Severe Weather Check-in!

[dark_crystal]

Originally Posted by dark_crystal

I am suspended from twitter because i was searching all of the tweets saying we should be denied aid (because our Senators voted against Sandy aid) and telling the tweeters "fuck you from Houston"

It seemed like a good way to pass the time but i got reported three tweets in



now i am bored again

I posted a screenshot of my county's very blue election returns and a man has helpfully explained to me that those were presidential returns and not senatorial and therefore I should not assume that my county did not vote for Ted Cruz

Wow thanks

[FireSignFemme]

When situations like this occur I wait a bit before rushing to donate. This because after major disasters the recovery period tends to be long and drawn out. Typically charitable organizations are flooded with donations during and immediately after the crisis but as time wears on, often the assistance only comes trickling in or dries up altogether. I give to organizations that are able to give a good account of where the dollars donated are going and those who are able to prove the majority of the funds they receive are going directly to those in need, rather than mostly to the big wig execs running the show.

There are a lot of charity watch groups that can be found online/researched offline in advance, so when disaster strikes I know where to contribute. It's not a one shot thing. Charities can be well run, budgeted, staffed – trusted one year, and then go bust, turn corrupt or simply fail in their mission due to inexperience despite good intentions or how longstanding the next. If unsure about where to donate/give to (because some years despite good intentions I do neglect to do my research) then I usually contribute to a collection center requesting actual physical items rather than money be donated. I buy disaster relief items when I see them on sale for very little. That way even if I am broke I'm able to do at least a little something to help.

Donations like this tend to be banked. When a disaster strikes they will send relief from existing stock to the hard hit areas. New donations are then used to replenish what has been sent to the area that has currently been hit. That way there will be stock on hand when disaster later hits elsewhere that can be distributed without delay, pause. It's important to do some research in advance to determine what a bank of this type collects, where they donate to, and how. For example if they choose to gift to a well run domestic violence shelter or well rated orphanage, but also give to organizations that discriminate against other populations I care about then I'm not going to donate items, but if all checks out to my satisfaction I will.

Here are some links to charity ranking groups/sites. I haven't gone through each one/all the charities listed on them. These are just examples to show what rating groups do. If suggestions a watchdog group, or recommendations from friends fail to suit, there are many more ranking sites online to help me chose a charity to support, give to, help.

https://www.charitywatch.org/home

https://www.charitynavigator.org/

https://www.consumerreports.org/char...our-donations/

[Bèsame*]

I woke to a break in the rain, to take over much needed meds to Blaze. He is now on Code Grey, evacuating patients.
I was able to join the crowd of people at the grocery store this morning. I need cat food, plus I had taken more food to Blaze from my stash. I'm sitting here with no power going on an hour and listening to the loud roar of a generator downstairs. (Some comfort).

I'm going to take the trash out and charge my phone in my car.