How to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl has finally weakened as it moves toward Canada and the northeastern U.S., but the storm caused plenty of devastation before that. Beryl swept through Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines last week as a category 5 hurricane, killing at least 11 people. 

Carriacou, where Hurricane Beryl first made landfall, has been virtually “flattened,” Simon Springett, UN resident coordinator in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, said last week. “The entire island is completely affected … that is literally 100% of the population,” he added.

Hurricane Beryl is the strongest hurricane in history to form in the Atlantic Ocean in June, reaching a category 5 status with winds up to 150 miles per hour. “Hurricane Beryl was the earliest category 5 hurricane observed in the Atlantic Basin on record,” says FEMA-certified natural disaster preparedness instructor Cheryl Nelson, founder of Prepare with Cher.

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 650,000 people — including 150,000 children — in Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago were in the path of Hurricane Beryl. Many have also lost their homes and are in temporary shelters. Beryl has also knocked out power to the Houston area, leaving millions to deal with a heat wave without the possibility of air conditioning, per the Associated Press. The storm killed at least seven people in the Houston area, per The Houston Chronicle, along with one person in Louisiana, according to the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Nelson says the best way to help from a distance in the wake of a natural disaster like Hurricane Beryl is to donate if you can. “Money is typically the best way to help a charity, as donation centers can sometimes get overwhelmed when trying to sort donated goods and supplies — unless a disaster relief organization or charity like a food bank is asking for specific goods and supplies,” Nelson says.  

If you’re ready to help victims of Hurricane Beryl, here are reputable organizations able to assist now. 

UNICEF

UNICEF’s USA Mercury Fund gives the organization unrestricted grant money to allow UNICEF to help with emergency preparedness before a crisis happens and to scale up response as emergencies take place. You can donate to the fund or donate to UNICEF USA as a whole. 

UN World Food Programme

This organization has deployed teams to the Caribbean to help provide meals for hungry children and families. You can donate to help provide meals here.   

World Central Kitchen

World Central Kitchen representatives are providing sandwiches, hot meals, cases of water, and fresh fruit to the hardest-hit communities in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Jamaica. Teams are traveling by helicopter and boat to reach every island community. You can donate here. 

Houston Food Bank

The Houston Food Bank Food is looking for monetary donations and volunteers, if you happen to live in the area. For each $1 you donate, three meals will be provided to people in need.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross offers several donation options: Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-Cross (800-733-2767), or text REDCROSS to 90999. You can also send a check to Red Cross chapters with “Hurricane Beryl” in the memo line.

Salvation Army

This organization has donation forms online, allowing you to check an option for Hurricane Beryl relief. You can also call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. All of your donations will go toward relief efforts.