CALL TO ACTION

With extreme weather events happening more and more frequently, it can be hard to know how to best support those affected. Here, seven people who've experienced a climate disaster share what they wish others knew.

- BY ROSE MINUTAGLIO

“USE YOUR PLATFORM POSITIVELY”

Loreen Hwang, 40, content creator
Palisades Wildfire, California

When the fires broke out in the Palisades, I organized two pop-up donation centers and spread the word through a call to action on Instagram. I reposted GoFundMe pages for elderly people who didn’t have access to social media or didn’t know how to use it. When I heard about an Altadena man who moved into a motel after losing his home of 50 years, I reached out and asked what he needed. His family said they had a GoFundMe for him, but it wasn’t doing well. With their permission, I posted the link and helped raise $36,000. If you’re helping an individual, ask how you can be of assistance, but also respect their experience and be sensitive to families who have lost everything. Think about what kind of information you would want to see. Fear, conspiracy theories, and misinformation are all awful ways to fuel your following. Help has to come from your heart.

“REMEMBER THAT HELP IS LONG-TERM”

Julia Darity, 15, student
and United Way volunteer
Hurricane Helene, North Carolina