How to help Hurricane Dorian victims

As Hurricane Dorian approaches America’s southeastern, coastal states, the rest of the country is looking for ways to help.

The hurricane struck the Bahamas over the weekend, killing at least seven people and destroying thousands of homes.

Two Red Cross volunteers from Boise deployed to Florida and will help with sheltering, feeding, training services and support. A Meridian volunteer and a Boise volunteer have deployed to Georgia and will assist with safety, logistics and training.

They will be joining 1,600 other trained Red Cross volunteers working to help those affected by the storm. It costs about $1,600 to send one volunteer to a rescue mission for 11 days, according to Matt Ochsner, the regional communications director for the Idaho and Montana Red Cross. Donations can be made to the Red Cross to help fund volunteers.

“That would help cover their travel, their lodging, their food, all the resources needed to deploy them. And that money will also be used to directly help families impacted by the storm,” Ochsner said.

Yacht Aid Global is collecting money to send supplies via boats to the affected areas.

A Go Fund Me account set up by a Bahamian organization, HeadKnowles, has already gathered more than $500,000 in donations.

The Salvation Army is accepting donations online, as well as checks delivered to local offices.

Money donated will be used to help house families, provide food, replace medication and more.

“All those kind of things that people need immediately as they’re being impacted by something like this,” Ochsner said.

Here are several places you can donate to help victims of Hurricane Dorian:

The Red Cross Global Giving HeadKnowles Yacht Aid Global The Salvation Army For a list of more organizations, click here.