capybaraz:

Hi, I’m a minor that lives in South Florida, which many of you know is where Hurricane Irma is heading over to soon. Me and my family, who are almost all immigrants from Cuba hardly have the money to be able to get out of here, and Irma is probably going to hit us really bad. We’re hoping that we can at least go to Orlando, just somewhere that’s more north. We really need donations to help us find a place to stay in, and because I am a minor, the only way I’m able to get money is by donations on PayPal. My PayPal is kamybroflivski@gmail.com . Reblogs are GREATLY appreciated, so even if you can’t donate, It’s super appreciated that you reblog this. I also wish that everyone else that is going to be affected by the hurricane stays safe and has somewhere to stay. 

why-animals-do-the-thing:

gracefully-disappear:

gracefully-disappear:

Privately owned hotels, motels, etc., can still legally turn you away if you have pets with you. It just happened to Hurricane Harvey evacuees. Please do not go to a hotel trying to demand that they take your pets - You can get turned away, (the police will assist if needed) and you may end up back on the road in the storm. Which is the most dangerous place to be.

There has been a post going around saying that the PETS act means that hotels have to accept your pets… This is FALSE! The PETS act allows FEMA to spend government funds on creating pet friendly evacuation and disaster response plans, to fund pet friendly shelters, to fund veterinary services, and to pay pet fees to hotels that accept pets for displaced families who receive vouchers after a disaster. It has no bearing on private businesses, private businesses are not required to change or amend their pet policies.

Some hotels do, however, voluntarily change their policies during a storm. This will be dependent on each individual hotel owner, (they are usually franchises). So the best thing you can do is call the individual hotel before you go.

To evacuate, you will need to identify pet friendly hotels, shelters, etc.

To find pet friendly hotels, you can use BringFido.com or Booking.com (on Booking, select “Pet Friendly” in the filters). 

The American Kennel Club has a list of Pet-Friendly shelters for you, your family, and your furry friends here.

And finally, for your general preparedness information, FEMA has a “Helping Pets” page for storm preparedness and facts you need to know here.

Please be safe and have a backup plan in place. I hope that cuddling your furry loved ones brings you much comfort.

I’m gonna keep reblogging this through the day.

I was asked to reblog this post to help clarify the misinformation from a popular post that is circulating, which claims that no hotel can turn you away with your pet due to a FEMA ruling from Katrina. 

dianatsukos:

hedaclara:

hedaclara:

hedaclara:

Guys, the first images of Irma’s level of devastation are coming out of Barbuda and it’s heartbreaking. The President of Barbuda says that 90% of the island is uninhabitable, upwards of 60% of the TOTAL population are now homeless because the hurricane destroyed virtually every building and home on the island, and that the estimated damage is valued at no less than $200 million dollars. That’s money a small island like that doesn’t have. They’re saying it’s going to take years to rebuild and Hurricane Jose is right behind Irma on the same path which means they could be hit twice. This is just one of the islands being affected.

Please, show up for the Caribbean like you did for Houston. There is no safety net for any of these islands including mine. They’ll rely entirely on foreign aid. Find local charities or global trustworthy charities (NOT the Red Cross) and make a donation asking them to aid the Caribbean. There’s whole countries being turned into rubble with no financial means to repair their infrastructures. They’re going to need help.

For the hundreds of people replying or in my inbox asking “Why not the Red Cross?!”:

1. Google is free.
   
2. Why The Red Cross Faces Backlash on Harvey Relief Efforts [Washington Post]
3. Red Cross Built Exactly 6 Homes For Haiti With Nearly Half A Billion Dollars In Donations [Huffington Post]
   
4. Red Cross Exec Doesn’t Know What Portion Of Donations Go To Harvey Relief [NPR]
   
5. Report: Red Cross Spent 25 Percent Of Haiti Donations On Internal Expenses [NPR]
   
6. Seriously, guess where I found all of those in two solid minutes of searching? Google. Even better, they didn’t charge me a penny for it. 

Stop wanting things to be spoonfed to you. While you waited for someone to link you to sources, you could’ve done it yourself and already donated to people who desperately need it. 

Because people are also asking where to donate instead of the Red Cross:

1. MercyCorps [89% rating on Charity Navigator]
   
2. Heart To Heart International [97% rating on Charity Navigator]
3. Direct Relief [100% rating on Charity Navigator]
4. Habitat For Humanity [83% rating on Charity Navigator // Because with islands like Barbuda 90% destroyed and French St. Martin said to be 95% destroyed then people are going to need homes built]
5. Catholic Relief Services [90% rating on Charity Navigator // For those who would want to donate to a religious organization]

If there is a note or comments section on their donation page please do let them know that you would want your money to go to their Caribbean relief efforts. Houston and Florida have the US government backing them in whatever they will need but these islands will have very little except for these charities to fall back if they have any hope of rebuilding what seems to be entire countries in some cases. For the people who lost everything even a few bucks will go a long way. 

For the most part I would suggest staying away from privately launched GoFundMes unless you know the person directly. Ultimately, you just never know where those funds are going to end up and if your money will be used wisely. Sure, the same can be said for charity organizations but at least there is a better shot at possibly helping through them. The five listed above are world known and have been studied by charity oversight organizations. It’s as close to perfect as we’re going to get.

Please donate if you can! [ Here’s ] a list of essentials to donate.

This’ll be queued on repeat for the next few hours.

lunationgeckos:

mx-indie:

@EVERYONE IN ORANGE PARK, MIDDLEBURG AND FLEMING ISLAND, FLORIDA

IF YOU DON’T HAVE WATER, WICKED BARLEY BREWERY IS OFFERING TO FILL UP CONTAINERS TO 20 GALLONS PER PERSON

PLEASE REBLOG THIS, EVEN IF YOU HAVE WATER, SO PEOPLE CAN SEE THIS

If anyone else is in my area, bottled water is out EVERYWHERE and gas isn’t far behind.  Stay safe! 

hedaclara:

Guys, the first images of Irma’s level of devastation are coming out of Barbuda and it’s heartbreaking. The President of Barbuda says that 90% of the island is uninhabitable, upwards of 60% of the TOTAL population are now homeless because the hurricane destroyed virtually every building and home on the island, and that the estimated damage is valued at no less than $200 million dollars. That’s money a small island like that doesn’t have. They’re saying it’s going to take years to rebuild and Hurricane Jose is right behind Irma on the same path which means they could be hit twice. This is just one of the islands being affected.

Please, show up for the Caribbean like you did for Houston. There is no safety net for any of these islands including mine. They’ll rely entirely on foreign aid. Find local charities or global trustworthy charities (NOT the Red Cross) and make a donation asking them to aid the Caribbean. There’s whole countries being turned into rubble with no financial means to repair their infrastructures. They’re going to need help.

greyjetii:

Do not forget that Florida isn’t the only one getting hit by Irma. Puerto Rico and the other islands are going to be hit. This hurricane is huge. It is going to practically cover Puerto Rico. It’s bigger than Ohio.

Don’t be quiet about Puerto Rico and the other islands. These people will need help as well. Not a single part of Puerto Rico will be untouched from the hurricane.

UPDATE 9/6/2017:

Barbuda was just hit and nearly 100% of the country’s structures and vehicles were destroyed. 60% of the population is homeless. So far there are 2 dead but it is going to go up. If you are in the path, please evacuate if you can. Help each other out. If you know someone who cannot get shelter, help them out. We need each other more than ever.

eastafriqueen:

JetBlue is offering $99-$159 one way tickets out of all Florida airports they operate out of (MIA not included) destinations even in New York. If you live in South Florida or along the coast and are trying to evacuate via air take advantage of this. Other airlines are making their prices deliberately ridiculous just because they can in this moment of desperation.

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/finance/news/jetblue-caps-ticket-prices-florida-99-ahead-hurricane-irma-173232462.html