Respond to disaster with empathy, generosity

By Iowa City Press-Citizen

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Iowa has been spared much of destructive weather that has stormed through the nation over the past few days. And that leaves us in a better position to help those in Oklahoma and other places who have not been so lucky.

The search went on Tuesday for survivors and the dead in Moore, Okla., after a half-mile-wide, EF4 tornado hit the Oklahoma City suburb Monday - flattening countless homes and demolishing an elementary school. Although the number of dead went down by almost half from the original estimates, the storm system killed at least 24 people, including at least nine children.

Moore officials are moving from search and rescue to recovery mode as the city - which has been hit by four tornadoes in the past 15 years - figures out how it can rebound from the latest blow.

The federal government has responded by declaring a major disaster in five counties in Oklahoma and ordering federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

And representatives from American Red Cross, the United Way and The Salvation Army are getting a handle on what exactly needs to be done to serve the needs of the displaced and their families.

Right now, donations of money are the best way to help these and other organizations can buy the supplies to give people directly what they need.

We're proud of how Iowans responded to our own flood in 2008, to the Haitian earthquake in 2010, to the devastating 2011 tornado in Joplin, Mo., and to countless other disasters in our state and across the world. And we urge our readers to continue to show their empathy and generosity.

• To donate to the American Red Cross, go to http://redcross.org, call 800-REDCROSS or text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

• To donate to The Salvation Army, go to www.SalvationArmyUSA.org, call 800-SAL-ARMY (800-725-2769) or text “storm” to 80888 to make a $10 donation.

Unfortunately, where tragedy brings out the best in many people, it also brings out the worst in others. Readers should be warned against falling victim to Internet scammers operating under the auspices of trying to help their fellow citizens.

Some tips to remember include:

• Do not respond to any unsolicited incoming emails, including clicking on links contained within those messages.

• Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as victims or officials asking for donations via email or social networking sites.

• Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations - through websites such as www.charitynavigator.org - rather than following a purported link to the site.

• Be cautious of emails that claim to show pictures of disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

• Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.

• Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.