People from around the country have worked to pick up the affected residents of Hurricane Helene and Milton. Torrington High School is helping the Elks’ Club do a fundraiser for Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief. Students can bring donations to room 2403 from October 22 – 29. Needed items include non-perishable foods, toiletries, paper towels, blankets, and more items found in student’s graduating class google classrooms.
Mr. Tyler says he is “hoping we get help for them and everyone gets enough support.”
Athletic Trainer Abby Fisher runs the youth group, The Antlers, which has been “integral” in getting this drive up and running. She is hopeful that THS can come through with donations by Tuesday for those in need.
Hurricane Helene hit Northern Florida and North Carolina only about two weeks before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. Nathaniel Rakich with ABC News states that Hurricane Helene killed “more than 230 people and [caused] as much $47 billion in property damage.”
Hurricane Milton hit Florida on Wednesday, October 9th, as a Category 3 hurricane after making its way up to a Category 5 with winds topping 180 mph. Only 14 days before, Hurricane Helene struck Northern Florida and Western North Carolina as a Category 4.
Hurricane Milton left a devastating impact on Florida with at least 14 dead. The storm surge reached 8 to 10 feet in Sarasota County on October 10th, leaving the community in shambles. The damages of the hurricane remain as people around the United States work to raise money and resources for the affected residents of Florida.
Mr. Grenfell, a math teacher at Torrington High School, knows a family who faced the catastrophe. He states there is “a former student [he knows] who is struggling to sell their house because no one wants to buy it and their insurance is bad.” He explains how the former student “struggled to survive” the hurricane.
Throughout this year’s intense hurricane season, Mr. Grenfell explains it is important for Florida residents to “get out” while they can. “I do worry that Tampa got lucky and the people of Tampa might take it for granted next time because they got lucky this time,” says Mr. Grenfell.
Mr. Tyler, a science teacher at Torrington High School, shares a similar perspective. When asked what he would have done in that situation he states, “I would have boarded up and evacuated.” He explains that not all residents may have understood what a storm surge is, and how bad it could be, so they may have taken the risk to stay at home.
There are many resources available for Florida residents impacted by the hurricane. People from around the country are running fundraisers to send items down to Florida. Impacted Florida residents may also apply for aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where they can temporarily stay in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA.
