Members of the South Florida Search and Rescue team search for survivors in the destruction left after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.

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Members of the South Florida Search and Rescue team search for survivors in the destruction left after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage. | Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How to Help Victims of Hurricane Michael

Categories: Fundraiser, Local,
October 15, 2018,

This last week, Florida’s Panhandle was devastatingly ravaged by Hurricane Michael, one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the continental United States. What originally appeared to be a tropical storm, Michael strengthened quickly and made landfall on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, in Mexico Beach as a Category 4 hurricane, then brought heavy rain and winds to Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas.

With the damages being so close to home for us and many across the country seeking ways they can help, we’ve gathered a list of relief efforts from near or far that will directly aid those in need and to rebuild the cities of Panama City, Mexico Beach, Port Saint Joe, Youngstown, Blountstown, Callaway, Lynn Haven, Marianna, and more.

Supplies needed

Hygiene and Health:

  • Baby/body wipes
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Deodorant
  • Toothbrushes and toothpaste
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Adult diapers
  • Bug spray
  • Sunscreen
  • Disinfectant ointment
  • Aspirin/ibuprofen
  • Pedialyte
  • Band-aids
  • Toilet paper
  • First-aid kits
  • Soap
  • Hand sanitizer

Home Improvement and Hardware:

  • Batteries (all sizes)
  • Flashlights
  • Generators
  • Fuel
  • Tarps
  • Tarps with roof tabs
  • Shovels

Food and Water:

  • Can openers
  • Canned food with pop tops
  • Non-perishable food items
  • Baby formula
  • Water jugs and bottles
  • Gatorade

Baby:

  • Diapers
  • Baby formula
  • Pacifiers/teething items
  • Baby wipes
  • Bottles
  • Baby food
  • Baby soap

Pets:

  • Dog and cat food

Cleaning:

  • Contractor trash bags
  • Bleach
  • Cleaning cloths
  • High quality breathing masks
  • Heavy duty gloves/rubber gloves
  • Brooms

If you live locally along the Emerald Coast and would like to donate or volunteer to Northwest Florida relief efforts, here is a list of drop-off sites.

If you don’t live in the Northwest Florida area and would like to donate, please visit the links here:

In a small effort to help, VIE will donate a portion of profits to the relief effort monthly for the next year through the newly created VIE Foundation. Thank you to all those who have donated and volunteered so far across the area. From our founder/president, Lisa Burwell: “We are all in this together, and with our strong sense of community and by the Grace of God, we will pull through this!”

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