One you are prepared for an emergency, it is a great idea to help others when they are faced with an emergency. I love to hear the stories of the people who were able to help (and many who still are helping) the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This also happens throughout the world with the many different disasters that other countries face.
You may be able to help by donating items or money to a local charity or food bank. After Hurricane Katrina several radio stations, TV Stations and local churches had food drives and gathered other supplies for the victims. Helping those who need it gives them hope in a very dismal situation.
Another way to help is to volunteer your time. I knew of one person who had completed the American Red Cross training. Since her children are grown, she was able to go and volunteer for three weeks in a community. She spoke of the friends that she had made as she had tried to help those around her. Church groups also sent volunteers down to help with clean up and other necessary tasks. Each person who helped donated several hours, but with so many people helping, it quickly turned into hundreds of man-hours of service.
We do not need to sit back and watch helplessly as those around us suffer. We each can reach out in some small way to help those who have faced a disaster. Even if we don’t have much we can still give. It doesn’t matter if you can only give one or two cans of food or if you can only volunteer for an hour or a day. It does make a difference to those you help as well as to yourself. I hope that as the need arises we can each find a way to help those who need it.