To help survivors of recent disasters donate to the Governor's Emergency Relief Fund
Alabama Governor's Office of Volunteer Services
INCREASING THE ETHIC OF SERVICE AND VOLUNTEERISM ACROSS ALABAMA
January 12
Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds and Tornadoes
Disaster Assistance:
FEMA
January 12 Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds and Tornadoes Survivors in Autauga, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Greene, Hale, Mobile, Morgan, Sumter and Tallapoosa Counties can contact FEMA for Disaster Assistance.
FEMA Registration Deadline for Individual Assistance closed on March 16, 2023. To check the status on a previously submitted claim, visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
How to reach FEMA:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov or DisasterAssistance.gov/es (for Spanish)
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Call 800-621-3362. The helpline is open, and help is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week, in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
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Download the FEMA Mobile App in English and Spanish.
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U.S. Small Business Administration
The application deadline for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest physical disaster loan has passed.
The deadline for small business owners to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) is Oct. 16, 2023.
You may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Paper applications may be requested by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
Other Assistance:
2-1-1 is a free, easy to remember number to dial for information about health and human service organizations in your community. Are you facing difficult times and don’t know where to turn? Are you looking for help with everyday needs? Do you want to volunteer? By dialing 2-1-1, information is much easier to find. Dial 2-1-1 or text or call 1-888-421-1266 from anywhere in Alabama, or visit http://www.211connectsalabama.org/
If you are an organization providing resources, please call 2-1-1 or call 1-888-421-1266.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Disaster Volunteer Opportunities:
Below is a listing of current volunteer needs. Please contact the organizations directly if you are interested in volunteering. Also note that recovery from a disaster often takes a very long time and volunteers will be needed in the weeks, months, and even years ahead.
Dallas County - Call 334-874-2515 or 334-553-2333 to volunteer.
Coosa County - Call 256-935-9561 or email CoosaLTR@gmail.com to volunteer.
Donate to relief efforts:
DONATION RELIEF FUNDS
Selma Recovery Funds, in partnership with Blackbelt Community Foundation – supporting citizens of Selma.
United Way of Selma & Dallas, supported by United Way of Central Alabama – supporting Selma and Dallas County.
Black Belt Community Foundation - Communities Helping Communities (Disaster Relief) – supporting communities throughout the Black Belt.
Central Alabama Community Foundation – supporting several disaster relief funds.
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Autauga County Disaster Relief Fund – will support citizens of Autauga County.
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Elmore County Disaster Relief Fund - will support citizens of Elmore County.
Lake Martin Area United Way (Tornado Relief) - supporting Coosa and Tallapoosa Counties
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is a coalition of non-profit and faith-based, public and private organizations and agencies that respond to disasters by bringing all available resources together to assist those impacted by disasters. VOADs provide a forum promoting cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration that fosters a more effective delivery of services to disaster affected communities.
Alabama Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ALVOAD)
To support those who respond to disasters consider one of the following Alabama Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ALVOAD) member agencies:
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief
Baldwin County VOAD
Calhoun County VOAD
Civil Air Patrol Alabama Wing
Coffee County ROCC/VOAD
Compassion Coalition of Tuscaloosa County
Covington County VOAD
Cullman County VOAD
Elmore County VOAD
Etowah County VOAD
Family Guidance Center of Alabama
Good Shepherd UMC
Hope Animal Assisted Crisis Response
Jefferson/Shelby County VOAD
Legal Services of Alabama
Madison County VOAD
Marshall County Commission
Mobile County VOAD
Morgan County VOAD
North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church
Operation Blessing International
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
The Alabama-West Florida Conference United Methodist Church
Tuscaloosa VOAD
United Way of East Central Alabama/1st Call for Help
United Way of Northwest Alabama
United Way of Selma & Dallas County
United Way of Southwest Alabama
Walker County VOAD
Helpful tips for Donating:
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Cash is best! –This allows relief organizations to purchase exactly what items are needed to assist in the response and recovery efforts. Funds will also provide direct victim assistance.
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Confirm the Need Before Collecting – Donors should be wary of anyone who claims that “everything is needed.” Many groups have been disappointed that their efforts and the goods they collected were not appreciated. A community hit by disaster, however, does not have the time, manpower or money to sort and dispose of unneeded donations. Get precise information and confirm the need before collecting any donated goods.
Helpful tips for Volunteering:
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Call 2-1-1 to register to volunteer
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Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Immediately following a disaster, a community can become easily overwhelmed by the amount of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
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Be safe: Do not self-deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.
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Be patient: Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.