2024 Hurricane Season: Unifying after the wreckage

 Nessa Brown

 

2024 Hurricane Season: Unifying after the wreckage

After the devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton, the local community of Florida, as


well as other states, shared a common ground and came together. Neighborhood communities


collectively cleaned up where they lived, picking up trash, leaves, and furniture off of the


streets. People would also give clothing and food to one another. Additionally, many people


and organizations donated to hurricane damage relief programs. The 2024 hurricane season


required lots of clean-up, but it also required Floridians to come together and help their


community. 


President Joe Biden, at the time, had stated that “more than 250,000 Floridians registered for


help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency”, which was the most anyone had


ever registered that much within one day in American history (Brooke Ward, “My Story in


the Storm: On Ground After Helene and Milton” foodandwaterwatch.org). Just as Helene


ended, many local governments, state agencies, and FEMA started to deploy their recovery


plans. They started to rebuild locations, set up shelters, build roads, and bring back power to


Americans.


Thousands of Americans needed help and still do, due to the storms. Houses were destroyed,


apartments have had waiting lists for years, and nobody had any money. So some


organizations, such as the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross’s response to the


hurricanes was to open up temporary shelters for those who had to evacuate. They also set up


400 supply trailers before Helene even hit, as well as 45,000 ready-to-go meals. 


Not every location is fully rebuilt, several months later, and many Floridians are still living


with family until they can afford a house again. When the hurricanes hit, we experienced lots


of compassion from fellow members of our community. This can show that devastating


events can bring out the best in people, which I think is crucial to the recovery process. We


should always have a community to fall back on for support when disaster strikes.



Resources for those affected by the hurricane

For those seeking assistance, here are some organizations providing relief and support. 


  • Americares

  • The Salvation Army

  • Direct Relief


Sources


  • Admin. “How Florida Is Rebuilding After Hurricane Milton.” Elawfirm, 16 Oct. 2024, elawfirm.org 

  • Chris, Isdore. “Hurricane Milton’s losses of up to $34 billion could make it one of the costliest storms in US history.” CNN Buisness, cnn.com

  • “Hurricanes Helene and Milton.” ArcGIS StoryMaps, 12 Dec. 2024, storymaps.arcgis.com 

  • Long, Claire. “Hurricane Milton: The Impacts and the Humanitarian Efforts.” The Independent, gbsindependent.org  

  • Ward, Brooke, and Brooke Ward. “My Story in the Storm: On the Ground After Helene and Milton.” Food & Water Watch, 28 Oct. 2024, www.foodandwaterwatch.org 

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