How you can help Hurricane Milton recovery efforts in Orange County

The Orange County government has highlighted multiple private and nonprofit organizations that individuals can and should support if they have the means, as part of the county’s continued effort to aid in Hurricane Milton recovery efforts.

Those organizations include:

• Heart of Florida United Way: A nonprofit that runs the county’s 211 crisis line, fielding calls about storm information, available resources, and emotional and mental health support. The confidential helpline, reachable by dialing 2-1-1 on your phone, is open 24/7.You can donate to their Hurricane Recovery Fund here.
• Second Harvest Food Bank: A nonprofit that is providing meals to individuals and families impacted by the storm in Central Florida. Second Harvest is the region’s largest food bank, and rushed to prep meals ahead of the storm at Mercy’s Kitchen that they could ship off to the county’s special needs shelter before Milton’s arrival. They’re also aiding in recovery efforts, specifically, helping to fill people’s bellies. You can donate to their Hurricane Milton Disaster Relief Fund here.
• American Red Cross: A nonprofit that provides disaster relief and preparedness. According to the American Red Cross of Central Florida, you can aid their efforts by donating to their relief funds for those affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene; volunteer your own time; and donate blood if you live in an unaffected area.
• The Salvation Army: A Christian nonprofit that deployed disaster response teams to affected areas, packed backpacks with essential supplies to give out to folks ahead of the storm, and prepared meals for those in shelters. They say they served over 1,500 meals in Orange and Osceola Counties within a 24-hour period from Wednesday into Thursday. You can donate to their disaster relief efforts here.

Beyond county-endorsed private organizations, other relief efforts include:

• People’s Free Kitchen: A mutual aid project in Orlando, affiliated with activist group REAL Orlando, is setting up a community relief hub in Parramore on Sunday that will be located at Al’s Food Store. The group is accepting donated items (including food, hygiene items, clothes, emergency blankets, chargers and such) at 4400 N Powers Dr. in Orlando as well as monetary donations via CashApp at $BuildReal (Note: Milton).
• Farm Share: An independent food bank that retrieves unused food from Florida farms and redistributes it to those in need. According to a news release, has already deployed over 560,000 pounds of food, water, and emergency meal kits to Floridians in need, with response efforts in 16 impacted counties, including Orange County.

But it’s not just the private sector that’s been lending aid for relief efforts. The public sector has been central to disaster preparedness and recovery, including federal officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (which offers disaster assistance), and local and state government employees who do wastewater work, road management and debris removal, emergency dispatch service, public safety, transit and electrical work. All play important roles in helping communities recovery after natural disasters such as major storms.

Although the storm wasn’t as destructive as some experts had feared, a strong recovery response has been and will be sorely needed for hardest-hit communities. Arriving just shortly after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified in the days leading up to its arrival on Wednesday, growing (twice) to a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 3 storm upon landfall in Sarasota County.

The storm tore a destructive path across Central Florida, leaving behind storm surge, flooding, fallen trees and more than 3 million people without power as of yesterday, although power companies have been working diligently on restoration efforts. Even before its landfall, counties on Florida’s Atlantic and Treasure Coasts unexpectedly saw deadly tornadoes cut through. At least 126 tornado warnings were issued across the state by the National Weather Service, within a 12-hour period, surpassing a record number of warnings set by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

As of Friday afternoon, at least 16 storm-related deaths have been reported, including three in Volusia County and one post-storm death in Orange County. According to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, a man who stepped outside to clean debris in his yard accidentally stepped on an active power line. “To that family, our prayers go out to them,” Demings shared at a news conference Friday.

He further cautioned residents to be vigilant of potential dangers, such as contaminated wastewater and power lines, noting that while there are multiple challenges members of local communities are still facing, “we really don’t want to see anyone else who is needlessly injured in this process.”

“We are still in the recovery phase, and we need to be vigilant to make certain that we’re protecting ourselves as we are taking care of our homes,” he added.

Meanwhile, other businesses in the community, including various bars and restaurants have also reopened their doors, post-storm, informing folks that they can come in to recharge (literally, if they don’t have power, as well as figuratively), use their Wi-fi, and purchase food and drink. Several local food trucks will also be coming out of the wood-works to serve food outside local businesses as the community begins to return to its pre-Milton routine.

Additional resources that Orlando Weekly previously shared can be found here.

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This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2024.