09/30/2024
As communities in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina begin to realize the impacts of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene, it's crucial to come together and support one another. For a start. here are some resources for volunteering and assistance:
Volunteer Opportunities
1. American Red Cross of Tennessee and North Carolina
- Red Cross Volunteer: https://www.redcross.org/volunteer
- Sign up to help with shelter operations, recovery efforts, and other vital services.
2. United Way of Greater Knoxville
- United Way Knoxville https://www.unitedwayknoxville.org
- Offers volunteer opportunities and can connect you with local agencies in need of support.
3. Community Action Agencies
- Contact local agencies in your area for volunteer opportunities related to recovery efforts.
Disaster Assistance Resources
1. FEMA Disaster Assistance
- FEMA.gov https://www.fema.gov
- Individuals affected can apply for federal assistance and find information on local disaster recovery centers.
2. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)
- TEMA https://www.tn.gov/tema
- Provides updates, recovery resources, and assistance programs specific to Tennessee residents.
3. North Carolina Emergency Management （NCEM)
- NCEmergency.gov https://www.ncdps.gov
- Access information on disaster recovery, assistance programs, and local emergency contacts.
4. Local Health Departments
- Reach out to your local health department for information on health services, shelters, and recovery resources.
5. Remote Area Medical is a mobile clinic service offering medical, dental, vision and general are for our communities.
- https://www.ramusa.org/
HURRICANE HELENE -
VITAL PUBLIC INFORMATION AND LINKS TO MAKE DONATIONS TO BENEFIT VICTIMS:
**Please read this message in its entirety for all information. This is not a complete list of organizations or public info, as I wanted to get the word out as soon as possible. More info will be added as it comes available**
*These organizations are deploying now for rescue and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene:
**NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR DONATIONS:
Operation BBQ Relief:
https://operationbbqrelief.org/
Mercury One:
https://mercuryone.org/
Operation Blessing:
https://www.ob.org/
Gideon Rescue:
https://gideonrescue.org/
Samaritan's Purse:
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/
Team Rubicon:
https://teamrubiconusa.org/
Churches of Christ:
https://www.disasterreliefeffort.org/news
Mercy Chefs:
https://mercychefs.com/
Marco Patriots:
https://www.marcopatriots.org/
**NATIONAL INFO:
FEMA Helpline
1-800-621-3362, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (in your time zone), 7 days a week. Hours may be longer during high disaster activity. If you use a video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone (CTS), or other service, give FEMA your number for that service
https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
**ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION:
Florida:
https://fl511.com/
GEORGIA:
https://511ga.org/
SOUTH CAROLINA:
https://www.511sc.org/ =7.392317422778981&lon=-80.72462271068872&lat=33.54446902822535&dmsg&rest&cams&other&cong&wthr&acon&incd&trfc
NORTH CAROLINA:
https://www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/traffic-travel/511-information/Pages/default.aspx
TENNESSEE:
https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic?features=incident,traffic&position=36.42072686,-86.02121666,11
VIRGINIA:
https://www.511virginia.org/
OHIO:
https://ohgo.com/
**EMERGECNY MANAGEMENT:
FLORIDA:
850-815-4000
https://www.floridadisaster.org/
GEORGIA:
(404) 635-7200
https://gema.georgia.gov/
NORTH CAROLINA:
919-710-8885
https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management
SOUTH CAROLINA:
803-737-8500
https://www.scemd.org/
TENNESSEE:
(615) 741-0001
https://www.tn.gov/tema.html
VIRGINIA:
(804) 267-7600
https://www.vaemergency.gov/
OHIO:
(614) 889-7150
https://ema.ohio.gov/
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Operation BBQ Relief:
https://operationbbqrelief.org/volunteer-obr/
**DIRECTORY OF ANIMAL SHELTERS:
FLORIDA:
https://www.causeiq.com/directory/animal-shelters-list/florida-state/
GEORGIA:
https://www.healthycanines.org/georgia-animal-shelters
NORTH CAROLINA:
https://www.bringfido.com/resource/animal_shelters/state/north_carolina/
SOUTH CAROLINA:
https://www.bringfido.com/resource/animal_shelters/state/south_carolina/
TENNESSEE:
https://www.causeiq.com/directory/animal-shelters-list/tennessee-state/
VIRGINIA:
https://www.bringfido.com/resource/animal_shelters/state/virginia/
**MISC:
Florida Commerce Private Sector Hotline: 850 815-4925 for help with assessing damage. You can also self-report physical and economic damage caused by Hurricane Helene at floridadisaster.biz by selecting Hurricane Helene in the dropdown menu. Survey responses will allow the state to expedite Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.
United Way's 211: Calling 211 can connect you with a wide array of help available to you. You can get info on school closures, food and nutrition programs, financial aid, natural disaster relief and much more, including referral to local social services.
American Red Cross: 800-733-2767. The Red Cross has already moved relief supplies, volunteers and food into the state and opened shelters. You can also get help finding loved ones missing because of the storm, get more information here.
Disaster Legal Hotline: 833-514-2940. Available for eligible residents 24/7 to help you manage FEMA assistance, small business assistance, insurance claims, contractor issues and more.
Hurricane Crisis Clean Up Hotline: 844-965-1386. Volunteer organizations will remove storm debris and assist with other storm clean up at no charge.
Salvation Army Florida: 800-SAL-ARMY. The Salvation Army is ready to set up mobile feeding units for first responders and victims and trained staff and volunteers from multiple Salvation Army locations will be spreading across the state to help. Get more information at disaster.salvationarmy.org.
Samaritan's Purse hotline: 1-833-747-1234, provides free assistance for homeowners affected by Helene. Volunteers may be able to help with flood cleanup, debris removal, temporary roof tarping, etc.
Florida Baptist Disaster Relief Public Assistance: 904-253-0502 or text Helene to 27123. Free assistance to homeowners affected by Helene, volunteers can help with cleanup.
World Central Kitchen: Multiple WCK food truck partners and their Rapid Response Field Kitchen have been prepositioned in the Tallahassee area and will be providing meals to first responders and victims. You can sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for real-time updates and locations.
*Florida Insurance companies https://floir.com/docs-sf/default-source/hurricane-season-resources/pc-insurer-contacts-20240531.pdf
Donations and Support
- Monetary Donations: Consider donating to local charities and organizations actively involved in disaster relief.
- Material Donations: Contact local shelters or disaster response organizations to see what supplies they need.
- Reduced-Fee/Free Trauma-informed Treatment: If your a local acupuncturist/TCM practitioner who has the means to help. Consider doing some free or reduced-fee acupuncture for people dealing with ongoing recovery fatigue and trauma.
The road to recovery may be long, but together we can rebuild our communities. Whether through volunteering, donating, or spreading the word, every effort counts. Stay safe and support one another. Please reach out to us via messenger or email info@asacu.org to let us know how we can help.
American Society of Acupuncturists - ASA
North Carolina Society of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine （NCSAAM) Alise Beccaria
Tennessee Acupuncture Council (TAC) AlexandraRussell
Georgia Association of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (GAAAM）
Florida State Oriental Medical Association (FSOMA) (FSOMA)
Acupuncture Society of Virginia（ASVA）
