, so donations do arrive at the intend- ed destination in good condition, and will be distributed to the intended survivors.
So, you are strongly requested to not begin any collection effort before coordinating your effort with our Conference ACS Coor- dinator. Contact information for Mitchell is here.
Thank you for your cooperation. Continue to pray for all the responders and survivors, and you will be notified when your assistance can best benefit those who need it.
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