Day 28: Hurricane Ian Updates

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Dear Friend,

When disasters strike, they leave trails of catastrophic destruction, instantly uprooting the lives of millions of people each year. Once the cameras leave and the news stories trickle to a stop, what many don't see is the grueling and costly journey Survivors experience for months and often years after a disaster hits. Between 15-75 percent of people who experience a natural disaster later develop PTSD. Natural disasters can also worsen existing physical and mental health conditions and disproportionately impact children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and under-resourced and underinsured individuals. 

Nearly 30 days after Hurricane Ian's landfall, our teams are witnessing the trauma and mental/social anguish continuing to increase for many residents and survivors. Community members are grappling with the surmounting feeling of loss and grief and the reality of the long road ahead. 

“They don’t have any food, they don’t have a dry bed to sleep in, their socks, their clothes, their underwear…everything is soaked. People couldn’t even find their cars. One person lost two cars…but they didn’t know where they floated to.” (Mary Ann Roberts, Inspiritus Disaster Relief Volunteer)

This is why it's critical for our teams to take extra care of not just a Survivor's home and belongings, but the person impacted. This is where resiliency and recovery begins-- the people. Survivors receive spiritual, emotional, and social support from trained staff and volunteers. This is important work that uplifts the soul and often gives them the strength to go on as they navigate the difficult road ahead of them.

Homeowners also receive much needed assistance with their damaged homes from Inspiritus trained volunteers, who help them to salvage their personal belongings from the rubble, provide quality controlled muck & gutting (comparable to that of paid contractors), and mold remediation. These free, high quality services by volunteer teams help each homeowner save a life-changing $25,000-$50,000!

In response to the growing need, Inspiritus teams have expanded their work on the ground to over 8 communities in and around the Fort Myers area (Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, Arcadia, Royal Woods, Harlem Heights, Fort Myers Beach, and Pine Island). We are grateful for groups and individuals like you, who come together to help bring care and hope to Survivors. 

It will continue to take the efforts of countless supporters like you to help affected residents rebuild their lives.

Inspiritus, New York City Firefighters, The Home Depot Foundation and Tunnel to Towers teams came together to help a Survivor whose house was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The homeowner is a U.S. Navy Veteran who suffered a disability in Afghanistan, now facing the devastating loss of his home and a lifetime of family memories and belongings.

WHAT WE ARE DOING (Day 28 Update)

Inspiritus saves each homeowner an average of $25k-$50k in costs during a Response. Our current Hurricane Ian impact:

  • 1,000+ Individuals served

  • 100+ Volunteers in the field, each day currently

  • 5,770+ Volunteer Hours served

  • 19 Debris Removal jobs

  • 35 Muck & Gut jobs

  • 6 Roof Tarping jobs

  • 14 Chainsaw jobs

We work with a diverse range of volunteers, partners and donors to ensure individuals get the help they need and that volunteers are well trained and equipped to provide the necessary support. Our work includes:

  • Capacity Building: Inspiritus staff are partnering with local emergency and city/county officials to build local disaster response capacity, providing expert disaster response advisement. While staff are actively supporting operations in Fort Myers, they are also actively providing advisement to leaders in other towns and counties to help them assess and manage the people and resources they need. Towards the end of our Response, Inspiritus staff will advise and support the development of Long-Term Recovery planning and committees.

  • Assistance Hotline (FL): To better serve homeowners impacted by Hurricane Ian in the Fort Myers and surrounding areas, a hotline number has been setup to receive requests from impacted homeowners for assistance and aid.

  • Volunteer Housing: Inspiritus has setup volunteer housing at Anthem Church - Fort Myers, with the capacity to accommodate 50-80 overnight volunteers daily.

  • Spontaneous & Network Volunteer Management: We are directly coordinating and managing Spontaneous Volunteers and volunteers from our Partner Network. This collaborative Network includes volunteer teams and leads partnering with Inspiritus from local and national faith groups and partners. Passionate solo volunteers are an essential part of this network as well. More volunteers are needed to ensure all homes receive help. Join us!

  • Home Assessments, Heavy Equipment, Debris Removal, Muck & Gut, Quality Control, Roof Tarping and Mold Sanitation: Volunteers are conducting home assessments and are providing Muck & Gut, Debris Removal, Roof Tarping and Mold Sanitation work for local residents’ homes where it's safe to enter. Teams are also being deployed to areas needing chainsaw and heavy equipment support.

  • Social & Emotional Support: Disasters can affect a Survivor's physical and emotional well-being. They disrupt everyday life by displacing individuals and families, destroying homes, and splintering communities. Inspiritus' volunteer teams and community partners are providing emotional care, spiritual guidance and critical resources to help impacted individuals in and around the Fort Myers area recover stronger.

  • Water Purification: Inspiritus volunteers are providing locals with access to clean water thanks to WaterStep, who donated Water on Wheels Carts (WOW Carts) to help communities that have lost access to safe drinking water due to disaster damages.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

DONATE

Donate to Inspiritus: The more funding we raise, the longer our teams can stay on the ground continuing to help homeowners impacted by the Hurricane. Your support will provide free debris removal, muck & gut services and water purification to help families affected by the storm, especially those who can't recover without help.

VOLUNTEER

This work would not be possible without hundreds of HEROIC volunteers, including those who have driven in locally, as well as Team Leads who have come in from around the country and are living in Fort Myers, FL at our local Volunteer Housing Camp.

Prayerfully consider joining us in Fort Myers, FL now through November 23. We especially need Team Leads to guide volunteer groups with Muck & Gut and Debris Removal, but all hands are welcome, and all skills can be helpful. Please call the Volunteer Hotline at (239) 560-1554 or visit www.WeInspirit.org/drvolunteers to learn more.

SHARE STORIES

We invite you to share, follow and like us on your favorite platform below and learn more about the people impacted by this storm and how neighbors and strangers alike, can make a difference.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareinspiritus/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/weareinspiritus

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/inspiritus-inc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/weareinspiritus

OUR PARTNERS

Inspiritus is grateful for the individuals, congregations, and corporate teams from within the following organizations, for your help in this disaster:

We are collaborating extensively with community partners, including a diverse range of churches and businesses from the local area, and those traveling from communities as distant as California, the Bahamas, and the Carolinas to help disaster survivors in SW Florida. 

Thank you to all the Congregations and Individuals who are recruiting friends and family members to join us in service. This disaster relief effort is only possible because of your support (donations, volunteers, and/or professional expertise). Your generosity and compassion is making a difference.

Inspiritus partner, Missions On Wheels, is providing our disaster relief volunteers with a 7-unit portable shower trailer at no cost to our teams.

As we continue helping individuals and families in SW Florida, your prayers and support are deeply appreciated. Thank you for helping impacted communities find strength and resiliency during this difficult time. We will continue to keep you updated as the work progresses.



Sincerely,
Virginia Spencer
Chief Development Officer
Inspiritus

#Inspiritus #SurvivingToThriving #HurricaneIan #DisasterRelief