How You Can Help Hurricane Florence Victims
Hurricane Florence has officially made landfall in North Carolina. The Category 1 storm has been predicted to cause severe destruction with winds of over 90 mph and an average of three inches of rainfall an hour. According to emergency officials, Florence has already caused 1,300 flight cancellations, the evacuation of a Jacksonville hotel due to a collapsed roof and over 300,000 North and South Carolina residents to lose power.
Civilians in the local area need relief, so TPG has rounded up some ways to get involved. Keep in mind, these are just a few options of many different ways to help those in need. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments section below.
Donate to the American Red Cross (and earn a 10x AA miles bonus)
American Airlines and Delta have already donated $1 million dollars each to the Red Cross for Hurricane Florence, but you can get in on the charitable action, too. So points geeks, listen up. If you donate to the American Red Cross through this link here, you can earn up to 10x American Airlines Advantage miles. Expect to see those points in 30 to 45 business days, all for a great cause. For more information on the program and partnership, click here.
Open Your Home with Airbnb
Until Oct. 1, Airbnb hosts in the affected area (Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas) are opening their homes free of charge to Hurricane Florence evacuees and disaster relief workers. So far, more than 300 hosts have posted accommodations on the Airbnb website under a zero dollar listing. You can list your property for Florence victims by visiting Airbnb.com/openhomes.
Donate your Hotel Points
With the possibility of 100,000 people left in need of shelter from Florence, now is the best time to donate your hotel rewards points. We had a member of our TPG Lounge Facebook group donate 1.5 million of his Hilton Honors points only to have Hilton Match the offer with 100 million. That could add up to 5,000 plus nights for those in need of relief!
Hilton has since announced that they will donate points up to 100 million, which leaves 98.5 million to go. With the additional points, there will be hotel availability for up to 10,000 rooms. You can donate your Hilton Honors points here. You can also donate through Hilton Honors to The Cajun Navy, Team Rubicon, American Red Cross and a gofundme posted by the original donor of the points. For more information on how to donate points, check out this article.
Donate to GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving, a global crowdfunding community that connects nonprofits, donors and companies, has launched a Hurricane Florence relief fund. Donations to the fund will support preparation and relief efforts in the form of emergency supplies like food, water and medicine, as well as long-term recovery assistance. So far, the fund has only reached $2,275 of the $5,000,000 goal and is on its third day, so get donating!
Donate to American Humane (for the animals)
American Humane is a highly-rated national nonprofit currently working to rescue animals in Hurricane Florence's path. They've already had a successful evacuation mission, relocating 72 cats from an animal shelter in South Carolina to a dry, safe location.
When donating to American Humane, 100% of your funds will go to the rescue mission. Animals in shelters are especially vulnerable during natural disasters, so these rescue missions are crucial to their protection. You can donate here.
