Convoy of Hope was on the ground in Florida when the category 4 hurricane hit. Distributions of essential relief supplies are ongoing in the Perry and Steinhatchee area, which was ground zero for the hurricane's landfall.
Since then, Convoy has added shipments of relief supplies to the following cities in Florida: Mayo, Cross City, Hudson, Ruskin, and Jasper. Hudson and Ruskin are both in the Tampa area.
Convoy is also sending supplies to:
Asheville & Morganton, North Carolina
Greenville & Greenwood, South Carolina
Hendersonville and Johnson City, Tennessee
Adel, Augusta, Macon, and Plano, Georgia
This is a very fluid response. Convoy of Hope is working to meet the needs of survivors of these catastrophic weather events.
Convoy of Hope is on the ground in Perry, Florida, distributing much-needed relief supplies to local and surrounding county residents again today. Yesterday, more than 1,500 families received water, groceries, and hygiene supplies.
Several Perry residents stayed in town and weathered the storm. Essential workers had to stay, and some stayed for their pets or family members who couldn’t leave.
“The wind was ferocious,” said Perry resident Dana.
One family who received supplies at the drive-thru distribution said they live in a cinder block house but still felt the effects of Helene’s powerful 140 mph winds.
“You know that weightless feeling you get in an elevator?” Diane, a member of the family, said. “That’s what it felt like.”
Helene’s damage extended beyond Florida. As the storm tracked further inland, it brought devastating winds and flooding across the Southeast.
Additional loads of relief supplies will leave our World Distribution Center today to head to the Tampa Bay area; Augusta, Georgia; and Morganton, North Carolina. More loads will be delivered across the impact area throughout the week.
In Augusta, Convoy is working with multiple churches and emergency management to resource weeklong citywide distributions.
Asheville, North Carolina, is experiencing catastrophic flooding. Convoy is working with multiple partners in the area to set up distributions. As the city opens up to outside traffic, Convoy will resource partners to begin serving people in need. With Morganton’s water treatment plant down due to the flood, Convoy is delivering a load of water to serve that community.
Convoy is in communication with partners on the ground to assess needs in Tennessee as a first step in a wider response.