On Friday, Sept. 30, Hurricane Ian made its way onto land again, this time in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm.
On Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian first crashed onto the Floridian shores as a Category 4 storm. With maximum winds around 150 mph, NBC News reports that more than 2.0 million people in the state are still left without power.
After having been labeled a tropical storm for most of Thursday, Ian was upgraded to a hurricane once again at around 5 p.m. ET that day. Multiple Florida neighborhoods are currently under water and first responders and hospitals are struggling to help those in need who were unable to leave their homes.
In Placida, Florida, powerful winds destroyed homes and split trees. Fort Myers, one of the hardest hit areas, saw storm surges as high as seven-feet.
Governor Ron DeSantis said in a press conference that Hurricane Ian will “rank as one of the top five hurricanes to ever hit the Florida peninsula.”
After devastating Florida’s east-central coast, President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency and ordered federal aid to “supplement state, tribal and local response efforts” in a statement from the White House.
To add to support from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the work of good samaritans, organizations are helping Floridians recover and they are in need of donations.
Below is a list of charities that are providing food and other necessities to locals impacted by Hurricane Ian:
Florida Disaster Fund
As Florida’s official private fund, donations to this organization go to the Volunteer Florida Foundation. The Florida Disaster Fund then distributes contributions to multiple organizations that will assist individuals with disaster response and recovery. You can text “DISASTER” to 20222 to send $10 or choose a different amount online.
Publix Charities
Publix Super Markets Charities announced in a news release on Sept. 29 that it's donating one million to nonprofit organizations such as American Red Cross and United Way to help Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
The grocery store chain — with stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia — also revealed customers and associates can join a companywide donation campaign.
“Donations may be made in any amount at checkout,” the news release said. “One hundred percent of donated funds will go to the American Red Cross, enabling them to respond to and help people recover from this disaster. The end date for the campaign will be determined based on customer response.”
Convoy of Hope
Before Hurricane Ian arrived in Florida, Convoy of Hope volunteers worked with the organization’s disaster services team to pre-bag groceries for locals.
In addition to providing links to donate on its website, Convoy of Hope is also posting updates about the storm. On Sept. 29, the faith-based organization shared a message that said, “Convoy of Hope’s caravan of response vehicles are en route to Florida. Once Ian is no longer a threat to the area, Convoy team members will set up points of distribution (POD) and begin assisting survivors.”
World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen sets up food trucks and emergency kitchens to provide food after crises to members of the community.
On Sept. 29, WCK tweeted a picture of large portions of the food chefs will be serving. “We’ll keep cooking up hot meals as our teams get out into impacted communities today to find anyone in need of some support,” the tweet said.
Another post included footage of relief efforts in Sanibel Island, Florida. “The singular causeway collapsed making it now inaccessible by car,” WCK said. “We’ve flown in food & water for first responders to give to anyone still on the island as rescue efforts continue.”
Save the Children
Save the Children’s emergency response team is delivering water, diapers, hygiene kits, wipes, portable cribs and other supplies to children and families. In a statement shared on the organization’s website, Barbara Ammirati, head of Save the Children’s Hurricane Ian response team, said that the group “will be working to ensure children are safe and help them recover, both in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ian and long-term.”
CORRECTION (Sept. 30, 2022, 4:38 p.m.): An earlier version of this article included UNICEF USA as a charity. It was removed because the organization is responding to hurricane emergencies all over the world, not just those due to Hurricane Ian. According to the org, UNICEF USA will "honor donor intent by giving any money already raised to an NGO on the ground helping children impacted by Hurricane Ian."