Hurricane Idalia Relief

All Hands and Hearts’ (AHAH) short but impactful Hurricane Idalia Relief program supported the immediate needs of homeowners in Florida’s Big Bend region. Conducting critical home repairs, debris removal, muck and guts and mold sanitation, our teams helped pave the path to recovery for community members in the towns of Steinhatchee, Perry and Suwanee.

Our Work

AHAH’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was on the ground in Florida’s Big Bend just days after Hurricane Idalia struck. To ensure the program was tailored to the unique needs of affected communities, our team connected with local leaders and organizations working on the ground such as Florida Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (FLVOAD) and Crisis Relief and Recovery (CRR). In addition to our home repair work, we also partnered with Steinhatchee Marina, a local business that ran a distribution center to provide essential supplies to hurricane survivors like food, water, ice and toiletries. At the marina, we set up an information booth to connect with disaster-impacted community members and help them access recovery resources.

Prioritizing homeowners with the least access to recovery resources, we completed nine critical home repairs, 11 debris removals and 22 muck and guts. One such homeowner whom we supported with debris removal was Pastor Paul, who graciously allowed AHAH to run our base of operations out of Steinhatchee’s First Baptist Church. To build local capacity, AHAH provided the Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) in Steinhatchee with tools, equipment and training to conduct mold sanitation. With these materials, LTRG can assemble over 30 sanitation kits, enabling homeowners to continue on their path to recovery.