Operation USA

10/10/2023

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09/12/2023

More than 2,000 people are dead and more than 10,000 are missing in the wake of recent deadly flooding in Libya. Many areas of the country–which also grapples with ongoing conflict–were already inundated with heavy rain and flooding caused by Storm Daniel when two dams gave way this weekend, “washing away” entire communities. Rescue and recovery ops, as well as outside aid, are slow moving due to ongoing regional issues and logistical challenges.

Operation USA is monitoring the situation in Libya and is prepared to send emergency grants to community-based partners as funding allows. Your donations make this possible. Please consider a gift now at give.opusa.org.

More than 2,000 people were killed and at least 10,000 were missing in Libya in floods caused by a huge Mediterranean storm that burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the eastern coastal city of Derna.

09/09/2023

Late last night, a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Morocco, killing thousands and injuring/displacing many more. As search and rescue efforts are underway, officials expect the death toll to rise even further. While the full extent of damage is not yet known, recovery from this devastating disaster will surely be long and challenging for survivors.

OpUSA is monitoring the situation, reaching out to partners and assessing opportunities to provide aid. Visit give.opusa.org to support this and other ongoing relief efforts now.

Rescuers were searching for survivors of a powerful earthquake that struck overnight about 50 miles from the city of Marrakesh.

08/30/2023

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida early this morning as a Category 3 storm, bringing 125+ mph winds and a historic storm surge to areas of the state now grappling with flooding and widespread power outages. The storm is losing strength as it tracks across Georgia, but continues to batter many communities with severe conditions. Per NBC, the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee said “locations may be uninhabitable for several weeks or months” because of wind damage.

Yet again, experts are pointing to climate change and rising ocean temperatures as factors in Idalia’s development, as the storm rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 4 overnight, before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. Officials from FEMA have stated: “These storms are intensifying so fast that our local emergency management officials have less time to warn and evacuate and get people to safety.”

Operation USA is committed to helping response and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Idalia as much as opportunities and funding allow. Your support makes this work possible. Please help now at give.opusa.org.

Hurricane Idalia has been linked to at least two deaths in Florida as it thrashes northern parts of the state and south Georgia – whipping winds up to 90 mph, dumping heavy rain and hurling seawater into flooded cities.

08/25/2023

Our thoughts remain with all those impacted by the recent devastating fires in Hawaii. We understand that recovery has only just begun for those who must rebuild from nothing, and that the situation will call for outside aid for months, even years, to come. Your donations help OpUSA stay committed for the long haul. Please consider a gift--to this or one of our other ongoing relief efforts--at give.opusa.org today. We are only as strong as the support we receive from people like you! Thank you.

The list names people still unaccounted for after wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina and other areas. Officials asked anyone on the list who survived the fires to come forward.

08/22/2023

Hurricane Season is officially upon us--are you disaster prepared? Now is a great time to review all the risks in your area, check and replenish your disaster kit, review emergency plans with family members and neighbors, and familiarize yourself with what to do before, during and after a major disaster.

OpUSA is monitoring Tropical Storm Harold as it makes its way across Texas. We are also continuing to assess damage from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary, and are readying additional in kind and monetary aid for fire survivors in Maui. Your donations make this work possible. Visit us at opusa.org to learn more and give today.

Tropical Storm Harold made landfall on the South Texas coast late Tuesday morning, becoming the first storm in the US to do so in the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

08/21/2023

Operation USA remains on alert in the wake of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary and is reviewing reports of damage from the unprecedented storm system–which dumped excessive rain on Southern California and caused flooding and mudslides in many areas. Many in SoCal were also rocked by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake centered near Ojai on Sunday afternoon, though the tremor is not reported to have caused any major damage. As flooding recedes and destruction from Hilary is assessed, OpUSA will prepare to provide assistance where needed as much as opportunities allow.

Meanwhile, OpUSA also continues to assess the situation in Maui following unprecedented, deadly fires and is preparing to deliver additional emergency funding ASAP.

All donations at give.opusa.org support these and other disaster relief and recovery efforts. We thank you for your generosity.

08/18/2023

A Tropical Storm Watch? In California?!

Once again, we're watching in real time as the effects of climate change cause unprecedented weather conditions for communities not used to grappling with them.

Here in parts of Southern California--as well as neighboring states--a Tropical Storm watch has been issued for the first time ever (it's been 84 years since a hurricane last impacted California). Hurricane Hilary, now a Category 4 storm after rapid intensification this week, is currently approaching Mexico's Baja Peninsula and is expected to batter the area tonight into tomorrow before moving north into Sunday. Experts anticipate it will downgrade to a tropical storm prior to reaching Southern California, but expect the unprecedented storm to bring high winds, flash flooding, and heavy rainfall to many areas in its path.

To anyone living or working in an area likely to be impacted by Hilary, NOW is the time to prepare. Charge devices, check and re-stock your disaster kit, coordinate a plan with family members and neighbors, and pay close attention to (and heed!) all warnings from local officials. If you are in a mountainous area, where rainfall is expected to be heaviest and mudslides are likely, familiarize with risks in your immediate area and consider evacuation if you are able. People near California's coast should avoid beaches--where massive waves and riptides are predicted--and take every precaution to ensure safety.

At OpUSA, we know all too well that what you do now, prior to disaster, will make all the difference after disaster strikes. Stay safe out there!

We will continue to monitor the storm as it tracks toward our HQ, and will prepare aid as early and as much as funding allows. Please consider a gift to our Areas Most In Need fund today at give.opusa.org.

Hurricane Hilary is likely to make landfall in Los Angeles as a tropical storm, bringing heavy rains and potential flooding. Here's what you can do now to prepare, and how to stay safe when the storm arrives.

08/17/2023

Operation USA is now readying a relief shipment of tents, generously donated by our partners at Exxel Outdoors to be sent to displaced families in Maui. We’ll hand the tents off to our longtime partners at COPE Preparedness for transport to the island.

OpUSA is once again grateful for the meaningful support of our partners, who expand our capacity to help those hardest-hit by disasters. Corporations interested in supporting our relief efforts can contact [email protected] for more info. Thank you!

08/16/2023

Thank you to everyone who has supported our relief efforts in Hawaii. OpUSA will remain committed to providing recovery support as much as funding allows.

So far, we've sent two $10,000 relief grants to the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Maui Food Bank. Right now, our Board of Directors is also matching $20,000 in donations so that we can quickly deploy additional emergency grants to partners in the hardest hit areas. Your donations make this possible!

Please help the people of Maui today with a donation at give.opusa.org.

Just five of the victims have been positively identified, according to Maui County officials. Gov. Green estimated that 1,300 people remain unaccounted for.

08/10/2023

Operation USA is monitoring the situation in Hawaii as devastating wildfires sweep Maui and the Big Island. Our hearts go out to all those who have been impacted, as news from the area reports "catastrophic" and "horrifying" conditions and the death toll has climbed to 36.

We are working diligently to provide aid to partners on the ground in Hawaii as quickly as possible. Right now, we are readying a $10,000 grant from our "Areas Most in Need" Fund (entirely funded by you, our supporters!) to the Hawaii Community Foundation, set to go out early next week. We will deliver additional emergency assistance as much as funding allows. Please consider a gift today at give.opusa.org.

This is a developing situation. Please check back at opusa.org for updates.

Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood.

08/09/2023

OpUSA is so grateful for the support of all comics and artists participating in "Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds," whose contributions have enabled us to provide meaningful humanitarian relief to Ukraine. Learn more about the project here!

Watching news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, U.S. comic book editor Scott Dunbier felt compelled to help. He reached out to comic book professionals to create "Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds" to raise funds to provide emergency supplies and services to Ukrainians. Genia Dulot has this report.