JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Federal and state teams continue the recovery work and debris cleanup after deadly tornadoes swept through Kentucky and other states on Friday night.
If you want to help out those impacted there are a few ways to safely do so.
When you make a donation to those affected by a disaster like this you expect the money you contribute to actually go toward that cause. But scammers will often use crises like this one to set up fake fundraisers or online campaigns hoping to take advantage of people who just want to help.
Here are a few ways to be sure your donation is actually getting where it needs to be.
First, in Kentucky, the governor set up The Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund. It’s an online portal for anyone to send contributions directly to that state’s emergency relief efforts.
Also, the online fundraising platform website GoFundMe.com has made it easy. It’s compiled a list of the verified, legitimate fundraisers spread across the six affected states. You can go to the page, scroll through the different campaigns and know that each one is verified by the site.
Finally, the Red Cross is always an avenue to pitch in with donations. Specifically, its disaster relief fund.
The organization is not only collecting money but also blood.
The Red Cross said it has already provided more than 160 blood products to hospitals in the aftermath of these deadly tornadoes.
A reminder from consumer protection experts: When you’re trying to make donations to disaster relief, check to make sure the charity is registered with the secretary of state’s website. Also, thoroughly research the organization or charity before donating. And if you are asked for a donation via text or email, be sure to verify the request is actually from that charity or nonprofit and not an imposter.