On September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida. The impact on the western part of the state is profound, with millions left without power and running water.
The storm is expected to be one of the costliest in United States history. It decimated 90% of the homes in Keaton Beach, Florida, and splintered homes and left behind debris-covered highways in Georgia. The Carolinas and Tennessee had many strained dams and overflowing waterways, receiving over 31 inches of rain in just two days.
To assist with post-hurricane relief, Yardi pledged $250,000 to Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen.
Sarah Bridich, Yardi’s director of corporate philanthropy, said, “With Yardi employees living in every state impacted by Hurricane Helene, we wanted to support organizations that quickly had boots on the ground. We are grateful that both Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen were able to move so quickly to provide needed medical supplies, food and water to those directly impacted.”
Direct Relief
So far, Direct Relief has made available $74 million in medicine and medical supplies and $250,000 in financial assistance to community health centers, free clinics and other healthcare partners in affected areas.
According to its website, Direct Relief has staff on the ground in affected states, including Florida and Georgia, and is coordinating closely with state and national associations as well as healthcare providers to assess damages, identify priority needs and respond to requests for emergency medical aid.
As of September 30, Direct Relief has already made 14 shipments of specifically requested emergency medical aid, including antibiotics, emergency medical backpacks, DTaP vaccines, hygiene kits, rehydration salts, personal protective equipment, water purification tablets, medications and more for healthcare providers responding in Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee.
From September 24 to October 1, Direct Relief delivered 42 shipments of essential medicines and supplies to healthcare providers in affected states as part of its Safety Net Support Program. The program seeks to ensure community health centers, free and charitable clinics and other local healthcare providers across the U.S. have access to ongoing donations of medicines and medical supplies for their low-income and uninsured patients.
World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is currently operating in four states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
The organization sent five 6,200-gallon tanker trucks of fresh water to the Asheville area, where it may be weeks before water supplies are running again. The trucks are capable of making multiple trips to Asheville in a 24-hour period, providing up to 100,000 gallons a day.
“Fueled as always by our Chef Corps members, restaurant and food truck partners and volunteers, WCK is working shoulder-to-shoulder with local communities to blanket the devastated region with much needed food and water aid,” said a post on the organization’s website.
To help provide meals, WCK is currently partnered with 35 food trucks offering free meals: 24 in Florida, eight in Georgia and three in Tennessee. Additionally, 16 restaurant partners across North Carolina and Tennessee have provided tens of thousands of hot meals and sandwiches to families in need.
WCK is also using helicopters to deliver food to those stranded when roads and bridges were destroyed.
“We plan to increase hot meal distribution shortly as additional partner kitchens join the effort. Scouting operations by air and land will also remain a priority as we work to fully assess the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene,” WCK said.
At the time of this post, Hurricane Milton had just wreaked additional havoc across Florida. Yardi continues to monitor the situation and check on employees and clients in the area. For more information on the company’s philanthropic efforts, visit Yardi.org.
