Last week, we told you how Airbnb was helping displaced families find shelter through their hosts. Now we have a web portal that is connecting Louisiana flood victims with the help they need. Even better, it does it without any bureaucracy or red tape.

Former TV journalist Melanie Hebert has started up LAFloodBud.org, which is a portal that is connecting flood victims with people offering supplies. Here’s Hebert explaining and showing how the portal works:

The most important thing for a flood survivor right now, other than having their basic needs met, is economizing their time. This portal helps connect survivors with relief in a timely manner.

But this website is not just for coordinating relief supplies. There is also a way to coordinate houses that need to be gutted with people willing to gut them.

How it works is that someone goes to the appropriate Facebook group and they ask for help. People respond with what they can provide. Or people say what they have and are willing to provide and people respond by making arrangements to receive it. It beats waiting in a line somewhere for hours.

The sharing economy and social media are revolutionizing how we’re delivering relief and social welfare. Gone are the days of long waits and red tape. Now there are ways to deliver the help directly to the people who need it. This should be kept in mind in the next generation of welfare reforms.