WATERFORD, Mich. – The devastation from Hurricane Helene continues to increase across the southeast.
As the death toll rises, many communities remain flooded, and the overwhelming cleanup continues to be a concern.
Nonprofits like Disaster Relief at Work (DRAW) in Waterford are among Metro Detroit organizations rushing in to help.
“Right now, there are lots of communities with devastating flooding going on,” said Samantha Smith, a Community Liaison and Events Coordinator with DRAW. “They are trapped; they can’t get supplies in. So, our goal is to be able to bring more supplies to the area.”
The team and volunteers with DRAW have been busy in the warehouse, filling hundreds of buckets with cleaning supplies and essential items to help families in hurricane-hit communities.
“We started in the Big Bend coast of Florida, and we did the distribution of supplies,” said Greg Martin, Executive Director of Disaster Relief At Work.
He’s on the road delivering some disaster relief supplies and helping hundreds of residents in hard-hit areas.
“I’m seeing the worst storm devastation in 15 years of doing this,” Martin explained. “This was a massive, massive, destructive storm.”
The team at DRAW said there is so much more to do. This hurricane has left disaster relief organizations rushing to restock inventory like this one.
”As you can see, stock is kind of low, right now, due to our recent response,” Smith said.
The group issued an urgent call for donations. It wants to fill buckets with essentials to go to disaster-hit areas it’s identified across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Disaster Relief At Work said items it urgently needs include:
- Cotton or microfiber cleaning rags
- Sponges with scrub side
- Scrub brushes
- Reusable towels/hand-wipes/multi-use reusable cloths (8-12 count packages)
- Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
- Household cleaner, 12 to 16 oz. bottle – that can be mixed in water (like Pine-sol. No spray bottles)
- Dish soap, 16 to 28 oz. bottle
- Reusable, latex waterproof gloves (dishwasher gloves)
- Knit work gloves with latex/rubber grip (latex/rubber palm necessary)
- Trash bags (heavy-duty contractor bags, 33-45 gallon or tall kitchen bags)
- Insect repellent spray (not killer or fogger), 6 to 14 oz. can (aerosol spray or pump with protective cover)
- Air freshener (aerosol or pump)
- 5-gallon buckets and/or lids
DRAW aims to send out several trucks with supplies over the next week or two.
As donations come in, the staff knows there are still areas where roads are destroyed, power and cell phone service remains interrupted, and so much work is needed.
“You see the best in people when the worst comes,” Martin said. “And at the end of the day, all we have is each other.”
Donations of urgent items can be dropped off at The Coffee Bucket, 3549 Airport Rd #104, Waterford Twp, MI 48329, between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.