Rotary Efforts for Disaster Assistance - Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Today, 10/9/2024, a new storm, Major Hurricane Milton, is heading toward Florida and is expected to pass just south of Tampa and Orlando. It will bring strong winds, heavy rain, and a dangerous and deadly storm surge of 10-15 feet to the coast around Tampa on Wednesday night. Residents will wake up on Thursday morning or make the drive back to their homes to assess the damage caused by the storm. The damage they face may be overwhelming, and they will realize that they need help to recover from the storm, some more quickly than others.

 
Many of you have asked how you can help. Here are ways you can help:
 
1. Donate money to the impacted Rotary Zones 33/34 directly.
2. Donate to Disaster Aid USA for cleanup assistance indicating which storm you would like to direct your dollars toward.
3. Volunteer to answer phones for Crisis Cleanup  as part of Disaster Aid USA. (most needed at this time)
One effective way for families in need to seek assistance is by registering their needs on Crisis Cleanup. Crisis Cleanup is a free service provided to communities following a disaster, aimed at assisting non-profit organizations in navigating the aftermath and identifying families in need of assistance. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, over 23000 individuals called the Crisis Cleanup Hotline to request assistance from non-profit organizations serving in the area. 
 
One way you can assist families affected by the storm in Milton on Thursday morning is by volunteering as an operator with Crisis Cleanup. We anticipate a high volume of calls from storm victims in the days and weeks ahead, and we want to help them by shining the light on their needs so that others can respond.
You can assist from your home any day between 8 AM and 7:30 PM central time. There's no need to schedule a shift, as you can work whenever you have the time. All you need is a computer and internet access, and the training is available online, in both English and Spanish!

  • You will need to register as a volunteer with Disaster Aid USA  @ https://volunteer.disasteraidusa.org/  and create an account.

  • Once an account is created, email me at amyk5910dg2324@gmail.com and I will add you to Crisis Cleanup where you will create a user profile and take a 15-minute training on how to take calls requesting disaster cleanup.