Google will give out $3 million in cash to victims after the next natural disaster in the U.S.
It’s part of a project with GiveDirectly to measure if giving cash is the most effective form of disaster relief.
Every natural disaster is different, and how people respond in their aftermath is different, too. For aid groups that help in recovery efforts, this makes it difficult to figure out what exactly is the most effective way of helping: One family might need to prioritize repairing their car over rebuilding their house, because they still have to commute to work. Another might need specialized food or medicine. And aid groups sending truckloads of unrequested supplies can clog up already cluttered fallout zones with stuff that just spoils or has to be trashed because people needed a new roof, not a donation of blankets.