Prayers for those affected. Hopefully this will have a silver lining in encouraging other folk around the nation to ENGAGE IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.

According to my college education in this area, the best way to help far away disaster victims is by giving money to say the Red Cross (you can specify for use only in a particular disaster area if you wish). By the time shoes / clothes / food are gathered, shipped, received, sorted, stored, distributed the most critical period of the crisis has passed and the process proves to be a logistical nightmare.

Monetary donations are relatively instant and easily transferred geographically to help provide IMMEDIATE aid, which is most important.