Esports and the gaming wider gaming community are not immune to the disasters that can inflict all of us in the real world. A glance at some of the images from the Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Mexico, south Florida and Houston is a reminder that no amount of entertaining escapism can save anyone when disasters strike. Families searching among the rubble that was once their home is not a backdrop for a Call of Duty map – it’s a reality in many of these places impacted by natural disasters over the past couple of months.
So what can we do?
As we head into the weekend, I decided to dedicate the usual weekend bytes post to a list of way you can support others who are trying to rebuild in the aftermath of the earthquake and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
If you know of other local organizations that are helping people and pets displaced by the natural disasters, send the information via our Contact page.
Before giving online, we suggest reading ProPublica‘s tips for donating anywhere.
Puerto Rico
- List of verified cash donation sites (PBS)
- Check to see if your employer will match your donation (Double the Donation)
- List of supplies needed and how to donate (Buzzfeed)
- The Sato Project supporting wild dogs/animals in Puerto Rico
The Caribbean Islands
- Convoy of Hope
- Global Giving
- Americares donates badly needed medical supplies to affected regions.
Mexico
- UNICEF Mexico: The United Nations Children’s Fund helps kids affected by natural disasters in many ways, including offering supplies and “child-friendly spaces” where kids can go during the rebuilding process.
- International Community Foundation: The ICF has a long established record of charity work in Mexico and they’re on the ground in areas affected by the quake in different parts of the country.
Houston
- Houston Food Banks and supplies – a comprehensive list from HoustonPress of local food banks in the area that are accepting donations.
- Houston Humane Society
Florida
- Volunteer organizations in Florida can certainly still use help with clean up efforts and providing supplies for those displaced by the storm.
- United Way of Miami-Dade is hard at work on Hurricane Irma recovery efforts in that area.
- South Florida Wildlife Center is accepting volunteers to help animals affected by the storm.
