OEM TIP OF THE WEEK: GET PREPARED. GET INVOLVED.
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared March Red Cross Month. Nearly seven decades later, more than half a million people volunteer for the American Red Cross each year. Keeping with the spirit of volunteerism, OEM encourages New Yorkers to volunteer in their communities.
Many of the tips in the Ready New York guide are designed to help you and your household. Here’s what you can do to help the City recover from all kinds of emergencies.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER:
It is best to affiliate with a recognized disaster volunteer organization such as the American Red Cross in Greater New York, New York Cares or The Salvation Army or join CERT before a disaster happens. Getting involved with a disaster volunteer organization before an emergency will increase your ability to help when help is needed.
After a disaster, before going directly to volunteer at a relief organization, hospital or a disaster site, wait for instructions from local officials, or check with specific organizations.
Be patient. In the immediate disaster response period there are often many people waiting to volunteer. There may be a greater need for volunteers during the recovery period, weeks and months after disaster strikes.
Following a disaster, the New York Cares website will help serve as a central location with information for both volunteers looking to help and agencies with volunteer needs. In April 2003, New York Cares and OEM signed an agreement designating New York Cares as the lead NYC agency to manage and mobilize spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers.
To learn about additional disaster preparedness volunteer opportunities, see the Citizen Corps information page.
MAKE A DONATION:
Making a financial contribution to a volunteer agency involved in disaster relief is often the most sensible and efficient way of helping people in need after a disaster:
Relief agencies will often spend the money in the local disaster area thus helping the local economy get back on its feet.
Cash donations avoid the complicated, costly, and time-consuming process of collecting, sorting, packing, transporting, unloading, resorting, storing, repackaging, and distributing donated goods.
Cash donations allow relief agencies to make purchases that precisely meet victims’ needs or to provide vouchers for people to purchase what they need.
Cash donations to recognized relief organizations are tax deductible.
Before donating any goods, including food or clothing, wait for instructions from local officials or check with a specific organization. Unneeded items overwhelm the recovery effort and may go to waste.
Visit the NYC Aidmatrix Portal to offer a donation to a non-profit organization involved in disaster response and recovery
GIVE BLOOD
New York City needs approximately 2,000 people to donate blood every day to maintain its supplies. Blood reserves are perishable and constantly needs to be replenished. Donating blood is a great way to contribute to the emergency preparedness of the City as a whole. One pint of donated blood can save up to three lives, and one out of every three people will need a life-saving transfusion at some point in their lifetimes. Contact NY Blood Center to get involved.
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