It has been more than a month since back-to-back major Hurricanes Helene and Milton both made landfall in Florida, leaving at least 255 dead and lasting devastation in communities across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The
Category 4 and Category 3 hurricanes destroyed critical infrastructure including major roads, homes and buildings, and severely incapacitated the power grid and water and sewage systems.
To date, Hurricane Helene has broken records of rainfall, flooding, location and storm strength and size across the affected states. The storm is the third major hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend region in the past 13 months and the fourth hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast this year. Helene is the strongest storm in recorded history to make landfall at the Big Bend and early assessments report that the damage caused in Florida by Helene is more than 2024’s Hurricane Debby and 2023’s Hurricane Idalia combined. Now, less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton is heading toward Florida. Milton made landfall on Wednesday, October 9th, as a Category 3 hurricane hundreds of miles wide, affecting many of the same communities hit by Hurricane Helene.
The storms left thousands of individuals and families unhoused and without access to power, potable water, food or medical care. Entire communities in affected areas—including the hard-hit Buncombe County, North Carolina, home to the city of
Asheville—are still without potable water over five weeks later, with the earliest estimations of a full system restoration at early 2025. The damages to the power grid also persist, as thousands of households and businesses remain without power. The hurricanes are estimated to have together caused as much as $300 billion in damage and economic loss.
Across affected states, International Medical Corps has distributed more than 10,144 hygiene kits, more than 1,512 wound-care kits, and more than 20,441 hygiene and emergency items to 19 health facilities and five relief centers across the region. We are working closely with the Georgia Emergency Management Association (GEMA) to assist in their response to the hardest-hit areas of Valdosta, Douglas, and Augusta. In Tennessee and North Carolina, International Medical Corps is working with primary care associations and FQHC partners to support response efforts.
Across North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, International Medical Corps is continuing our response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. We are continuing to facilitate the shipment and distribution of essential hygiene supplies and medical equipment to 80 sites—including health facilities, community centers and recovery centers—across the region.
In Florida, International Medical Corps continues to support the recovery of health centers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This week, International Medical Corps will co-host the second annual Emergency Management Summit, in partnership with FACHC. This two-day summit will convene 120 representatives from more than 50 Florida-based health centers to address the urgent challenges, including preparation and response to climate-related disasters and emergencies. With many of these health centers also impacted by the recent hurricanes, the team will coordinate avenues
of support moving forward.
International Medical Corps is a pre-approved responder with the State of Florida and the Florida Department of Health. Our teams have been on the frontlines in the Southeastern US since before Hurricane Helene even made landfall, prepositioning supplies, coordinating with partners and deploying multiple Emergency Response Teams to provide critical relief across North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. In preparation for Hurricane Milton, International Medical Corps teams are coordinating with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to possibly deploy a mobile medical unit and are continuing to coordinate with local partners to continue prepositioning supplies.
Since 2005, International Medical Corps has responded to US and Caribbean emergencies, starting with Hurricane Katrina. We partner with national, state, and local healthcare systems to address challenges and deploy emergency teams in disasters. Our response efforts include the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2012's Superstorm Sandy, 2017's Hurricane Maria, 2018's Hurricane Michael and more. In the past seven years, we've supported over 6 million patients across 18 states and territories through partnerships with more than 275 hospitals, clinics, and health facilities.
Help respond to Hurricane Helene and Milton's devastation. Your donation will support lifesaving efforts and provide medical care, supplies, and relief to affected communities.
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Your Support can Save Lives!
By supporting this project or creating a giving opportunity of your own, you can make a lifesaving difference for families affected by crises in the US and worldwide.
With the support of our global community, in 2023, we:
• reached nearly 16.5 million people affected by armed conflict, natural disasters and disease outbreaks;
• delivered 9,331,598 primary healthcare consultations;
• trained 107,202 people on health, mental health, protection and nutrition-related topics; and
• assisted 2,375,098 people with vital nutrition support.
Join International Medical Corps in our mission to build a healthier and more hopeful world for all in 2024.
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*Please Note for recurring donations: Once we have determined that the community can continue to respond to the after-effects of this emergency without us, we will scale back our response efforts. At that time, we will redirect your future donations where they are needed most to help us respond to future outbreaks of conflict, disease or disaster.
