Natural disasters are a threat to human life, safety, and infrastructure. In most cases, they are predictable, some natural disasters can take you by surprise. In the past few years, natural disasters such as war, wildfires, or weather events (floods, storms, hurricanes) have destroyed infrastructure, property, and human life.
Currently, Pakistan is facing one of the worst floods in its history. Almost a thousand people have lost their lives due to floods in Pakistan while 33 million have been displaced. One-third of the country has been inundated by flooding, which took away houses, crops, livestock, and infrastructure.
The majority of flood affectees do not have access to food, clean water, clothes, shelter, medical aid, and other basic necessities. So, apart from taking flood safety measures, we should also help the people around us.
If you want to help disaster victims, Graana.com, Pakistan’s smartest property portal, has listed the most effective ways to help disaster victims.
Effective Ways to Help Disaster Victims
Here are some ways to help the victims of these baneful floods.
Donate to Relief Organizations
The most effective way to help any disaster victim is by donating to relief organisations. Donating in the form of cash is the most helpful way. If you are unable to donate money, then you can donate clothes, food, and medical aid.
If you are donating goods, make sure the items are on the donatable list. Donating unrequested items and supplies will be of no use and may even bring more harm than good to the victims. Also, sorting unnecessary goods can be very costly and time-consuming for relief workers.
There are many well-known non-profit organisations to donate to. Always do your proper research before contributing to any organisation to check its authenticity.
Here is the list of well-reputed organizations to donate to.
- Transparent Hands Trust
- Edhi Foundation
- Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital
- Chhipa Welfare Association
- Aurat Foundation
- Shahid Afridi Foundation
- Ansar Burney Trust
- Darul Sukun
- Minhaj Welfare Foundation
- Aga Khan Foundation
- Al-Khidmat Foundation
- EHSAS
- Fatimid Foundation
- Fauji Foundation
- Khushaal Pakistan
Organise a Fundraiser
If you want to help disaster victims directly, then another way to help them is by planning or arranging a fundraiser. You can take the help of existing organisations regarding eligible donation items. You can work with a group to raise funds and donations.
You can collect donations by asking your friends, selling edible items, awareness walks, and sports events. Also, mosques, churches, temples, and hospitals are the best places to organise a fundraiser event.
Volunteer to Help
If you like to do social work, one of the easiest ways to help during a natural disaster is to volunteer. Find an organization and submit an application to volunteer with and donate your time.
You can help with distributing goods and food, cooking food for victims, organising donated items, responding to emails and calls, collecting donations, rescuing people, setting up medical camps, and helping with the provision of shelters.
Donate Blood
Another way to help the affectees is by donating blood at a blood bank. If you are eligible for blood donation, contact the local blood bank to donate.
This can be of great importance to the affectees of natural disasters. You can save a life during this kind of time, as your blood can be held in reserve and can be used when required.
You are eligible for blood donations if you meet these two requirements:
- Your age is between ages 18 and 65 years.
- You do not have any blood-transmitted disease.
Social Media Awareness
In today’s digital age of technology, social media is of immense importance when it comes to awareness. Spreading words through the medium of social media can even have a greater impact than a donation itself.
You can share posts and stories on popular social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. Engaging with posts and stories can also increase the effectiveness of the campaigns by reaching out to a maximum number of people.
Moreover, you can use trending hashtags to spread awareness and grow the conversation.
Offer Shelter to Displaced Families
If you have extra or spare space at your house, you can offer help to disaster victims by offering them immediate shelter.
This is one of the most effective ways to help victims. You can post online or inform organizations to link you with victims.
Donate Clothes and Supplies
Floods in general and flash floods in particular often catch residents off guard, requiring them to evacuate on an emergency basis. That is why non-governmental organizations often request people to donate clothes and food items.
Moreover, we as a nation need to take radical steps to curb the adverse effects of climate change and flood risk. We need to see how we can prevent floods in Pakistan.
These are some of the steps that can be taken to help flood affectees. To read more on how you can help, visit Graana blog.
