I would not give to the American Red Cross (too big and too wasteful), but I have considered giving to one of the local Red Cross chapters in SE Texas. Maybe Matagorda County because my great aunt used to live there on the gulf side of the Intercoastal Waterway. Does that work, or do they send the money to national?
I remember being evacuated by the Red Cross 10 or 15 years ago when visiting family at their new house in Sequin or New Braunfels (don't remember which and they don't live there anymore) and there was a massive rain and the Guadeloupe River flooded bigtime. They hauled us out on the back of a big 18-wheeler with a flatbed trailer and we spent the night in a school; the RC and the local Walmart were wonderful.
I think spending the night in a shelter is a good experience for anybody, to see how some people live. But I wouldn't seek out that experience
I"ll probably just give to the Southern Baptists' disaster relief program (0% goes to overhead, and I volunteer for them sometimes) or the Samaritan's Purse.