Hurricane Milton has passed and we are pleased to report the FLR network survived fully intact.

 

And yet while the West Coast of Florida has suffered a terrible blow, it could have been even worse.  A shift in the storm’s path of just a few miles to the north could have brought historic flooding to the Tampa Bay region.  Still, communities in and around Bradenton, Sarasota, south to the Fort Myers area, and across Central Florida are dealing with intense damage.

 

Many of you may be dealing with the after-effects of this storm or Helene just a couple of weeks ago.  For those of you able to help, we encourage you to consider the following list of resources to help guide how to provide aid for those in need:

 

(courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times)

How to help Hurricane Milton victims in Tampa Bay and beyond

As Florida begins the long slog of cleaning up after Hurricane Milton and the remains of Hurricane Helene, there are a number of ways to help those affected.

 

And if you need help after the storm, here’s what to know.

 

Feeding Tampa Bay: Connecting food banks with residents in need of hot meals, their disaster readiness team works directly with local emergency management operations to provide food, water and hygiene items during crisis situations. Donate at feedingtampabay.org/ways-we-serve/disaster-relief.

 

Metropolitan Ministries: For those seeking local housing, this local organization manages housing for at-risk families in Tampa and plans to help secure food, housing and supplies needed to restore lives after Hurricane Milton. Go to metromin.org to see how you can help.

 

Humane Society: Pet owners and animal lovers can contact the Humane Society of the United States as they work to secure transport for dogs and cats and bring them to safety and provide assistance to devastated animal shelters. humanesociety.org.

 

International Medical Corps: The medical relief emergency-response teams were deployed to Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Working closely with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, as well as local health facility partners, they will provide medical relief, including critical equipment and supplies, for survivors of Hurricane Milton. Donate at internationalmedicalcorps.org/hurricanes-help.

 

GlobalGiving has launched the Hurricane Milton Relief Fund to meet urgent needs for food, fuel, clean water and shelter. GlobalGiving is a top-rated charity on Charity Navigator. It has “a commitment to working with locally led organizations, ensuring aid reaches the hardest-hit communities quickly and effectively.” Once initial relief work is complete, this fund will transition to support longer-term recovery and resiliency efforts led by local, vetted organizations. See globalgiving.org/projects/hurricane-milton-relief-fund.

 

Florida Disaster Fund: The state of Florida’s official private fund distributes money to service organizations that help with disaster response and recovery throughout the state. You can donate online at volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf, or by sending in a mailed check. Checks can be mailed to: Volunteer Florida Foundation. Attn: Florida Disaster Fund. 1545 Raymond Diehl Road, Suite 250, Tallahassee, FL 32308.

 

United Way of Florida: This nonprofit organizes resources for those throughout the state and provides support for those in need to recover. Donations can be made online to their overall disaster relief fund or can be allocated to specific counties within the state of Florida at uwof.networkforgood.com.

 

CARE, a global organization that works to end poverty, is responding to Milton’s impact in Florida, including in the Tampa Bay area, through emergency cash assistance to help families in underserved communities who have been affected by the storm to address urgent needs like food, water, emergency housing, medication and supplies. To support hurricane response, go to care.org.

 

Project HOPE: Health Opportunities for People Everywhere is a nongovernmental organization that provides health and humanitarian aid to people around the world. It has a team of emergency response experts and paramedics in Florida to support search and rescue efforts and provide critical medicine and humanitarian relief supplies for people impacted by Hurricane Milton. Restricted donation link: www.projecthope.org/milton2024.

 

Other resources: The Federal Emergency Management Agency says cash donations to organizations on the ground are the most effective way to support affected people and communities.

 

They recommend visiting the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website for a comprehensive list of trusted organizations and additional information about how to help.

 

If you’re still unsure of the best place for your donations, Charity Navigator is a resource that rates charities that are actively providing relief and recovery.

 

Previous post, pre-landfall:

It has been a busy and stressful several weeks for many Floridians as Hurricane Helene came and went, leaving severe damage in North Florida and into the Carolinas.   FLR’s network thankfully emerged unscathed.