PENNSYLVANIA, USA — In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, thousands of people across six states are still struggling to find solid ground.
While individuals and businesses across central Pennsylvania have jumped into action, emergency management agencies are warning that the help they’re providing may be stopping crews from performing other lifesaving measures in the interim.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner stated, “If you are working on a donation to an affected area, please pause those efforts until further notice.”
Officials say the message came from emergency management agencies in the states affected as many areas are unable to accept, store and distribute the goods in the aftermath of the storm damage.
“The generosity in the form of donated equipment and supplies from around the country is currently overwhelming many of the emergency services operating in affected areas,” the post said.
“It does take time and money to store sort and clean and distribute donated items,” said Laura Burke with the Central Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross.
Both time and money are resources that many of the affected areas are in short supply of.
But some organizations have found ways to help without halting their efforts, including the Lancaster-based company Alliance Towing.
Kody Bell is the assistant general manager for the towing company and has helped put together a supply drive for the people in Old Fort, North Carolina. This is about 30 minutes away from Asheville, one of the areas hit hardest by Helene.
Bell explained that despite the pause on products, he and his team have direct contact with the groups of people they’re helping, making it easier to coordinate a donation drop off and consolidate the products they’re collecting to the specific needs of the community.
“Our list of supplies is a lot shorter than other ones. So we’re trying to keep to what they’re asking for, what they can accept and what they do need,” Bell said.
The company will drive three truckloads of supplies to those in need on Friday with the help of other local partners and has opened six donation locations in central Pennsylvania for people in the community to contribute to.
For those who don’t have direct contact with those in need, monetary donations to disaster relief groups can also help communities rebuild after Helene.
“The Red Cross is really asking right now for financial donations because, for example, they can be used right away to directly help those affected,” Burke stated.
But overall, she says the best donation you could give right now is your time.
“Our volunteers on average are there a minimum of two weeks for their deployment, and what we need the most of is our shelter volunteers,” Burke said.
The Red Cross has deployed more than 1,000 disaster responders to provide aid. With nine volunteers from central Pennsylvania already and another truckload of manpower expected to deploy on Thursday, the organization is always looking for more volunteers across Pennsylvania for the long road to recovery that many states are facing.
“We’re going to be responding for weeks and months to come, so by volunteering today and applying to volunteer today, you’re still going to be able to get the chance to get out there and make a big difference in people’s lives,” said Burke.