Continue Reading Below Advertisement

The first lesson I learned in the aftermath: When a disaster hits, don't send goods. Send money.

We took a week off from work to join the relief efforts and helped sort through donations. Well-meaning people from all over the country were sending towels, bedding, clothing, and furniture, not realizing that the tornado victims they were trying to help didn't have any use for them. They didn't have homes anymore. A lot of organizations actually had to rent huge storage units just to have a place to put all the stuff, at huge expense. If you send money, on the other hand, people can get exactly what they need.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images News/Getty Images

"Ooh boy. Paper towels, posted from Seattle. How efficient."

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

FEMA swept into town and registered thousands for aid, but for many in Moore, FEMA was a running joke. People came in for help and instead got an insane list of requirements they had to meet in order to qualify (because, for some insane reason, their list of requirements was longer than "my house was just destroyed by a damn tornado").

Meanwhile, the Red Cross reported doing a ton of good work during the tornado relief, collecting millions of dollars via text donations from people eager to help. However, it was later revealed that those donations weren't earmarked for the tornado specifically -- they just went to the Red Cross to be dispensed as they saw fit (until word got out and they did end up ensuring those funds went to Oklahoma tornado relief). At one point, they drove up while we were helping a friend. A few guys jumped out of the truck, gave my friend a Gatorade, took some pictures, and that was it. They disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived. The Red Cross employees told us to find a local organization if we needed immediate help, because their own hands were tied by red tape, which is apparently what their logo really represents.