On October 6, 2016, Hurricane Matthew – “the most powerful hurricane to threaten the Atlantic Seaboard in over a decade” (Seattle Times, Hurricane threatens some of South’s most storied cities) – has caused great devastation to southern Haiti killing hundreds with a rising death toll expected due to the lack of water, shelter and food. Matthew, which is already the worst natural disaster since the earthquake in 2010, has pushed north where President Obama declared a state of emergency for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

According to Heifer Haiti Country Director Hervil Cherubin, “Based on the data we’re collecting from the field, we’re almost sure that in the next three to five months, we might have a food crisis. The hurricane caused a huge loss. We’re talking about millions of dollars of losses in terms of crops and animals.”

The greatest anticipated needs after a natural disaster are typically for medical assistance, shelter, clean water, and relief supplies.  The long-term needs of many communities are even more critical as communities rebuild and economies recovery.

Whenever a natural disaster strikes, one of the resources we offer our employees year-round is a one-stop list of King County Employee Giving Program nonprofits that are responding.  Workplace Giving dollars are incredibly valuable for these organizations.  They help them to plan for the unexpected and invest in long-term recovery.

The Annual Giving Drive is already underway here at King County, therefore King County employees have more resources available to them than any other time of the year to support organizations through the workplace.

King County Employees click here for pledging options

Domestic Relief

American Red Cross 9343 – The American Red Cross is working closely with the entire response community, including our government and community partners, to operate emergency shelters and coordinate readiness and response efforts to provide lifesaving relief to those in need. Since Hurricane Matthew first threatened the United States, Red Cross, and community shelters have provided nearly 70,000 overnight stays. We have mobilized over 3,000 Disaster worker (many of which are volunteers) and have activated half of our response vehicle fleet. The Disaster Response and Recovery are just underway. Read full bulletin update here.

Caribbean Relief

American Red Cross 9343 – The American Red Cross is working closely with the Haitian Red Cross to get much-needed supplies to people in need. Three American Red Cross teams in Haiti pre-deployed to the affected areas are currently distributing a first round of life-saving relief supplies, including hygiene (cooking) kits, and cholera-prevention kits. Will deploy two Disaster Response Specialists to assist the IFRC and ARC field staff with emergency operations. Delegation staff are directly engaged with the Haitian Red Cross branches in the South, West, and Northwest departments, providing technical, logistical and financial support. Will be playing a lead role in the coordination of the overall distribution in the country. It has received a grant from OFDA to procure and distribute additional relief supplies. ARC staff are supporting the operation remotely with Information Management and Geographic Information System (IM/GIS) support. The team is
Generators and technical infrastructure that provide high speed, broadband satellite communications for Internet or private network communications are being sent to Haiti. ARC is facilitating the procurement of additional supplies locally while international procurement is being organized.

America’s Charities 5000 – America’s Charities has partnered with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) to offer this fund as a way for donors to support mid-to-long term recovery efforts. CDP is performing in-depth research and vetting to see where funding is needed most for Hurricane Matthew-affected communities. America’s Charities will disperse donations from this fund based on CDP’s findings.

Catholic Relief Services 9441 – CRS is distributing food, water, hygiene kits, blankets, and temporary shelter materials to help the people in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Matthew.

ShelterBox USA 9683 – ShelterBox has returned to Haiti to help shelter those most in need. Currently, we have a 9 person team on the ground. They will be doing a quick survey of the most damaged areas. We have some shelter Material stored on the island from the 2010 response.

Global Impact and member charities:

A federation of U.S. based international charities, they have set-up the Hurrican Matthew Emergency Relief Fund.  Choose KCEGP Code 3500 – Global Impact to broadly support their member charities work in the Caribbean.

Global Impact and its charity partners are already on the scene and providing help throughout this disaster. Many have long-standing programs in Haiti and will continue to serve the Haitian people. Our charity partners are providing critically needed food, water, shelter, medical care, child protection and reconstruction.

Member Charities responding:

• Americares 3540
• CARE 3510
• Compassion International 3578
• Concern Worldwide US Inc. 3551
• Handicap International 3541
• Heifer International 3519
• International Medical Corps 3526
• MAP International 3581
• Medical Teams International 3582
• Mercy Corps 3505
• Oxfam America 3515
• Partners in Health 3530
• Plan International 3561
• Salvation Army World Service Office 3570
• Save the Children 3534
• SOS Children’s Village 3535
• The U.S. Fund for UNICEF 3553
• World Renew 3511
• World Vision 3564