Sandy relief efforts via iTunes, Google, social media, texts
Recovery from Sandy -- the storm that came down on the U.S. East Coast -- is underway, and everyone from the American Red Cross to Apple is creating ways to help with relief efforts.
Making donations by sending text messages is popular way to assist organizations, like the Red Cross, Salvation Army and American Humane Society.
Red Cross and Salvation Army assist in disaster relief by providing shelter, food and health service to those affected.
Pets are getting a helping hand from organizations like the Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Both organizations have relief efforts to rescue and feed animals in affected by Sandy.
Here are the text message codes to donate $10 to relief efforts:
- REDCROSS to 90999 to support the American Red Cross
- STORM to 80888 to help the Salvation Army
- HUMANE to 80888 to give to the American Humane Society
- PREVENT to 25383 to give to the ASPCA
Tech companies are also offering service to help those in Sandy's path.
Comcast said it would offer free Wi-Fi hot spots to anyone in the storm's path including: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
AT&T and T-Mobile announced that the two telecommunications companies would enable free roaming across its networks. Apple enabled donations to the Red Cross through iTunes.
Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, is matching donations up to $25,000, through the fundraising site Crowdrise.com. Some of the various relief organizations include: AmeriCares, Feeding America and National Wildlife Federation.
Airbnb, the vacation rental matchmaking service, is encouraging hosts to lower the cost of their rentals and waiving fees in regions affected by Sandy, including New York, the Hamptons, Providence, R.I., New Haven, Conn. and Atlantic City, N.J..
Google now offers public alerts, on top of its crisis map. The services -- combined -- provide evacuation alerts, fire warnings, a directory of shelters and traffic conditions.
The Facebook group Hurricane Sandy Check-in has a state-by-state list of Facebook groups that are tracking Sandy.
