At least with this channel and Zero Velocity they're fundraising for a registered 501c3 that does some kind of disaster relief. Those can be corrupt but this isn't maximum parasocial vampirism.
I've been monitoring /r/tampa since I have friends near it. So far people are reporting power outages but little flooding, but they have five hours of heavy rain ahead of them. Luckily the storm swung south which pushed the surge away from the bay.