Rotary members assist with Hurricane Helene and Milton relief efforts

Clubs donate supplies, raise funds, and volunteer

By Arnold R. Grahl and Etelka Lehoczky

Kelsey Mitchell grimly sums up the effects of two subsequent hurricanes on the state of Florida, USA.

“When this storm came through, it put an even bigger mess on top of the mess we already had,” says Mitchell, the governor of Rotary District 6960 in Florida. “We had to stop working in all the flooded areas and go back to preparing for the storm.”

Mitchell’s district was one of several where members were working to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene, which hit the southeastern United States at the end of September. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Milton, members are once again organizing relief efforts.

“We work with our local partner organizations, which we already support, to identify the communities that have the most need and least ability to provide for themselves,” Mitchell says. “We already had a disaster committee on the state level. The district governors had been meeting every month to prepare a response, and since the hurricanes hit, we have met almost every day.”

Donate to Rotary’s Disaster Response Fund

Hurricane Milton made landfall on 9 October in Florida as a powerful Category 3 storm. Mere weeks before, Hurricane Helene battered areas in and around the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the United States’ Eastern Seaboard. Storm surges and heavy rains produced extreme flooding throughout the region. More than 250 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, a member of the Rotary Club of Seminole Lake, Florida, USA, 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. Members of the Rotary Club of Alpharetta, Georgia were just spared the hurricanes’ devastating effects, and quickly began collecting supplies and raising money for people in neighboring states.

“One of our members owns a cabinet-making business, so he had a trailer. We reached out to a few clubs in the area and compiled a list of needs, and we completely stuffed the truck with supplies,” says Jeff Davis, the club’s president. “The trailer is 10 to 12 feet long and 6 or 7 feet tall, and it was literally stuffed.”

A club member drove the truck to a supply drop-off site in North Carolina. The club is also raising money to buy generators. In Florida, 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,” says Ed Hallock, another member of the Seminole Lake club. “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 was filled with 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. Drywall 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.”

The Rotary Foundation has awarded three $25,000 Disaster Response Grants to provide food, medication and supplies to areas affected by the hurricanes. Many Rotary clubs are collecting and distributing supplies, raising funds, and assisting those affected. 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 and Milton relief efforts

Clubs donate supplies, raise funds, and volunteer

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