Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall along Florida’s Gulf coast, bringing deadly winds and heavy rainfall to Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee, staff and residents at most LeadingAge members are managing the work of clean up—while at the same time, coping with tremendous loss and change. “Each day we have made progress,” said one North Carolina affordable housing community member on Monday, October 7.

But it is not easy. That same day another member, also in North Carolina, shared that 14 staff had lost their homes, while a different community posted devastating drone footage of Hurricane Helene’s immediate aftermath on its Facebook page, along with a comment: “We are still reeling from this storm … Several staff members have experienced grave losses, including family members, friends, homes, pets, cherished belongings, and more. Some team members are displaced. Some are bringing children to work because they don’t have childcare. Some are seeking resources that we used to take for granted. We’ve all lost a sense of normalcy and peace. We are raw, even if we look ‘normal.’”

And in Florida, members in communities located around the Tampa, Sarasota, and Fort Myers regions, as Milton approaches, are repeating what they’d done just days earlier, pre-Helene. That is, “stocking up, and doing [all we can] to prepare to evacuate,” according to one staffer who works at an affordable senior housing community, “all while watching the rain start to roll in.” Milton is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, October 9.

“Supporting one another in times of need is a LeadingAge value, a guiding principle,” said LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan. “We step up and serve to the best of our ability. We did it with hurricanes Sandy, Michael, Irma, Maria, and Ian; we’ve responded to the devastation wrought by wildfires and other disasters. Helene and Milton are no different. Our members have over the years donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid staff, residents, and member organizations who’ve been harmed by natural disasters.”

For those who are in need of support, please email Amanda Marr (AMarr@leadingage.org) to request funds. To members who are able, please consider a donation to the LeadingAge Disaster Relief Fund, as 100% of all donations will go directly to members and their staff.  Adds Sloan: “We’re here for those in need. Although the impact of these uncontrollable events can be far-reaching and long-lasting, we are here to help see it through.”

For ongoing updates as news develops from the hurricanes, follow our Hurricane Season 2024 Updates and Disaster Relief serial post.