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Getting the right kind of aid can be hard. We often 
think that "every little bit helps," and that's mostly true. 
However, when organizing a disaster relief effort, getting 
the wrong things can actually hurt. Sorting through 
donations to take out unnecessary items takes time, and in 
an emergency, time is precious. Therefore it's important for 
relief groups to tell people the right things to donate. 
It's critical to make accurate and detailed reports about 
a disaster's relief needs. Other kinds of communication 
are also important. Survivors want to let people know that 
they're all right following a disaster. Friends and family 
who live outside the disaster zone want to find out about 
their loved ones. Phone and power services may have 
been knocked out by the disaster, making communication 
difficult. The Red Cross helps here too. Survivors can ask 
that the Red Cross let their family members know how 
they are, and friends and family can ask the organization to 
find out about people living in the disaster area . 

Restoring Order 

It's not just buildings and people that get hurt in 
disasters; the normal order of things breaks down too. After 
a flood, streets may be turned into wide streams or become 
blocked by mud or rubble. Even if a disaster has left the 
streets dry, the traffic light system may not work due to 
damage to the electrical grid. The aftermath may include 
other dangers, such as fires, gas leaks, and downed power 
lines. On top of all this, people are often confused about 
what to do following a disaster. With so many things to do 
all at once, people might have difficulty creating priorities. 
Bringing order out of all this chaos is not easy. 

Overturned cars are just one example 
of the chaos created by disasters.