Two weeks ago today, Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida as a category 4 storm leaving behind a devastating path of destruction and heartbroken communities. Floridians from all over the state have come together to aid in the relief effort by hosting food and supply drives, fundraisers, and going into the communities to rebuild and clear debris.
Among the relief efforts are students and faculty from Florida college and university campuses. Here’s how Florida colleges and universities are aiding the communities impacted by Hurricane Ian and some ways you can help and find help, too:
University of Florida & Santa Fe College
Relief Efforts & Ways To Help:
- Library West Food Drive
- Zeta Tau Alpha Food Drive
- UF Surf Club Fundraiser: 75% of the proceeds to the Florida Disaster Fund through Volunteer Florida.
- UF Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service (VETS) disaster response team, made up of veterinarians, emergency responders and students from the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, mobilized to Southwest Florida to help more than 300 animals with emergency care using triage, gas anesthesia and basic surgery.
- UF/IFAS & Florida Sea Grant: At least 40 extension agents served in county disaster call centers and Emergency Operation Centers during Hurricane Ian. Agents have also been assisting in cleanups and loss evaluations regarding crops, ornamental plants and beehives. Sarasota County extension agents are working on providing water, ready-to-eat non-perishable meals, bag ice, feed, hay and other supplies at the regional hub at Dakin Dairy Farms, in Myakka City.
- Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie and Florida Gateway College President Larry Barrett teamed up to host a supply drive, with the items collected heading to southwest Florida. A dozen pallets loaded with supplies including bottled water, non-perishable food items, toiletries, cleaning supplies, pet food and more were donated by SF and added to the supplies gathered at FGC.
Find Help:
- Aid-A-Gator: Provides funding to students experiencing unanticipated expenses due to an emergency. This financial assistance is intended as a funding bridge for UF students to cover education-related expenses.
Florida State University
Relief Efforts & Ways To Help:
- Second Harvest of the Big Bend is the most effective way for members of the FSU community to support Hurricane Ian relief efforts. They accept financial gifts, food donations or volunteering for existing service shifts.
- Those interested in volunteering may sign up through Volunteer Hub and following the instructions provided.
- Three FSU Football players created a Hurricane Ian Relief Fund with a goal of raising $200,000; they have currently raised $28,000. “Most of the guys on the team had family and friends right in the middle of the cone of uncertainty. Now that Ian has made its mark on Southwest Florida, we feel so badly for those who suffered the devastation and are dealing with the aftermath of one of the worst hurricanes in American history,.” states the effort’s GoFundMe page.
University of Central Florida
Find Help:
- Emergency Aid – UCF is disbursing emergency grants to students who were substantially impacted by the storm and who are eligible for funding.
- Short-term Housing – UCF launched a short-term housing program with local hotels to provide temporary housing options for students who indicated they are displaced due to the storm.
Florida Atlantic University
Relief Efforts & Ways To Help:
- FAU deployed a team of students to southwestern Florida in partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University on Saturday, October 1st.
- FAU Women’s Softball team bought and donated thousands of supplies, as well as travelled to Fort Meyers to participate in the cleanups.
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Gulf Coast University was heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian and has resumed normal operations as of Monday, October 10th.
Relief Efforts & Ways To Help:
- Hurricane Ian Relief Fund – Donations to this fund will be matched dollar for dollar.
Find Help:
- Hurricane Ian Student Form – This form provides financial aid for students once funds have been allocated.
Other Disaster Relief:
- Volunteer Florida is an organization that supports disaster relief through volunteer work and donations.
- Cajun Navy Ground Force is a 501c3 disaster relief non-profit established in August 2016 dedicated to responding quickly to disasters.
- Project Hope has staff on the ground supporting the most vulnerable communities. Their prepositioned Emergency Response Teams allowed their staff to access the most affected areas within the first twelve hours.
- American Red Cross has a disaster relief fund set up and has deployed over 1500 disasters workers who are providing meals, supplies and overnight stays in emergency shelters.
