How Can I Help or Get Help with Disaster Relief Through the American Red Cross?

Updated

The American Red Cross provides disaster relief in two directions: you can give help (donate money, donate blood, or volunteer) or get help (find a shelter, request assistance after a disaster). The right path depends on whether you are affected by a disaster or want to support those who are. The Red Cross responds to an emergency roughly every 8 minutes, so most of these options are available continuously rather than only during major events.

What Disaster Relief Services the Red Cross Provides

The Red Cross focuses on immediate and recovery needs after disasters such as home fires, floods, hurricanes, and other emergencies. Core services include:

  • Emergency shelter — safe places to stay when people must leave their homes.
  • Food and water — meals and hydration for affected individuals and responders.
  • Health and emotional support — basic care and mental health assistance.
  • Recovery assistance — help with immediate needs and connecting people to longer-term resources.

These services are distinct from other Red Cross programs like blood donation or CPR certification. If your goal is disaster relief specifically, use the disaster-related channels below rather than the blood or training pages.

How to Help: Three Ways to Contribute

Donate Money

Financial donations are the most flexible form of support because the Red Cross can direct funds to the current disaster with the greatest need. You can give through the Red Cross website. Donations support shelter, food, and recovery efforts. If you want your contribution to go to a specific disaster, check whether a designated fund is available at the time you give.

Donate Blood

Blood donation is a separate but ongoing need. Disasters can disrupt blood supplies, so donating blood is a way to support overall readiness. This is not a disaster-specific relief action, but it is one of the participation paths the Red Cross lists alongside disaster relief.

Volunteer

Disaster relief volunteers support shelters, feeding operations, and recovery efforts. Basic steps typically include:

  1. Apply through the Red Cross volunteer portal.
  2. Complete required training for the role you choose (training requirements vary by position).
  3. Accept deployment or local assignments when needs arise.

Volunteer roles range from on-site disaster response to behind-the-scenes support, so you can choose based on your availability and skills.

How to Get Help After a Disaster

If you are affected by a disaster, the Red Cross offers several ways to connect with assistance:

  • Find a shelter — use the Red Cross shelter lookup to locate open shelters near you.
  • Request assistance — contact the Red Cross to report your needs and start the recovery process.
  • Get immediate support — if you are in an active emergency, follow local emergency instructions first, then reach out to the Red Cross for ongoing help.

The key distinction: getting help starts with locating a shelter or contacting the Red Cross directly, while giving help starts with a donation or volunteer application. Mixing these up can slow you down, so identify your situation first.

Choosing the Right Path

Your situation What to do
You want to support disaster relief financially Donate through the Red Cross website
You want to support blood supply Donate blood
You want to volunteer for disaster relief Apply and complete role-specific training
You are affected by a disaster Find a shelter or contact the Red Cross for assistance
You want CPR training or an AED Use the Red Cross training and AED purchase pages — not disaster relief channels

The Red Cross website groups these as separate services, so use the section that matches your goal. Disaster relief, blood donation, CPR certification, and AED purchases are different programs with different entry points.