Forecasters predicted an active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. And so far, it has lived up to the prediction. The season kicked off in late June with Hurricane Beryl, which went on to become the earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 status. Then, more recently, five hurricanes occurred between September 26 and October 6, 2024. The reality of climate change is providing the perfect fuel for more intense storms like Helene and Milton.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 27, 2024, as the first Category 4 hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend since records began in 1851. The Southeastern region of the United States is still reeling from the lasting effects of this historic and catastrophic storm. Over two hundred people lost their lives as a result of this epic storm and that number is expected to continue to rise.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast late on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, as a Category 3 hurricane. Millions were ordered to evacuate as the Category 3 storm was expected to bring huge storm surges, damaging winds, torrential rains, and expansive flooding.
The full extent of the damage of these historic storms will not be known for many weeks or months.
Unscrupulous charities will sometimes use disasters as a money grab to raise funds for unrelated causes. CharityWatch does not add just any charity to our disaster alerts. We sort through the marketing fluff of charities to find out what specific aid is being provided to victims before adding an organization to our list. This list will be updated as new information becomes available.
The charities listed below are Top-Rated by CharityWatch for spending at least 75% of their cash budgets on programs; for maintaining fundraising efficiency of $25 or less to raise each $100 in cash donations; and for meeting CharityWatch’s governance & transparency benchmarks.
Donors Beware
Scammers will exploit your feelings of empathy and compassion during times of crisis as a means of siphoning donations away from legitimate charities and into their own pockets. Read CharityWatch’s advice for avoiding charity frauds and scams:
5 Tips For Avoiding Charity Frauds & Scams
10 Tips For Giving In a Crisis
How “Psychic Numbing” Stops Us From Giving
Crowdfunding: The Wild West of Charitable Giving
ATTENTION: The charities listed in this alert were Top-Rated by CharityWatch at the time of
its publication. CharityWatch updates our ratings throughout the year. To see
if a particular charity is currently Top-Rated, please click on its name,
below.