Iowans need to be sure before clicking to donate money to hurricane recovery

Iowans can be very generous with their donations when disaster strikes elsewhere, but they are warned to look carefully before sending money for hurricane relief.

Better Business Bureau spokeswoman Lisa Schiller says it’s smart to work with established agencies like the Red Cross that can be trusted to provide help in places like Florida and North Carolina.

“Check whether the disaster relief organization you are interested in has a local presence in the affected areas,” says Schiller. “If they don’t already have staff on site, it can honestly be difficult to provide quick assistance.”

Schiller said the best way to help most organizations is often with money, as it can be difficult to transport in-kind donations to areas with destroyed roads and no infrastructure. This is particularly true following the widespread and severe damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“Many people want to donate clothing, food or other types of donations during times like these,” she says, “and that may not really be the best way to help unless the charity is able to provide that type of help to distribute correctly.” .”

Criminals will try to take advantage of people’s goodwill during disasters, so Schiller advises being very careful if you receive a random call or social media message asking for donations.

“Go to their website and make sure they’re reputable,” she says. “Charities often appear with names very similar to those of reputable charities and a lot of confusion can arise.”

Schiller says a good way to find a reputable charity is to use the BBB’s charity tracker, Give.org.