Appeal Code: 6290
Situation:
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm and carved a devastating path from Florida’s Gulf Coast to Tennessee. Less than two weeks later, while many communities are still reeling from the massive destruction caused by Helene, Hurricane Milton is expected to hit shore by October 10, 2024 in the Tampa Bay area and could remain as a hurricane as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Hurricane Helene caused power outages for millions of individuals across several states, and thousands of homes sustained major structural damage or were destroyed, causing more than 230 confirmed fatalities. Extensive flooding from Helene has severely impacted western North Carolina and multiple communities in several states, hampering the delivery of critical supplies, and FEMA has approved support for individual households in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Hurricane Milton, with sustained winds of 175 mph rapidly strengthened from a Category 2 to Category 5 storm in just a few hours on October 7, 2024. The storm is expected to bring up to ten inches of rain across parts of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night, which could cause considerable flooding and, according to the National Hurricane Center, evolve into “an intense hurricane with multiple life-threatening hazards” for the coastline. Florida issued an emergency declaration on Saturday for 51 counties across the state, many of which are still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Milton is expected to compound existing damages with additional storm surge, high winds, debris and power interruptions along the coast. Voluntary and mandatory evacuations have been issued in a number of communities.
On October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a dangerous Category 3 storm, leaving significant damage and flooding in its wake as it cut through the state and moved offshore. The initial aftermath whipped up tornadoes and cut power for more than 3.3 million people, putting 11 million people at risk of flooding and causing at least nine fatalities. Since then, FEMA has deployed over 1,000 incident management staff to Florida, and other federal agencies have deployed 1,200 additional search and rescue personnel. The devastation of Hurricane Milton comes less than two weeks after Helene tore through the region, breaking the record for the shortest amount of time between two major hurricanes in Florida.
CWS Response
CWS’ Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery team has been actively participating in National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and FEMA calls, as well as statewide VOAD calls in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina in response to Hurricane Helene. CWS will continue to participate in relevant calls to stay informed on the impacts of Hurricane Milton and support in the long-term recovery of communities impacted.
CWS has offices providing direct services to clients in 4 locations in North Carolina and 6 locations in Florida where we are mobilizing local capacity to support impacted communities.
Before Helene made landfall, the CWS team conducted outreach to especially vulnerable and overlooked communities to help them prepare for evacuation and extended power outages. As of October 18, CWS has distributed 5,824 Emergency Cleanup Buckets, 10,310 Hygiene Kits, 7,280 Blankets, 1,800 Menstrual Hygiene Kits, 650 School Kits and 72 Welcome Backpacks to partners in Florida and North Carolina (a value of more than $697,000). We are shipping more supplies as impacted communities become accessible. CWS has also been working to connect impacted families in Georgia and North Carolina who are not eligible for FEMA assistance with safe temporary housing.
CWS works with impacted communities long after the initial disaster response phase to identify unmet needs and gaps where our support and efforts are most impactful. We are committed to supporting affected underserved communities, including immigrant populations and unaccompanied children and their sponsors, by connecting individuals to resources and existing support structures, and will be involved in long-term recovery efforts to help meet these needs in the months and years to come.
Your contributions ensure that we can provide critical and life-saving resources to our neighbors when it’s most needed and sustain that support long after the news has left headlines.
Budget/Appeal Target
CWS is seeking $2,565,000 to support response and recovery efforts. This includes:
- Short Term Response: $150,000
- Kits and Blankets: $900,000
- Staffing: $115,000
- Long-Term Recovery $1,400,000
How to Help
To support CWS emergency response efforts, donations can be made online or sent to Church World Service (P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515).
Please designate “Appeal code: 6290”
We will continue to offer updates as this situation evolves. Follow CWS on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram for the latest information.