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How to help those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Plus, tell us what charities and organizations we missed and we'll add them to the list.
Hurricane Milton continued to barrel toward Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday, as officials reiterated calls for residents to evacuate the area and avoid the storm.
More on Hurricane Milton
Milton is a Category 4 hurricane threatening the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people. The area has not had a direct hit from a major hurricane for over 100 years.
Hurricane Milton will make landfall in Florida late Wednesday into early Thursday, where it is expected to bring a destructive storm surge, devastating wind damage, potentially catastrophic flooding, rainfall, and tornadoes.
“The track of Hurricane Milton continues to be a worst-case scenario for the Tampa Bay region southward to Charlotte,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in a briefing Wednesday.
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The Southeast has been hard-hit by extreme weather in recent weeks, with Hurricane Helene devastating six Southern states just two weeks ago.
Helene hit the northern Florida coast as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 26, bringing 140 mph winds and dumping more than 20 inches of rain across a path of six Southern states. More than 230 people were killed and hundreds remain missing across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, according to CNN.
Boston.com readers might have family, property, or other connections to the regions affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As such, we’ve rounded up organizations that are supporting residents devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
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Did we miss any? Fill out our survey below or e-mail us at [email protected] with your recommended resources you think should be added to the list.
All Faiths Food Bank
All Faiths Food Bank is a non-profit hunger relief organization in Florida’s Sarasota and DeSoto counties. The food bank is accepting monetary donations on their website to provide food, water, and emergency supplies. The hurricane relief pop-up on their site has a list of resources for those affected by Milton in Florida to find food and evacuation shelters.
American Red Cross of Massachusetts
Volunteers from Massachusetts chapters of the American Red Cross have traveled down to Florida prepared to provide aid by those impacted by the hurricanes. To help these volunteers continue supplying help, donations can be made on the hurricane relief donation page.
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
The Brother Wolf Animal Rescue shelter in Asheville, North Carolina has been flooded due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, leaving the shelter in ruins and 150 animals displaced. They are seeking monetary donations to help rebuild the shelter and relocate the animals.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a non-profit humanitarian aid organization active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. It partners with health professionals globally in communities severely impacted by natural disasters. In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Direct Relief is accepting monetary donations that will go directly to supplying resources to medical-aid organizations in communities across Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Greater Good Charities
Greater Good is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing aid to people and pets based out of Seattle, Washington. The organization is accepting monetary donations that will go directly to provide food, water, pet products, hygiene products, and other aid to their field operations team and volunteers in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama.
International Fund for Animal Welfare
The IFAW, headquartered in Yarmouth, is an organization working to rescue individual animals, preserve habitat, and advocate for greater protections. IFAW is on the ground, responding to the needs of animals and people in the aftermath of Helene, while gearing up for Milton. Donations to help the organization provide food, water, medical care, and other emergency assistance to animals in urgent need can be made on their website.
International Medical Corps
International Medical Corps is coordinating with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to provide emergency medical relief, including critical equipment and supplies, to hurricane survivors and local healthcare providers in Florida, to help people recover from Hurricanes Milton and Helene. The organization is accepting monetary donations.
Mercy Chefs
Mercy Chefs is a faith-based, non-profit disaster and humanitarian relief organization. They are on the ground in Asheville, NC, serving thousands of meals to communities hardest-hit by Hurricane Helene. The organization has also been serving areas of Florida, including Crystal River, Cedar Key, Perry, and is now focused on Western North Carolina. The team has meal service sites in Asheville, Swannanoa, Flat Rock and Marshall and is feeding hospital employees and patient families at Asheville’s Mission Hospital. Mercy Chefs is focused on reaching individuals with the greatest need. Mercy Chefs is accepting monetary donations.
Project HOPE
Project HOPE is an international 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides health and humanitarian relief in communities across five continents. A team of emergency response experts and first responders have been working across Florida providing medicine, supplies, and search and rescue efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Milton. Project Hope is accepting monetary donations.
Rebuilding Together
In the aftermath of the hurricane, Rebuilding Together will be tarping damaged roofs, mucking and gutting flooded homes to prevent molding from growing, and will be removing debris from areas impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. In the months following the storm, Rebuilding Together will repair damaged homes by installing new roofs, replacing damaged doors and windows, and making sure impacted people can safely return to their homes. Rebuilding Together is accepting monetary donations.
Salvation Army Hurricane Relief
The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations on their website through their hurricane relief page. All of the proceeds from the donations will go directly to “emergency aid, food, drinks, emotional and spiritual care, and critical supplies” in the five affected states as listed on their website.
Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse is a “nondenominational evangelical Christian” organization based in Boone, North Carolina. Samaritan’s Purse mobilizes and equips thousands of volunteers to provide emergency relief to survivors of floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes, such as Hurricane Helene. The organization is accepting monetary donations.
Send Relief
Send Relief is a faith-based organization that provides aid and resources to communities across the globe. The organization has set up recovery sites in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia, and is providing meals, water, flood recovery supplies, temporary roofing, and other aid for those impacted by the storms. Monetary donations can be made directly on their hurricane response website.
Sister Kitten Animal Rescue
Sister Kitten Animal Rescue is an organization that rescues and re-homes community cats and “outdoor” dogs in Western North Carolina. They also respond to weather-related emergencies in the Southeast by assisting with animal rescue and relief efforts. The organization is accepting monetary donations.
SPCA Tampa Bay
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Tampa Bay is a non-profit, animal welfare agency that runs an open-admission for-all animal shelter in Pinellas County, Florida. The shelter is currently accepting monetary donations and item donations through their Amazon Wishlist.
Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund
This fund supports nonprofits working across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties on the front lines of Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts. Money will be deployed to local nonprofits to address needs related to Hurricane Helene recovery, such as emergency shelters, clothing, and food, as well as storm-related damage.
World Central Kitchen
WCK’s Chef Relief Team mobilizes to the frontlines with the urgency of now to start cooking and provide meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of food trucks or emergency kitchens, WCK provides freshly made, nutritious meals to communities impacted by disasters quickly and effectively. WCK is currently operating in four states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. World Central Kitchen is accepting monetary donations.
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