Sandy Continued

Culebra Tuesday dawning

While we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and stunning moonrise, those to our north were having a very different experience with Hurricane Sandy, which is now in a post-tropical storm stage. The scope of this storm is really beyond a simple grasp and understanding, the consequences still in the making.

As we wait to hear how friends and families are doing, you might feel led to help out some of those deeply affected by the storm, that count still a long way from being in. If so, here are some tips from the Better Business Bureau on donating. It's a sad fact that there will be scams going on, but all of us in hurricane country know that while thankfully, these disasters can bring out our best, they can also bring out a more base response. Thanks to the BBB for providing this.

p.s. Good luck, Steve, Lisa and family, on getting home, and thanks for the early hour goodie delivery!

BBB Tips On How To Help Victims Of Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is predicated to cause major damage to many parts of the United States.  People from across the country will want to help by donating money to charities.  BBB wants to remind you that although these types of disasters bring out the best in people, they can also bring out the worst.

Whenever there is a major natural disaster there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of Americans to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and in some cases fraudulent charities.  Not only do Americans need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, they also need to make sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance.

BBB offers the following six tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations:

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting hurricane victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fund raising and administrative expenses.  They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but the expenses will still be incurred.
    
Be cautious when giving online.Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization.  Understand that with today’s technology a website can literally be built in an hour mimicking a legitimate charitable organization wanting to scam you out of your money.

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers to quickly provide assistance.  See if the charity’s website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.

Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations.  If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.

Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations.In-kind drives for food and clothing—while well intentioned— may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need - unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to be able to properly distribute such aid. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.