Six Things You Can Do To Help Hurricane Sandy Victims

One week has passed since <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/hurricane-sandy/">Hurricane Sandy</a> slammed into the Mid-Atlantic region, but thousands of people in New Jersey and the greater NYC area are still feeling its effects. While the rest of the country tunes into election day coverage, people in hurricane-ravaged areas still need your help. Officials aren't sure exactly how many people are in need of housing -- estimates range between 10,000 and 40,000 -- and with <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57544997/superstorm-sandys-victims-brace-for-new-storm/">a powerful nor'easter in the forecast</a>, the situation could get dire. If you want to help Hurricane Sandy victims, there are many things you can do, from giving money to donating food and clothes. Read on to learn how you can do your part to help.

<a href="http://www.redcross.org/">The American Red Cross</a> is the number one disaster relief charity in the US, and it's far and away the most trusted and most popular charity that you can donate to. In the days since Hurricane Sandy hit, the Red Cross has seen its donations spike, and its disaster response vehicles have been on the ground distributing hot food to hurricane victims. To make an immediate impact, you can donate money to the <a href="http://www.redcross.org/">Red Cross website</a>.

One of the early leaders in organizing and distributing shipments of much-needed goods to some of the places that were hit hardest by the storm has been <a href="http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/">Occupy Sandy</a>. The group is taking both cash and in-kind donations, and it has set up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/registry/wedding/2FDVT8QGKJFYR">a wedding registry on Amazon.com</a> where you can donate things like cleaning supplies and blankets.

Although sending cash is the easiest way for people from around the country to pitch in and help the Hurricane Sandy relief effort, you can also give food. You can donate nonperishable food and money to <a href="http://www.cityharvest.org/donate-food/" target="_blank">City Harvest</a> and <a href="http://www.foodbanknyc.org/" target="_blank">Food Bank</a> in New York City. Occupy Sandy and several churches in the NYC and New Jersey areas are also collecting food donations.

If you live in NYC or New Jersey, one of the best ways you can make a direct impact on Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts is to volunteer your time. There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities available. Mayor Bloomberg is directing people to the website <a href="http://www.nycservice.org/index.html">NYC Service</a>, which lists several organizations through which you can volunteer; <a href="http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/volunteer-update-11-5/">Occupy Sandy</a> also has a regularly updated list of places where volunteers are needed. The website <a href="http://www.volunteermatch.org/">Volunteer Match</a> is also a great resource to locate volunteer opportunities.

Architecture for Humanity, a volunteer non-profit organization that provides design and construction services after disasters, has developed a five-point plan for long-term reconstruction of areas that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The group plans to provide community planning and architectural support to local agencies as they rebuild to ensure that coastal communities are greener and more resilient, and they are currently taking donations.

With cold weather setting in and a potentially strong winter storm brewing later this week, new blankets are one of the best things you can donate to Hurricane Sandy victims. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/blankets-for-sandy-donations-winter-hurricane_n_2077211.html">The Huffington Post</a> has done a nice job of rounding up some of the different churches and other locations that are accepting blanket donations in New York and New Jersey.