Local Organizations Send Help to Florida After Ian
The vast majority of deaths from Hurricane Ian occurred in Florida.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hurricane Ian may have come and gone, but the damage, destruction, and loss will be felt for years to come in Florida.
While the impacts were weaker here in the Carolinas, local non-profits have come together to help those at home and down south.
“Any family impacted by disaster, it’s a major disaster, to them and to us. So, we want to take care of our people here, but we also want to take care of those folks elsewhere.”
Sheila Crunkleton of the American Red Cross says that her local chapter in the southern Piedmont of North Carolina will be sending upwards of 75 to 100 people down to Florida over the coming months to support those affected by Ian.
“We have sent people down there. We have people from mental health workers, to shelter workers, to emergency response vehicle drivers helping with the feeding.”
They’re not the only ones geared up to send help to the Sunshine State.
“We are sending our first personnel from Charlotte from the Salvation Army down to Port Charlotte, Florida, this Saturday,” says Major Todd Mason of the Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte is deploying personnel to reinforce those based in the Fort Myers area as the cleanup enters its more advanced stages.
“Most don’t realize how actively involved we are in emergency disaster services. So, anytime around the world, whenever there’s any type of natural disaster, especially ones of this magnitude, like these two recent hurricanes were, the Salvation Army is there, right out of the gate, to help provided some of those immediate, emergency basic needs.”
Getting the power back on has been a priority for Duke Energy — a priority that has already been pieced together both in the Carolinas and in Florida.
“In the Carolinas, we had approximately just under a million that were impacted,” according to Duke Energy’s Logan Kureczka. “And then, down in Florida, we had a little bit over a million. So, both, we obviously saw large numbers of customers out. And in both instances, we were able to get our crews there and get them restored in just a few days.”
It’s no small matter recovering from any hurricane, much more so from the fourth-strongest storm to ever hit Florida. This process will take months, if not years, to complete, but one thing is certain:
They will rebuild. They will overcome.
