Hurricane Harvey ripped through Texas recently displacing at least 32,000 people, and Irma hit Florida with a similar force.

Within all this destruction, it can be easy to feel helpless.

However, there are local efforts as well as things you can do personally to help from West Chicago’s Health Occupations Students of America chapter to local blood drives.

HOSA adviser Scott Albright explained what they are doing to help.

“During homecoming week we collected money at movie night and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in the cafeteria,” Albright said. “We ended up collecting just over $110.”

HOSA continued efforts past homecoming week through collection of canned goods, dry pasta, brown rice and salt-free seasonings. Additionally, HOSA is accepting cash donations.

“My goal is to get students to see that science is more than a class,” Albright said.

The project to help hurricane victims is just the latest in HOSA’s efforts to incorporate science into student’s lives.

Outside of HOSA, donations elsewhere are always welcome. A wide range of places are accepting donations, such as The Texas Diaper Bank for mothers in need. The Houston Food Bank is looking for ready-to-use canned items among other items, The Houston Emergency Operations Center which has a list of items to donate on the page including bottled water and gently used clothing. Feeding Florida, the hub for Florida’s donation centers, is accepting donations for Irma directly through the website

Cash donations are also welcome, however, it is advised to check if where the money is going is a trustable source. Websites like Charity Navigator and GuideStar are useful according to New York Times in checking reliability.

An often overlooked part of disasters is where the pets go. According to the Washington Post, thousands of pets are thought to be displaced or missing just from Harvey.

Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to help these animals. PAWS Chicago, a no-kill shelter, is expecting to take in a lot more than the usual 2,500 animals a month, according to the Chicago Tribune.

PAWS is looking for foster families for all these misplaced animals and encourages those to visit its official web page, pawschicago.org/foster.

While Texas and Florida may seem too far away to help, there are ways to contribute here at home.