Morningstar Hurricane Irma Disaster Response and Recovery Fund

Volunteer Florida Foundation Inc.

Volunteer Florida activated its call center to manage offers of volunteers and donations and has also activated and will manage the Florida Disaster Fund, 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. The Fund is administered by the Volunteer Florida Foundation. Funds will support disaster relief organizations active in responding to and recovering from Hurricane Irma.

Direct Relief

Anticipating Hurricane Irma’s landfall this week, Direct Relief has reached out to health clinics across Florida and the Caribbean that may be affected. Direct Relief has also prepositioned emergency medicine and supplies throughout the Gulf Coast, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. By prepositioning critical medical resources in advance of hurricane season, clinics have immediate access to critically needed supplies in the event of a hurricane or other emergency.

American National Red Cross

The American Red Cross and Haitian Red Cross are pre-positioning disaster responders and relief items. There are relief supplies and vehicles on the ground and the Red Cross has shipped additional blood products to Puerto Rico to help ensure a sufficient supply is available for hospital partners on the island. Red Cross volunteers and relief supplies are being mobilized, and dozens of facilities have been pre-identified as potential evacuation shelters in Florida in case they are needed. The Red Cross is preparing enough supplies and resources to shelter at least 120,000 evacuees by this weekend.

Care

CARE, one of the largest humanitarian organizations in Haiti, is identifying teams that can be dispatched to any hurricane-ravaged areas. CARE is preparing to respond in at least seven of the 10 departments, or provinces, in Haiti. CARE teams also have started procuring key emergency supplies such as water purification tablets and tarps that can be used for shelter. CARE is also planning to provide hot meals to people in shelters.