Hurricane Sandy: A message from OACS

The Vanderbilt Emergency Relief Coalition convened last week to discuss Hurricane Sandy and its incredible impact all over the East Coast.  According to CNN and other news outlets, Hurricane Sandy has reportedly left behind at least 108 deaths from Haiti to Canada, over eight million people have been without power, and transportation systems and other infrastructure severely damaged or ruined, among other effects.

There are several ways that we might be able to help, and the coalition began thinking about potential responses including a donations drive, a new blood drive, using revenue from a “Vandy Rocks the Vote” t-shirt coming out soon to donate to relief efforts, as well as the possibility of various student organizations and campus partners teaming up to send groups of students to various sites over spring break to work in relief.  We are looking into finding organizations and/or individuals in affected areas who can help us identify places to focus on and/or ways to help.

We are open to all suggestions and are still actively recruiting information and ideas.  If you know of students who have been affected or of ways to help, please email amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu with that information or contact.

Finally, below are some immediate ways to help.  If you hear of someone who is anxious to assist in relief efforts, you may refer them to these items or to anyone on the OACS team.  It is our hope that the Emergency Relief Coalition can work to create a unified response to this across campus, in order to make as strong an impact as possible.  Your involvement and input would be greatly appreciated in achieving this.

OACS Emergency & Disaster Response page: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/oacs/get-involved/emergency-response

more ways to help:

If you aren’t able to personally provide shelter and supplies to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, it doesn’t mean you can’t help at all. There are many organizations along the East Coast that are providing shelter, food and other supplies to victims of superstorm Sandy.

Nearly 100 Red Cross blood drives were canceled because of Sandy, so blood supplies are low in the areas affected the most. The Red Cross asks that those who can donate to schedule an appointment to give blood. The New York Blood Center is urging people to donate blood for those in the New York/New Jersey area. To donate, call 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.

One way to help is by donating to the Red Cross. All donations will provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by the storm. To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 800-Red-Cross or text the word “Redcross” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The Salvation Army has dozens of mobile feeding units and shelters along the East Coast that are working to serve thousands in the most heavily hit areas. Visitwww.salvationarmyusa.org to donate.

AmeriCares is providing medicine and other supplies to people affected by Hurricane Sandy. To donate, visitwww.americares.org.Feeding America has thousands of pounds of emergency food, water and supplies in the disaster zone that it is working to distribute to the storm’s victims. To donate, visitwww.feedingamerica.org or call 800-910-5524.

World Vision is distributing flood clean-up kits, personal hygiene items and emergency food kits to people hit by the hurricane. To donate, visit www.worldvision.org.

Save the Children is also working to provide relief to families and their children. Visit www.savethechildren.orgto donate.

Samaritan’s Purse is asking for volunteers to help storm victims. To volunteer, visit their website.