The Best Way To Help
This email came in this morning. If any of your readers or listeners are interested in helping the folks suffering from the effects of the recent tornadoes in Missouri could you please share this information. Thank you.
Good afternoon everyone!
I'm currently working in FEMA's National Response Coordination Center in support of the disaster operation in Joplin MO. As a member of the donations management community, your help is requested in getting a strong donations message out to facebook and Twitter networks, your friends, family and colleagues, and partner organizations that unsolicited donations of "stuff" (e.g. used clothing, miscellaneous food items, household goods) are NOT needed. The community is now facing a situation where the management of these donations is taking attention, focus, and energy away from relief activities.
The message that FEMA and the state of Missouri wish to have distributed is:
* Cash is best. It doesn't need to be sorted, stored or distributed, and cash allows the receiving voluntary agency to direct the donation to the needs that most urgently need addressing. Go to www.aidmatrix.org/fema and click on "Missouri" for links to voluntary agencies helping on the ground. * For information on other ways to help go to: www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/howtohelp.shtm.
Thanks for your help!
Susan Jensen
NRCC Desk (202) 646-2452
Cell Phone (312) 622-0559
The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, and local resources to protect the public during disasters and emergencies. RIEMA helps develop plans for effective response to all hazards, trains emergency personnel, provides information to families and communities, and assists in recovery from disaster losses. You can learn more about RIEMA by visiting the RIEMA homepage at www.riema.ri.gov