Hurricanes 2024 Relief Efforts
On October 9th, 2024, Hurricane Milton landed on Florida’s west coast, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. As of Thursday, October 10th, over 3.3 million customers are without power, and several communities have been devastated by tornados and flooding.
Due to limited communications capability in the impacted areas, the Global HOPE team is still learning about the impacts of this devastating storm, gathering information from Florida conference staff and local churches.
Hurricane Helene landed in Florida on September 26 as a category-four storm. It brought a devastating 20-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. After landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, the storm proceeded northeast into Georgia, western South Carolina, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee as a category one storm. Over 230 people have been confirmed dead, with this number expected to rise as remote areas become accessible.
Over the last two weeks, the Global HOPE team has regularly communicated with Southeast, Southern, and Florida Conference staff, ecumenical partners in disaster recovery, and response coordination calls with the national network of voluntary organizations active in disasters (VOAD).
Several UCC churches throughout the affected region have suffered extensive damage to their church buildings and surrounding communities. As the full impact of both storms continues to become realized, the Global HOPE team is helping to connect victims of the storm’s devastation with immediate resources as well as preparing to support long-term recovery efforts.
As we continue to pray for and support those who have experienced unimaginable loss this past week, we invite you to support the UCC’s recovery efforts in the following ways:
Hurricane 2024 Relief Appeal: The National Ministries of the United Church of Christ has a long history of supporting communities as they recover from disaster and their plight fades from the headlines. Your support of this appeal will ensure that communities are supported and accompanied for years as they rebuild.
Crisis Cleanup phone banking: One of the greatest needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster is situational awareness and information gathering. Crisis Cleanup is looking for volunteers to help input cases into their dashboard. This dashboard is used by response organizations to efficiently coordinate and deploy immediate resources. If you are interested in this remote volunteer opportunity, please sign up here.
Hygiene and Cleanup Bucket assembly: One of the biggest requests is the need for cleanup buckets. UCC congregations interested in assembling cleanup buckets are eligible for a matching grant through the Global HOPE office.
Thank you for your assistance in helping families and communities who are in great need in the aftermath of these hurricanes. Your heartfelt support will make a difference.
You can also mail a check payable to the United Church of Christ, PO Box 71957, Cleveland, OH 44194. Please be sure to note “Hurricanes 2024” in the memo section of your check.