You can help in the wake of Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael made landfall yesterday northwest of Mexico Beach, Florida as a Category 4 storm – the most powerful hurricane on record to ever hit the Florida panhandle. Michael has cut a swath across Alabama and our neighbors in south Georgia, and is heading toward the Carolinas, which are still recovering from Hurricane Florence.

Lives have been lost, families are displaced and people are without food, power and shelter. Cities are flooded, homes and businesses are destroyed and the full scope of the storm is still not yet realized.

Many of our donors want to know how they can help in the wake of Hurricane Michael. Below is a list of organizations working to help those affected. We will continue to add to this list to highlight organizations working on short-term recovery. In the coming days and weeks, we will also share information about how you can help with long-term recovery.

To make a grant, contact your philanthropic officer or log into Donor Central.

Recommended:

• Alachua County Humane Society has sheltered animals from Taylor and Suwanee counties.
• Feeding the Gulf Coast will distribute food in areas affected by Hurricane Michael, focusing predominately on the panhandle (from Escambia County in the west to Bay, Holmes and Washington counties in the east).
• Feeding Florida will deliver food and emergency supplies to help people across Florida cope in the aftermath.
• Greater Birmingham Humane Society is helping to transport animals out of harm’s way.
• Panhandle Animal Welfare Society has taken in animals in preparation for the storm and is making room for animals left behind after the storm.
• Volunteer Florida Foundation/ Florida Disaster Fund distributes funds to service organizations that will serve individuals within their communities with disaster response and recovery.

We’ve spotlighted local area nonprofits above, but there are also a number of national organizations coordinating relief efforts. You may also be interested in learning about and supporting efforts from the American Red Cross and Save the Children.

Photo credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Flickr/Creative Commons; Credit: NOAA/ NASA MSFC, SPoRT