Written by Naomi Nolte-Carroll, American Red Cross Public Affairs

Today, I saw the true meaning of what it means to be a community in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, a community severely impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Fort Myers Beach Strong is a key partner for the American Red Cross Community Adaptation Program. 

The organization is dedicated to assisting community non-profits that specialize in addressing needs of health, hunger and housing. The ultimate goal is to build more resilient communities in highly vulnerable, disaster-prone areas.  

Fort Meyers Beach Strong volunteers assisted their neighbors in finding the supplies needed to make it through the next couple of days. Community members picked up food, water, clean-up supplies and hot meals. Fort Myers Beach Strong is truly a community hub where multiple nonprofits and community members come together to meet the immediate needs of their neighbors.

While at Fort Myers Beach Strong, I met Matt and his son Beau. Although their home fortunately didn’t sustain any damage, the father-son duo were spending their day volunteering to support their neighbors. They grabbed a power washer from Fort Myers Beach Strong and went into the community to wash sand and debris off homes and driveways. Matt and Beau shared how beautiful it is to see their community come together during a time of such great need.

Organizations like Fort Myers Beach Strong are key partners for the American Red Cross because they are deeply embedded in the community. They help the Red Cross quickly identify immediate needs of people affected by disaster. The road to recovery will be long, but Red Cross partnerships with hyper-local organizations strengthen community resiliency to recover from disasters.