(CNN) — When Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, it brought 155 miles per hour winds, storm surges, flash floods and heavy rains.
But news of this coming disaster also brought charities and volunteers to the scene to help with immediate rescues and long-term recovery. You can assist these efforts by clicking the ‘Take Action’ button below or through this link.
If you are in the hurricane’s path or had to evacuate, you can let friends and family know that you are safe through the American Red Cross Safe and Well page and Facebook’s Safety Check on their Hurricane Michael Crisis Response page. Both of these tools can also be used to check on people you know in the area.
Other ways to assist
In Northwest Arkansas, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance is planing to deploy a disaster response team to Florida this week, with departure times determined sometime today (Oct. 11). The group is asking for gift cards and financial donations to ensure the response team has the fuel, supplies and materials necessary for the mission. Gift cards for fuel, Walmart, Home Depot or Lowe’s can be mailed or dropped off at the group’s national office in Rogers. The can be contacted or donations can be made via their website.
Community blood centers in the region are urging the public to donate. All blood types are needed along with platelet and plasma donors.
The American Red Cross is encouraging people to give blood. They report a critical need for both blood and platelet donations. You can make an appointment either online, through their blood donor app or by calling 1-800-733-2767.
The not-for-profit blood center OneBlood, can be found in almost all of the counties in Florida and in the southern regions of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. You can search for their blood drives here, or by calling 1-888-936-6283.
Lifesafe, which serves hospitals in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, provides an online tool to find a donor center or mobile drive near you, or you can call 1-888-795-2707 to make an appointment to donate.
