I usually give money to the local food bank if it is a wide spread disaster. Otherwise I give the family money and trust they know what to do with it. Sometimes in a crisis, what they want/need to feel better isn't what we might think. My friend's house was flooded in the Great Flood of 2016 in Baton Rouge. She has lived in her house for about 30 years and never even got close to flooding. Her house was the last one on the block to flood. After things settled down I sent her money and said to use it for something she needed, whether a haircut, mani/pedi, something for the house, etc. She called to say it was very much appreciated and she was going to get a massage, otherwise unaffordable.