The CGI Community Responding to Hurricane Helene – How You Can Help
Last week, Hurricane Helene struck the United States, causing widespread devastation, wind damage, and severe flooding across the entire Southeast. According to the Associated Press, as of October 1 more than 130 people have died, with hundreds more missing and entire communities stranded and in need of critical assistance.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) community has already started mobilizing in response to these needs. If you’re looking to support work already helping communities across the Southeast, please learn more about these efforts below.
Airlink
Airlink partners with humanitarian relief organizations and aviation and logistics partners, to manage the transport requirements of NGOs to disaster areas from first to last-mile delivery. Airlink is currently collaborating with airline and logistics partners to deliver essential airlift and logistical support to responding NGO partners in the wake of Hurricane Helene, ensuring that aid reaches the right places promptly. Airlink is facilitating flights for expertly trained personnel including emergency responders, health professionals, logisticians, and additional programmatic staff to arrive on the ground as quickly as possible.
Learn more about Airlink’s efforts here.
All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts is a volunteer-powered organization that serves the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by disasters. They have already deployed teams across Florida and North Carolina to address the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene, and are actively working to assess damage, remove debris and clear hazardous trees to restore safety and access. All Hands and Hearts is launching a 12-month response to Hurricane Helene, and raising funds to support the long-term recovery of these devastated communities.
Learn more about the work of All Hands and Hearts here.
Americares
Americares is a relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by disasters. Americares is on the ground in Florida responding to Hurricane Helene, meeting the health needs in the hardest-hit communities, while also deploying a response team to North Carolina to support the relief efforts in the western part of the state near the Tennessee border. The teams are ready to deliver medicines and relief supplies and provide emergency funding to support the restoration of health services. Americares has offered assistance to 360 clinic partners across the affected region.
Learn more about the work of Americares here.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is a nonprofit helping large and small donors maximize their impact through expert resources and community-driven grantmaking. This week, CDP is mobilizing funders and partners including the Council on Foundations, The Funders Network, Philanthropy Southeast, and Florida Philanthropic Network to advise on the most effective ways to get funding to front-line relief efforts. Join this seminar here. Additionally, CDP operates a Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund, that supports the medium- and long-term needs of hurricane-affected people and communities including in the wake of Helene.
Learn more about CDP’s efforts here.
CORE – Community Organized Relief Effort
CORE is a relief organization that responds immediately to support communities in and beyond crisis. CORE has joined forces with local emergency management agencies and the National Guard to provide humanitarian support, quickly mobilizing in Georgia then expanding into North Carolina. CORE teams in Georgia have already reached approximately 11,000 people and counting with hygiene kits, tarps, drinking water, ready to eat meal kits and other critical resources.
Learn more about CORE’s efforts here.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief works in the US and internationally to deploy access to medicine and healthcare to communities in crisis. Direct Relief this week committed an initial $250,000 in financial support to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Direct Relief has shipped and continues to mobilize medical aid for local organizations, including health organizations in Florida, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina, which have requested emergency support, including field medic packs, which include first aid essentials and personal care kits, containing hygiene items including soap and shampoo, for people displaced by the storms.
Learn more about Direct Relief’s efforts here.
GoFundMe
GoFundMe, a direct giving platform, has launched a hub for nonprofits that are mobilizing in response to Hurricane Helene. They have a Trust and Safety Team verifying individual fundraisers, and their hub currently has more than 1,000 individual verified relief fundraisers for immediate emergency relief and long-term recovery.
Visit GoFundMe’s Hub for Hurricane Helene here.
World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen (WCK) provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. WCK’s Relief Team is responding to communities affected by Hurricane Helene. Multiple WCK food truck partners and our new Rapid Response Field Kitchen were pre-positioned to provide hot meals quickly after the storm had passed. WCK is currently responding in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee to serve communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.