By Megan Rose, Better Together
In the days since Hurricane Helene made landfall, volunteers from churches and local service groups like Better Together have been helping families pick up the pieces.
We are knocking on doors (if homes still have one), delivering meals and supplies, and triaging the most urgent needs of children and families. It’s hard to fully express the depths of the devastation and despair we’re seeing on the ground.
I recently traveled from Fort Myers to connect with our team in Perry, where I met a father who was sitting outside of his apartment and cradling his young son, Mazieon. He explained it wasn’t safe inside of the apartment because the storm had punched a hole in the ceiling.
When Mazieon’s mother showed us the rest of the apartment, we realized the ceiling was just the beginning. They had no food or water. The power was out. Every room had taken a hit, and days of wet clothes and water damage made the air feel heavy. They were not sure where Mazieon would sleep that night.
Other children from the neighborhood were sitting together outside while their parents searched for anything that could be salvaged. Mattresses, toys, clothes, furniture and family photos were all piled high, waiting for the dump. The entire complex looked as if it had been evicted.
This might seem like rock bottom, but for these families, it can get worse. Many parents lost their jobs in the storm and have no money coming in the door for home repairs and essentials for their children. They were barely making ends meet before Hurricane Helene, and the storm is pushing them over the edge — putting their children at risk.
A hurricane is an unplanned crisis, especially for families who are already isolated and living in poverty. First responders and welfare agents are doing heroes’ work in the recovery efforts, but they don’t have the capacity to provide the depth of services that families like Mazieon’s will need to stay intact.
As families along Florida’s Gulf Coast — including many who are still reeling from the impacts of Helene — are facing the threat of Hurricane Milton, Better Together stands ready with support for those in the storm’s path. Our team is canvassing communities before the storm to help families find shelter and resources. After the storm, we will continue working in the hardest-hit communities throughout Florida, walking alongside families now and in the days, months and years to come.
This is why local volunteer service groups like Better Together exist — to stand in the gap and catch families before they fall.
Our volunteers sprang into action within hours of Hurricane Ian in 2022, knocking on thousands of doors, serving hot meals, tarping roofs, helping people find new jobs, and opening up their homes and hearts to children displaced by the storm. And our work didn’t stop there — our volunteers still keep in touch with the families we served during Hurricane Ian, offering them a community of friendship and support for life.
We are doing it again with Hurricane Helene, and now with Hurricane Milton, and there is a role for everyone. If you are able to canvas neighborhoods and assess the needs of families, host a child displaced by the storm, drive supply trucks, distribute meals and resources, or connect people with jobs to get back on their feet, join us.
We are also collecting supplies to meet the basic health and safety needs of children during this time, such as bug spray, bedding, portable cribs, diapers, wipes, formula, comfort toys like stuffed animals, as well as fans and generators.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to help families impacted by Helene and Milton. Mazieon’s parents are now part of our community. We’re connecting them with a volunteer who will walk alongside them with resources and encouragement as they get back on their feet. Together, we will build strong families and communities.
Local volunteer support groups are uniquely positioned to give hope to these families and to keep them together. If we can, we must. Visit BetterTogetherUS.org/Hurricane-Relief to get involved.
Megan Rose is CEO of Better Together, a nonprofit organization that helps parents and families. To help families in your community, get help or donate, visit BetterTogetherUS.org or call 239-470-2733. This opinion piece was originally published by the Sun Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea.
If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
As parents and children sit devastated, cold, hungry and homeless, crushed by two hurricanes, our government prepares to send weapons and U.S troops to Israel. More Palestinians will be killed, injured, or made homeless. Millions of dollars wasted in order to destroy and kill.
A solution. Rather, send sheet rock, hammers, toilets, roofing. Require that soldiers from all sides of the conflict take off their uniforms and put on nail aprons and safety helmets. Let skilled builders teach the young ones who know nothing but bombs and guns. Find architects who will design homes suitable for families, safe, comfortable and affordable. Site schools and hospitals to restore the communities that have been destroyed.
Form construction teams composed of Israelis, Palestinians, Americans–all who care about human dignity. Let them share their dreams and hopes for the future, let them learn that loving their children and their families is a common human characteristic that glues us all together–if only we stop killing long enough to build a new society. Think of the lives lost, the blood and tears. Think of the children who could be free to reverse the environmental damage that their elders have left behind. New hope–a new world.