Update: How you can help rebuild Sardinia, Italy in the wake of Cyclone Cleopatra

On November 18th, 2013 a powerful cyclone crushed Sardinia killing 16 people. Nine days have passed since that dark day and islanders are still coming to terms with the loss of lives and damage to homes, roads, businesses and schools.

Schools are without chalk, paper, pens, books and hope. Makeshift schools have been set-up as the cyclone shattered the dreams and walls of young hopefuls.

Entire communities have stopped daily activities to help in the aftermath of this deadly cyclone. People from all walks of life have given the warm clothes off their back to wet and dreary survivors.

It will take years to rebuild Sardinia. Six months of rain crushed Sardinia in twenty-four hours causing landslides, mudslides and severe flooding. The most affected areas are in the Gallura and Olbia. Sixteen people are dead, including two children, about 2,300 people have lost their homes, forty-three people wounded, including three seriously, and one family is still desperately searching for their missing relative.

Here’s how you can help:

  • Share this message with your friends and family via the social media buttons at the bottom of this post. I can’t begin to tell you how many people have written me stating they have not even heard of the cyclone that hit Sardinia.
  • To make a monetary donation to the comune of Olbia follow the banking details: Account: n. 0540 – 070361388
    IBAN: IT72U 01015 84980 000070361388
    BIC/Swift Code: BPMOIT22XXX
    Reference: Comune di Olbia Emergenza Alluvione
  • Visit the following site SardSOS: Emergenza It’s a fabulous site, complete with map of affected areas, how to help and survivors stories.
  • 60 communites were hit by Cleopatra, to donate to other areas in Sardinia please visit Donazioni Alluvione Sardegna: Ecco come fare, tutti i Numeri e i Conti Correnti utili!  here you will find an entire list of bank details.
  • Visit the Red Cross Italy site for more information on how to donate.

***The above links are all in Italian, if you need help translating please let me know, I’d be more than happy to help.

There has been an abundance of solidarity between the islanders in the wake of this natural disaster, a solidarity so strong it can only be called Sardegna.

Sardinia needs your help, and the children need schools rebuilt.

Please donate.

BREAKING NEWS: A fire ripped though a laundromat in Olbia destroying the donated clothing for those displaced.

It’s time to make a difference, it’s time to make a change. Donate.

7 thoughts on “Update: How you can help rebuild Sardinia, Italy in the wake of Cyclone Cleopatra

  1. Hi Jennifer, as you know from the IRG FB page, we are holding a fundraiser next week on Saturday 7th. Will finalise details and get them out so they can be circulated. Re sending money direct to this account, are you able to tell if this money is being used efficiently and getting to the people that need it- and FAST!?

    • Ciao Ruth,

      This is the official account from the Comune of Olbia, how fast and efficient the money is getting to the people who need it is not a question I can answer at the moment. Maybe we can take it up on the IRG FB page as there are others there who probably know more.

    • This is the official account from the Comune of Olbia, how fast and efficient the money is getting to the people who need it is not a question I can answer at the moment. Maybe we can take it up on the IRG FB page as there are others there who probably know more.

  2. As this was hard on the heels of the disaster in the Philippines and seemed to come out of no-where, publicity seems to have been scarce on this terrible situation. We’ll do our best to get the word out and help in any way we can.

Your comments are greatly appreciated, thank you.

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