Hurricane Milton Florida Emergency Relief
Mercy-USA distributed vital items, including cleaning supplies, hygiene products, baby essentials, and more, to families in both the Kissimmee and Tampa communities impacted by Hurricane Milton in October, 2024.
Hurricane Milton was the third hurricane to strike Florida this year.
Mercy-USA provided emergency relief.
Separated by less than two weeks, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton struck Florida in late September and early October, 2024. Mercy-USA sent a relief team to coordinate relief supplies to Tampa and Kissimmee, Florida. Families struggling in Tampa were impacted by storm surge and families in Kissimmee experienced serious flooding to their homes.
Along with supplies collected from donation boxes in Orlando, Mercy-USA brought pallets of essential items, such as bleach, detergent, diapers for children and adults, and feminine hygiene products. These items were chosen based on needs expressed by groups on the ground that partnered with us. This included the Muslim Women’s Organization in Orlando as well as the Tampa Muslim Disaster Response
Mercy-USA’s ethos of seeking and maintaining relationships with dedicated local organizations always helps us bring the right relief at the right time to those people most impacted by any natural disaster.
Thanks to these organizations, we were able to collect even more donations and recruit volunteers to join in our efforts. These grassroots organizations also helped us identify communities with the highest level of need and provide them with appropriate support.
With this assistance, it was possible for Mercy-USA to host two separate distributions simultaneously at key locations in Tampa and Kissimmee. In addition to these distribution sites, we were able to bring aid to families directly, providing them with gift cards to replenish their supplies, replace food items that had spoiled without power or conduct necessary repairs from storm damage according to each individual family’s needs.