Hurricane Ian First Response
In early October, we sent a small team to Fort Myers, Florida to assist with disaster relief in the area.
Many homes were destroyed by the storm, many people were displaced, but the local church and community came together to help those in need.
On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made a sudden turn and made landfall in Fort Myers, Florida, with sustained winds of 155mph. The storm had been heading for Tampa, and this turn only gave residents 24 hours to flee from their homes. By this time, the roadways were moving incredibly slow, so many residents on the islands and beach communities were forced to ride out the storm. Towns like Arcadia experienced severe flooding, even though they were many miles inland.
Hurricane Ian became the deadliest Florida storm since 1935 with 136 fatalities, plus six additional losses in North Carolina and Virginia. A previous record that stood for over a hundred years for the most rainfall in a single day—20.5 feet—was shattered as 24 feet of rain fell.
As soon as One Kingdom received reports of the landfall in Fort Myers, efforts began to make contact in the area, but severe damage to the infrastructure left phone and internet services down until repaired. One Kingdom was finally able to get through to the Gulf Coast Church of Christ and began a plan to quickly gather some basic items like tarps, water, and cleaning supplies. In 24 hours from our initial contact with the Gulf Coast Church of Christ, members of the One Kingdom disaster relief team began the drive to southern Florida to deliver these items to the church and help in any way needed.
Upon arrival, our supply truck and trailer were unloaded and additional needs were assessed. Through the next week, the One Kingdom team took food and supplies into neighborhoods like Harlem Heights and North Fort Myers. Both of these communities within Fort Myers had received up to seven feet of water in their homes.
The people of these communities were trapped at their homes—all cars had been ruined. Furthermore, their houses had to be emptied and gutted quickly to fight mold. They had no power, no water, no clean clothes, and no way to go get anything at all except by foot.
On Sunday, the team was able to worship with the Gulf Coast Church of Christ and then work in the distribution center helping families to get the items they needed for the week ahead.
The next area of focus was the Pine Island area. Loads of MRE’s (Meal, Ready-to-Eat), canned goods, waters, and cleaning supplies were delivered in the hope of providing some relief. Families of this island community were especially impacted by Hurricane Ian’s devastating damage.
Even in a time of complete disaster, there were people serving others within their community. Sean, the youth minister at Gulf Coast Church of Christ, tirelessly lead teams out daily to muck out flooded homes. Mary and Yvonne, members of the congregation, managed all of the food and supply distributions. Volunteers were setting up daily to hand out food and water to those in need. Restaurant groups delivered cooked meals ready to be plated, so that 1,000 meals could be delivered where needed. Church members came to help serve meals and carry items to cars.
Our One Kingdom partner Mark Robbins served those in his own community of Sebring, where so many trees were down on top of houses. In times of great need, it is beautiful to see the hands and feet of Jesus come to life.
The recovery time for these communities will be long, and One Kingdom plans to stay in contact to make sure the storm survivors receive the help—and the hope—they need during this time. If you would like to contribute to the recovery effort for the devastated communities in Florida, donate to the One Kingdom US Storms and Floods Relief Fund at onekingdom.org.