Oklahoma: Don't Visit, But Please Send Cash

Oklahoma and FEMA officials are asking those who want to help tornado victims to make charitable contributions, but not to mail or truck in any supplies.

Even as Oklahoma officials are emphasizing how much they appreciate that folks from out-of-state want to roll truckloads of supplies into the tornado-ravaged area of the state, they have to politely decline because it would divert attention from handling the ongoing crisis and possibly create a mountain of items no one will want. 

"Please don't send used clothes or supplies and, no, we can't have trucks coming in," said Ann Dee Lee, a volunteer helping the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management's public relations department field media calls. 

On Tuesday, plans were brewing among Jersey Shore residents on Facebook and other websites to collect supplies and truck them into Oklahoma, but that's exactly what the state cannot handle. 

"We really appreciate that people want to help, but we're asking them to donate to charities so we can use that money to meet people's needs," Lee said. "Then if someone needs children's clothing or furniture, we can use that money to buy it for them. 

"We learned from the Oklahoma City bombing that we can't accept donations of clothing and other material goods," Lee said. "We wound up with store rooms full of stuff and didn't have enough people to sort it. It doesn't work out well that way."

Lee said Emergency Management and Gov. Mary Fallinare are asking those who want to help to donate cash directly to the Salvation Army, Feed the Children, the Red Cross, the United Way or other organizations listed on the official state government website established as a tornado relief resource (see link on right side to article listing more charities).

Lee said late Tuesday afternoon that the death toll from the mile-long tornado that tore through Moore, OK, is 24 and the list of reported injuries is 237.

The FEMA website has posted a similar message on its website, asking residents to donate cash to charities instead of mailing or trucking in goods.

The website states: 

"Be safe. Do not self deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.

Be patient. Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period."

FEMA is encouraging anyone wishing to help to donate cash to organizations such as the Salvation Army and other reputable organizations (see website link for more info. on how to help).

FEMA is also urging folks to not assume the tornado victims should immediately be sent clothes, which was a lesson learned in Superstorm Sandy's immediate aftermath.

Many town relief centers, churches and other nonprofits in the Jersey Shore region became so inundated with second-hand clothes that had been dropped off, and often not picked up for weeks on end, that they began urging residents to stop donating the used apparel.

For example, when the relief center in Point Pleasant had to close, it had to donate large volumes of used clothing to the Salvation Army because residents had simply not taken them.

The FEMA website says:

"Confirm what is needed BEFORE taking action!

• Donate in-kind goods that are specifically requested or needed by recognized organizations.
• Unsolicited donated goods such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable foodstuffs require helping agencies to redirect valuable resources away from providing services to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
• Confirm the needs by contacting the voluntary organization of your choice before starting to collect.
• If you have a quantity of a given item or class of item to donate, and you need help in determining which organizations to give to, you can make your offer through the National Donations Management Network."