PayPal Stories Archive

At PayPal, we are committed to uniting with our employees, customers and partners to help those affected by disaster and are deeply committed to assisting those in need. Preparing for disaster can feel daunting and it can be difficult to know where to begin. The American Red Cross, Disaster Relief, and Save the Children have collaborated to provide useful recommendations to help guide your preparations.

 

Less than half of families in the U.S. have a family emergency plan. It is crucial that you have a plan of what to do in case you are separated from your family during an emergency, and what to do if you have to evacuate. Identify and practice evacuation routes from your home to a safe place. Make sure to coordinate your plan with your child’s school, your work, and your community’s emergency plans.

 

Make an “In case of emergency” card for each family member, with emergency contact and medical information. These can be vitally important if your family is separated during a disaster.

 

Prepare a kit for each family member with enough food, water, flashlight, personal hygiene items, essential medications and medical supplies, copies of important documents, special comfort items for children (teddy bear or favorite toy) and other basic supplies to last three days.

 

Be informed about what disasters or emergencies may occur where you live, work, and play and understand how to respond as safely as possible. Find out how local officials will contact you during a disaster and how you will get important information.

 

Staying informed of changing disaster and recovery conditions before, during, and after a disaster strikes will help keep you and your family safe. Follow news broadcasts, community communications, and online forums. If you are evacuated, do not return home until local authorities say that it is safe to do so. 

 

Keep a portable battery powered radio or television on hand to monitor local emergency information. Be ready to act if a disaster warning is issued.

 

People can help by staying informed, raising awareness of the situation by sharing updates and insights, giving blood, volunteering for recovery efforts, and offering words of encouragement and support.

 

Get trained in First Aid and CPR/ AED skills so you can help in case emergency help is delayed.

 

Give to organizations that help, disaster relief organizations depend on the generosity of donors like you. Donations enable these organizations to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from unexpected events big and small. Please consider donating to a disaster relief charity today. To ensure that 100% of your contribution goes toward relief efforts, PayPal will cover the costs associate with your donation made here.

 

In 2017, the American Red Cross mobilized 56,000 disaster workers to over 242 significant disasters in 45 states and three territories. When asked to reflect on the year of 2017, Brad Kierserman, vice president of Disaster Operations and Logistics, shared these three main takeaways: “First, our experience reaffirmed, the foundation of effective disaster relief is top notch logistics—that is why we’ve made some important investments in our infrastructure; second, we made tremendous use of our data visualization and analytics system: RC View. Third, after deploying over 56,000 volunteers in 2017, we have an even deeper appreciation for the importance of taking care of the folks who take care of others.”

 

For its part, Direct Relief responded to each 2017 disaster by supporting local healthcare providers and leaders, to understand the situation on the ground, assess immediate healthcare needs for victims, and respond quickly and efficiently with help. Direct Relief puts an emphasis on helping those affected by disasters navigate moving from emergency response to emergency recovery. Direct Relief has expanded its hurricane preparedness program this year, sending medicine and supplies to over 50 clinics and health centers in the United States, as well as to hospitals across 13 countries.

 

Save The Children is always read for disaster season. With a history of humanitarian crisis response spanning over 100 years, Save The Children has responded to every major U.S. disaster since Hurricane Katrina. When disasters strike, Save the Children is on the ground meeting the immediate needs of children in shelters, restoring access to early education services, and ensuring children and their caregivers have access to the social and emotional supports they need to cope and recover. Save the Children continues to lead recovery programs in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico following Hurricane’s Harvey, Irma and Maria and is committed to helping communities and education program build back better and socially and emotionally recover from the storms.