The CFC cause of the week is Disaster & Crisis Response. In 2022, the U.S. experienced 18 separate billion-dollar natural disasters. As climate change, ongoing conflicts, and economic fluctuations strain our world, the number of disasters is likely to increase, while most households remain unprepared.
While some natural disasters allow some time to prepare, others – like flash floods, earthquakes, fires, landslides, and avalanches – can occur with little warning. Households and communities devastated by disasters or crises can take months, even years, to recover and depend on charitable organizations to offer legal aid, rebuild homes, supply food, and provide medical care. Charities also help communities prepare for and predict disasters to mitigate the damage.
Large scale disasters affect communities, states, and even entire regions of world, but crises come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very personal and may only affect one family, but charities are still there to save the day. Here is just one example of how a CFC-participating search and rescue charity helped in a small-scale emergency:
On a cold day in February, a 71-year-old man went for a walk in the woods. He didn’t return home that night. His loved ones called the local sheriff’s office for help. Law enforcement turned to a CFC-participating, non-profit canine search and rescue organization.
Five well-trained search and rescue dogs began to search the area. Before noon the following day, they found the man, who had fallen in the woods the evening before. He had not been able to get up and endured the freezing temperatures all night. He was rushed to the hospital, where he fully recovered.
Here are a few more examples of how CFC donations can help:
- Equip firefighters with helmets to protect them as they help others.
- Supply relief kits containing food, clean water, medicine, and blankets to victims of natural disasters.
- Provide temporary shelter to refugees.
