Hurricane Irene was difficult to escape, even with forced evacuations. From the wide-spread media coverage and weathermen standing in soaked rain jackets by the beach, everyone saw  the hurricane this past weekend. Those on the North Carolina Coast all the way to Vermont experienced extremely severe weather. The hurricane caused massive power outages and flooding all along the eastern seaboard. Many places are still without electricity and running water. North Carolina’s governor, Bev Perdue stated in a press release Tuesday,

“Thousands of North Carolinians are still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene, but we’re all pulling together to get things back to normal. For people who want to help, we’ve established the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.”

Money from the North Carolina Disaster Relief fund will go towards the rebuilding of homes and other volunteer efforts in the state of North Carolina. You can visit the website here: North Carolina Disaster Relief

If you would like to help in other effected cities of the United States, organizations such as the American Red Cross and AMERICARES are also offering assistance. While this hurricane was not as devastating as originally expected, homes still need to be rebuilt and people need your help. The Humane Society is also helping in hard hit areas such as North Carolina and Vermont.  The Director of the Humane Society of North Carolina said today,

“”It takes a couple of days for the animals to really come out of their hiding places. And so, two, three, four days down the road, all of the sudden you find that there’s animals walking through the neighborhood.”

For a complete list of trustworthy nonprofit organizations that are seeking your help, look here:  Hurricane Irene Relief