Rotary members assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts

Clubs donate supplies, raise funds, and volunteer

By Arnold R. Grahl and Etelka Lehoczky

Ed Hallock thought he knew what a hurricane could do. Then Helene hit the Gulf Coast of Florida.

“I have been here 35 years, and this is the worst storm I have ever seen,” says Hallock, a member of the Rotary Club of Seminole Lake, Florida, USA. “We had a couple of Rotary members who really got hammered.”

A Category 4 hurricane, Helene battered areas in and around the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the United States’ Eastern Seaboard during the last week of September. Storm surges and heavy rains produced extreme flooding throughout the region. More than 200 people have died in the U.S. states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Other countries and areas that experienced severe flooding include the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Honduras, and Mexico.

Sandra Lilo, another member of the Seminole Lake club, says she’s lucky that her house wasn’t destroyed.

“Of the 80 houses on my street, probably 78 took water. I and my next-door neighbor did not,” she says. “Some of my neighbors took 4 feet of water. There are 2 or 3 feet of muck in most people’s houses.”

Even if they and their fellow club members weren’t directly affected, Rotary members all over the southeastern U.S. immediately offered funds, supplies, and their own labor. Many members are helping to remove sodden drywall and flooring from flood-damaged houses.

“You have to get the wet stuff out as fast as you can to prevent mold,” Hallock says. “Otherwise, it destroys the whole living space.”

The Rotary Club of Dunedin North, Florida, USA, rented a 26-foot moving truck to collect donations. It’s full of shovels and rakes, cases of water, garbage bags, and utility knives to cut up and remove wet carpet. The club has set up four distribution centers where people can get supplies.

“This is why you are a Rotarian,” says Mark Middleton, a member of the Dunedin North club and a district governor-nominee. Dunedin North has five members whose homes were destroyed.

“We have multiple clubs going to homes, mucking out and gutting these houses. Dry wall has to be cut out as high as the water line, and all flooring has to be cut out,” Middleton says. “What a blessing it is that we can help and be there for them. You become close to your Rotary family. When we can support and help each other, it becomes impactful.”

Many Rotary clubs are collecting and distributing supplies, raising funds, and assisting those affected by Hurricane Helene. Here is information about some of the efforts:

Donate to Rotary’s Disaster Response Fund, and find a Rotary club near you.

Rotary members assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts

Clubs donate supplies, raise funds, and volunteer

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