Early Thursday, Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Cameron, Louisiana, about 35 miles east of the Texas border. It was one of the strongest U.S. storms on record.
Before Laura hit land, the National Hurricane Center warned of "unsurvivable" storm surges, but also forecast continued weakening.
Laura traveled inland from Cameron to bring destruction to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where buildings and homes were destroyed. At least four people have died so far, according to CNN.
An industrial plant also caught fire, leading to a shelter-in-place order due to heavy smoke, per the Washington Post.
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Later in the day on Thursday, Laura was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, yet rapid winds have persisted.
All of the destruction brought on so far by Laura is happening amid a pandemic (and, of course, the ongoing and escalating climate crisis).
Charity Navigator, the charity ranking site, compiled a list of organizations providing aid to those in the Gulf region impacted by Laura and other storms that have ravaged the area. You can learn more about them below.
Family Promise
Family Promise provides community-based responses to low-income families and those experiencing homelessness. The organization offers shelter, meals, case management, and other homelessness prevention and stabilization services.
In response to Hurricane Laura and Tropical Storm Marco, Family Promise is working to offer shelter as well as homelessness prevention and stabilization services to families in the Gulf region. Funds raised through this page go directly to those efforts.
Good360
Good360 provides goods like clothing and furniture to nonprofits so those nonprofits can focus on programs and services for disaster relief rather than having to raise money for essential products as well.
Good360 will work with nonprofits on the ground to distribute items like flooring and appliances to those impacted by Hurricane Laura. To fund these efforts, select Hurricane Laura on the donation page here.
GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving, an international crowdfunding community, aids nonprofits around the world in their fundraising efforts.
The organization hosts fundraisers for nonprofit partners, but GlobalGiving's own Disaster Recovery Network is raising money specifically for Hurricane Laura relief. You can donate here to provide needed emergency supplies, like water and medicine. Money raised through the Hurricane Laura Relief Fund will also provide long-term assistance to the area as needed.
All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts is a natural disaster relief organization that provides immediate response and long-term rebuilding to those impacted by natural disasters around the world.
All Hands and Hearts has a Hurricane Laura Relief effort, which you can donate to here. A representative told Mashable via email that donations will go directly to response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Laura.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross mobilizes volunteers and employees to offer crisis relief and other vital, life-saving services.
The Red Cross is on the ground in the Gulf region to assist emergency officials and community partners in providing assistance with shelters and evacuation centers. To get your donation to the Red Cross' Hurricane Laura relief, you can choose the Hurricane Laura option when you donate here, or you can text to word LAURA to 90999 to contribute $10 to relief efforts.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy helps donors further their impact by strategizing the timing and collaboration of philanthropic relief efforts.
The organization set up a recovery fund for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which includes Hurricane Laura. Donations made here will fund the rebuilding of homes, mental health services, and other services needed by vulnerable populations.
Heart to Heart International
Heart to Heart International provides crisis relief, humanitarian development, and access to health care to communities around the globe.
You can donate to Heart to Heart International's hurricane response efforts here. This will fund their hurricane response efforts more broadly, as donations go to areas with the greatest need. Mashable is awaiting response from Heart to Heart International confirming that donations currently go to Hurricane Laura.
Matthew 25: Ministries
Founded in 1991 by Reverend Wendell Mettey, Matthew 25: Ministries is an international relief organization that provides goods and needed supplies to those in need.
The organization has been responding to disasters in the Gulf region since Hurricane Katrina. Information about donations for their relief efforts in 2020 can be found here. Matthew 25: Ministries writes that donations designated for storms in the Gulf region sent either online or via mail will exclusively fund those relief efforts.
Operation USA
Operation USA is an international disaster relief and development agency focused on aiding those facing disasters, disease, poverty, and violence.
In response to Hurricane Laura, Operation USA is mobilizing to deliver aid, such as needed materials and cash grants, to community organizations that have been hard-hit. You can direct donations made here to Hurricane Laura. Additionally, Operation USA is looking for bulk corporate donations of relief supplies. You can contact [email protected] for information about that.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization, works to help those impacted by poverty or disasters and emergencies.
Every hurricane season, Direct Relief prepares hurricane prep modules in bins packed with needed essentials like wound care, nutritional supplements, and PPE. The bins are meant to serve as a "mobile pharmacy" so that healthcare providers can offer services to those in need when emergency rooms are overcrowded. You can donate to Direct Relief's efforts here.
SBP
SBP, originally called the St. Bernard Project, formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The organization works to aid disaster resilience and recovery through a variety of interventions, like rebuilding homes and advocating for reform to disaster recovery strategies.
A representative from SBP told Mashable via email that those who wish to help Hurricane Laura relief efforts can contribute to SBP's disaster response fund. (The organization is based in Louisiana.)
Americares
Americares is a relief and development organization that focuses on health in its responses for those impacted by poverty or disaster.
Americares' emergency team is on the ground in the Gulf region to provide medicine and other supplies, like PPE, to partners in the region. The team is also working with emergency management partners and others to map needed resources.
You can donate to Americares' Hurricane Laura Relief Fund here.
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