Natural disasters disproportionately affect less affluent countries, yet international assistance remains insufficient. We investigate the microfoundations of public support for providing international disaster relief and preference for donating to relief efforts, focusing on empathy and its interaction with geopolitical considerations. To test our pre-registered hypotheses, we fielded a survey experiment in the United States. We find that perspective taking can shift public opinion in favor of assistance by inducing empathy and reducing zero-sum thinking. Individuals who experienced or were impacted by disasters, or who live in disaster-prone areas, show more support for disaster assistance. While geopolitics plays a significant role in preference formation, empathy can counteract geopolitical concerns, especially when geopolitical factors otherwise lead to low support levels for disaster assistance. For policy, our findings suggest that engaging public empathy can enhance support for disaster aid and appeals for personal donations can be an effective strategy for disaster relief efforts.