A week after many areas of Florida experienced heavy wind and flood damage from the incredibly destructive Hurricane Ian, things are beginning to return to normal for some residents. For others, it will take a long time to recover. Damage is staggering in scope, even in areas not directly battered by the monster storm. Downed trees that disrupted power to millions, broken levees, flooded streets and whole towns, the list goes on. There was no escaping this storm; every Floridian was impacted to some degree. Dangerous conditions still exist in parts of the state, namely in southwest Florida, especially on the islands off the gulf coast. Losses are more than just financial and they will linger for a long time.

There are countless stories of everyday heroes coming to the rescue of their fellow Floridians. In the aftermath, people are pulling together to help one another. It is comforting to see that people can get beyond their political differences and step up when it is needed most—that the American spirit still binds us all together. Hats off to the first responders, volunteers, and government officials who pulled together to mitigate the harm and restore essential services.

HOW TO HELP:

The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities.

Donations to the Florida Disaster Fund are made to the Volunteer Florida Foundation, a 509(a)(3) Type I charitable organization (EIN# 01-0973168), and are tax deductible. Up to 3%, however, no more than $30,000 is typically taken from each donation to cover administrative costs, including but not limited to staff salary, indirect costs and credit card and bank transaction fees. However, for Hurricane Ian, all administrative and credit card fees have been waived so that 100% of every donation can be used to help Floridians recover.

The Florida Disaster Fund distributes funds to service organizations that will serve individuals within their communities with disaster response and recovery.

If you wish to donate to assist those impacted by Ian, please do so via www.FloridaDisasterFund.org or text DISASTER to 20222.

If you prefer to donate by check, please make your check out to “Volunteer Florida Foundation” and include “Florida Disaster Fund” in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to:

Volunteer Florida Foundation
Attn: Florida Disaster Fund
1545 Raymond Diehl Road
Suite 250
Tallahassee, FL 32308

If you have any questions, please contact Volunteer Florida at 850-414-7400 or info@volunteerflorida.org.