Where the help actually is
Be prepared — and know you are not alone.
Real help exists at every level and in every form — a neighbour, a county office, a
foundation, a company, a global relief network. The hard part is finding it when you are frightened
and rushed. So here it is, gathered and described plainly, to learn in a calm hour and keep for a
hard one. In a live emergency, call the emergency number first; the rest is for preparing, and for
the days and months after.
Right now — an emergency
Emergency services: 911 (US / Canada) · 112 (EU & much of the world) · 999 (UK) · 000 (Australia) · 112 (India). If a strong quake, a wall of water or a fast-rising flood — get to high ground first, call after.
Local help of any kind (US): dial
211 or visit
211.org — open shelters, food, rent, utilities, mental health, and who near you can help.
Find help in your country — anywhere
Choose or type your country for its emergency number, its Red Cross or Red Crescent, and who is responding near you.
Tools on this site
By reach — local to global
Local & county
Closest to you, and often the fastest.
State & national (US)
Aid that opens after a declaration — and how to prepare before one.
Ready.govMake a family plan and a kit — the official, free starting point.
International
Wherever you are in the world.
UNHCRHelp for the displaced and refugees.
By kind — who they are
Foundations & non-profits
The people who show up.
Learn & train — for kids, schools & everyone
The best time to learn is a calm one.
Ready KidsFamily plans and games that teach children what to do.
Companies — of every size
Business helps too — start with the ones nearest you.
Airbnb.orgFree emergency stays for people displaced by disaster.
Your employer & local businessesAsk HR about the employee-assistance program, matching gifts and paid volunteer time; and the hardware store, pharmacy, hotel and diner nearby are often the very first to open their doors.
If your request goes unanswered — escalate, don't disappear
🧾 Anywhere, any need — start here. For every request get a case or reference number, and note the date, who you spoke to, and what was promised. A request with a number is far harder to lose. Follow up on a set schedule, and bring an advocate — a case worker, a legal-aid lawyer, a trusted community leader. Systems answer a documented, followed-up, advocated request.
🗳️
Go up a level — your elected representative. In most countries your local elected official or MP has staff whose job is to un-stick cases with government agencies. In the US, your
Representative and
Senators have
caseworkers who intervene with FEMA, Social Security and more — a call from their office moves stuck files.
⚖️
The ombudsman — most countries have one. An independent public official who investigates complaints against government bodies, free of charge. Find yours through the
International Ombudsman Institute — over 100 countries.
➕
Ask your Red Cross / Red Crescent to advocate. The
national society can refer, accompany and speak up for you — in almost every country.
🔁
Ask if it's "closed-loop." Good referral systems now track your request until it is actually resolved — in the US,
Unite Us,
Findhelp and many 211s — so ask for your referral ID and follow-up date. Closed-loop tracking is real and growing, but still uneven, so keep your own record too.
🇺🇸
US specifics. FEMA said no? It isn't final — you have
60 days to appeal, with free
Disaster Legal Services during declared disasters and legal aid at
LawHelp.org. City services (
311) give you a ticket number you can track online and escalate to your council member.
Learn it now — the five-minute version
- Save 211 and your local emergency number; know two ways to higher ground from home, school and work.
- Agree a meeting point uphill and one out of the area, and an out-of-town person everyone can text.
- Ask your city or school where the nearest designated shelter is — before you ever need it.
- Do a small kit: water, meds, chargers, documents, a little cash.
- New here? Do this your first week. Here for years? Check it again — routes and contacts change.
Real organizations, described plainly. We are not affiliated with any of them and take no fee
— we are only pointing the way. Details change; confirm anything life-critical with the source. In a live
emergency, call the emergency number first.