Donations of diapers, clothing, and bottled water have streamed into Texas and Louisiana from across the country for residents whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey. But despite the generous intentions of their donors, experts say these donations are not an effective way to help.
“Food or clothing rarely gets to the right people,” Michael VanRooyen, director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and professor in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told the Harvard Gazette in an August 31, 2017 article. “They rarely help, and often clog up the relief pipeline.”
An emergency physician, VanRooyen has worked in more than 30 disaster response situations. He recommended that people instead donate to local organizations in the affected area, such as the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, because they can directly deliver assistance to those in need.
If you do decide to give, donate money to trusted and established organizations with extensive experience and expertise, says Julia Brooks, legal research associate at HHI. In a September 4, 2017 article for The Conversation, Brooks recommended giving money to groups that make it clear where the money will go, and ones that will obtain supplies locally—an important way to help local economies recover.
Read Harvard Gazette article: To aid flood victims, forget goods. Send money
Read The Conversation article: Why giving cash, not clothing, is usually best after disasters
In the video below VanRooyen discusses the long-term impact of Hurricane Harvey, and ways that you can contribute to the relief effort.
Learn more
Recovery from Harvey could take years (Harvard Chan School news)