Janelle Irwin Taylor
Gov. Rick Scott activated the Florida Disaster Fund to support those impacted by Hurricane Michael, a dangerous Category 4 storm expected to make landfall in the Panhandle Wednesday afternoon.
The Fund provides financial support to communities throughout the state in times of disaster.
Contributions can be made at the Florida Disaster Fund website or by texting DISASTER to 20222 to make a one-time donation of $10.
Duke Energy has already committed $50,000 to the fund.
“As the state’s official fund for disaster response and recovery, the Florida Disaster Fund is an excellent way for the private sector and individuals to financially support Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael,” said Volunteer Florida CEO David Mica Jr.
The Florida Disaster Fund is a private fund officially established to respond and recover to natural disasters in the state. The Volunteer Florida Foundation administers the fund.
The foundation will allocate funds to disaster relief organizations active in Hurricane Michael recovery efforts.
Donations to the fund are tax deductible.
To give, checks should be made payable to the Volunteer Florida Foundation and have “Florida Disaster Fund” in the memo line.
Send checks to:
Volunteer Florida Foundation
Attention: Florida Disaster Fund
3800 Esplanade Way, Suite 180
Tallahassee, FL 32311
Meteorologists consider Hurricane Michael the worst storm to hit the region in more than a century, with an expected 12 inches of rainfall in some areas and storm surges reaching 13 feet.
Extensive flooding could completely cover homes, Scott warned during a briefing Wednesday morning.
The Tampa Bay area may also be affected, as Michael could create surges as outer bands reach the region.
Mandatory and voluntary evacuations were ordered in 22 of Florida’s 67 counties and 140,000 residents in the Panhandle were asked to leave.
Relief efforts are already underway as the Florida National Guard stands by for rescue operations. Utility crews are on standby for power restoration after the storm passes.
3 comments
Sherry Futato
October 11, 2018 at 8:32 pm
Is ANYONE helping and providing relief efforts in Marianna FL?! I can find NO NEWS coverage of ANYONE going to or visiting or even reporting damage Marianna has sustained! There are Facebook and YouTube posts, videos, etc from people there.. but nothing elsewhere can be found on the TV or news outlets. It’s absolutely heart breaking!! Jackson county may not be a tourist attraction, but they deserve just as much help as anyone else effected by this!
Emmanuel France
October 13, 2018 at 10:45 am
What portion of donated funds go directly to the victims of Hurricane Micheal? How much of each dollars is allocated to administrative cost? Is there a way to contribute directly to relief for the affected area.
BJ
October 14, 2018 at 3:34 pm
awesome job Gov. Scott! Thank you for doing so much to help these poor people who were so affected by this killer storm! God bless you!
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