Since making landfall on the tiny island of Barbuda last week, Hurricane Irma has cut a path of destruction across the Caribbean and Florida's Gulf Coast. Initially a Category 5 hurricane with winds of up to 185 mph, Irma severely damaged 95% of the buildings on the islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, knocked out power for millions in the region, destroyed critical infrastructure, and has already claimed at least 40 lives.

Millions of Irma survivors are in immediate need of food, drinking water, shelter, and emergency medical care. The catastrophic flood and wind damage across the region means that the recovery and rebuilding process will likely last months, if not years.

Our vetted, locally driven nonprofit partners are responding now, and they need your help. Make a donation today to our Hurricane Irma Relief Fund and you'll fund trusted organizations delivering vital aid where it's needed most.

All donations to the Hurricane Irma Relief Fund will exclusively support any necessary relief and recovery efforts from this storm in the Caribbean and the United States.

We believe organizations that are deeply rooted in local communities are in the best position to provide long-term support after natural disasters like Hurricane Irma. By funding the relief efforts of local organizations, we help communities become more resilient in the face of future challenges. And it's because of this strategy that GlobalGiving has been featured as a trusted place to donate for Irma relief by the New York Times, NPR, the Miami Herald, and numerous other news outlets this week.

As always, we'll keep you updated with regular reports about the impact of your donation and the progress of our partners' relief and recovery efforts.

Thank you for your generosity,
Will Frechette + the GlobalGiving Team