Disaster Aid Organizations

Disaster aid organizations specialize in providing assistance to victims of natural and man-made disasters, this includes both governmental and nonprofits.

Get the Help you Need

Assistance will vary depending on the type of disaster; however the most commons needs are water, food, medical aid, clothing, and temporary shelter.

Below is a list of the most recognized relief organizations with links to their home pages. Become familiar with these agencies, their areas of service and the types of assistance they offer in the event you find yourself in need of some assistance.

You might even want to consider donating or volunteering your time & money to help them continue to help others.

Disaster Aid Organzation List

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, providing relief to victims of disasters. The American Red Cross also helps to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross in 1881.

Episcopal Relief and Development provides ongoing emergency relief and assistance after disasters, rebuilds communities, and helps children and families overcome poverty. It was established in 1940 by the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Operation Blessing is an international relief and humanitarian organization providing food, clothing, shelter, medical care and other basic necessities of life. Operation Blessing was established in 1978 and is governed by a national board of directors that includes founder M. G. Robertson.

The Salvation Army assists Americans seeking the basic necessities of life–food, shelter, and warmth. They also have disaster response teams "on call" to serve at all disasters and civil disorders which place a community or its populace at risk. William Booth originally established the The Christian Mission, which became The Salvation Army in 1878.

Samaritan's Purse is a world-wide, nondenominational Christian agency providing both physical and spiritual assistance to victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and hunger. It was established in 1970 by Franklin Graham, the eldest son of Billy Graham.

World Vision is a Christian relief and development agency dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision was founded by Bob Pierce in 1950 to provide long-term care for children in crisis and developed its first child sponsorship program in Korea in 1953.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crises and catastrophic events.

Disaster Recovery

Founded in 1999, Architecture for Humanity helps build emergency shelters and necessary buildings after natural disasters and war. The non-profit organization holds design competitions and workshops to encourage economical, sustainable reconstruction and to promote humanitarian and social design. Partnering with other relief agencies, Architecture for Humanity provides financial aid, construction materials, and pro-bono architectural services.

In addition to constructing shelters for people in need, Relief International offers a variety of services for communities in crisis. RI's programs include health, education, agriculture, and food. The primary mission of this non-profit agency is to bridge emergency relief and long term development.

Grants and Assistance Programs for Individuals

Catalog of Federal Disaster Assistance (CFDA) numbers are provided to help you find additional information on the CFDA web site.

Disaster Assistance
(CDFA Numbers: 97.048, 97.049, 97.05)
Provides money or direct assistance to individuals, families and businesses in an area whose property has been damaged or destroyed and whose losses are not covered by insurance.

Crisis Counseling
(CDFA Number: 97.032)
Provides supplemental funding to States for short-term crisis counseling services to people affected in Residentially declared disasters.

Disaster Legal Services
(CDFA Number: 97.033)
Provides free legal assistance to disaster victims.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance Program
(CDFA Number: 97.034)
Provides unemployment benefits and re-employment services to individuals who have become unemployed because of major disasters.

National Flood Insurance Program
(CDFA Number: 97.022)
Enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance as a protection against flood losses in exchange for State and community floodplain management regulations that reduce future flood damages.

Additional Resources

Disaster Center provides an extensive list adopted from
FEMA's -- A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE