Summary Stats
Phase 1: Immediate Response
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. Over 4 million people were immediately affected with power loss, extreme flooding, and heavy winds. Countless more households have been affected along all of Florida’s Gulf Coast and through to Georgia, South and North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The GEM team is on the ground conducting distributions out of Perry, Florida and Asheville, North Carolina. From here our team has been providing large scale aid supplies to community members affected by this disaster since the beginning. This includes water, food, cleaning supplies, tarps, pet supplies, hygiene supplies, and more. Furthermore, GEM is also making smaller aid runs by vehicle and helicopter to rural zones and cut-off communities, as well as having provided air evacuation service in NC. GEM has also partnered with Airbnb.org to offer residents of Pasco County, Florida with free, short term stays.
GEM will be on the ground in Florida & North Carolina supporting those affected indefinitely.
Hurricane Milton
To respond accordingly, GEM has prepositioned for this storm by already securing local infrastructure. From this warehouse we will bringing in large quantities of necessary supplies for both the immediate need and the long-term recovery from Milton
Phase 2: The gap Period
At GEM, we are also dedicated to providing longer term solutions & empowering those affected by disaster. Right now, in tandem with The Horse Shoe Farm in North Carolina, we are committed to supporting local small businesses and artists in the community. Within this initiative, we will be providing local artisans, farmers, and business owners with $1,000 – $10,000 grants to help them get back on their feet & their businesses back up and running. To support our small business recovery program in North Carolina, please donate through the below link.
Hurricane Helene Briefing
- We have delivered 36 semi trucks of aid so far to FL and NC.
- Trucks include water, ice, family emergency kits, tarps, cleaning supplies, and more.
- We have vehicles that are stationed at each base camp that are taking supplies to more rural regions and to those without vehicle access.
North Carolina
- We established a Basecamp in Asheville, North Carolina.
- We were the first semi truck of humanitarian aid to this location.
- We are currently serving roughly 3,000 residents per day
- Air assessments via helicopter have taken place for Bat Cave, Spruce Pine, Chimney Rock. Airdrops of supplies and evacuations began taking place 09/30 in Cattail Creek, Pensacola near Burnsville.
Florida
- Our advance team propositioned in North Florida last and drove before daylight to assess
which communities were affected the most. - We established a basecamp in Perry, Florida.
- From that basecamp, we have served 4,000+ community residents who have been affected
by the storm via drive-thru distribution. - Our teams have distributed aid to residents in Keaton Beach, Dekle Beach, Dark Island,
Steinhatchee and Sarasota. - Local volunteers from South Florida are still packing family emergency boxes at our
headquarters in Doral.