Photo Courtesy of Sheala Octavien Facebook Page

Staff Report

Many Floridians enter today, Sept. 16, still without power and FPL has said they may be unable to meet their initial Sunday deadline of restoring everyone. This means many businesses are closed, and therefore many people can’t go to work. Some people have limited or zero funding and, even for people with means, there is limited access to food as many grocery stores are deplete of perishable items and ice.

However, as we reported yesterday, South Florida residents are stepping up to the plate to love their neighbors. Below are a list of relief and recovery efforts happening today and tomorrow across South Florida – some of which began as early as 8 a.m. There’s still time to volunteer, donate or receive much needed assistance.

8 to 11 a.m. & 3 to 5:30 p.m. – Urgent, Inc. is serving hot meals for students from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. this morning and 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. this afternoon at Greater Bethel AME Church, 245 NW 8 Street in Miami. For more information, please contact Saliha Nelson at saliha@urgentinc.org or call 786-560-8008.

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Central Broward Regional Park and Stadium are serving as a Point of Distribution (POD) Saturday and Sunday, September 16-17. They will be passing out water, ice and Meals Ready-To-Eat (MRE) until supplies are depleted.

10:30 a.m. – VOUS Church, Brave Church, Calvary Kendall and Ekklesia Miami are joining forces to host LOVE MIAMI, a distribution event that will provide items like: water, ice, cleaning supplies and school supplies to individuals & families in need.  Volunteers will meet at 9:30 a.m. and distribution begins at 10:30 at the respective churches. The addresses are:

  • Vous Church: Located at Jose De Diego Middle School, 3100 NW 5 Avenue in Miami
  • Brave Church: 1300 SW 8 Avenue in Miami
    Calvary Kendall: 16435 SW 117 Avenue in Miami
  • Ekklesia Miami:7280 NW 2 Street in Miami, 2nd Floor

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Urban League of Broward County is hosting “Restore 954,” during which families can receive a complimentary hot meal and kids can enjoy a Miami Dolphins Kids Zone. The event will be at Dillard High School, 2501 NW 11 Street in Ft. Lauderdale.

1 to 3 p.m. – Magic Leap, Blacktech Week, Senator Oscar Braynon and The Hungry Black Man are hosting the Hurricane Irma Detox Traveling Dinner Party. Residents are invited to come enjoy a delicious meal and a cold drink at four stops in four locations. They include:

 

  • 1 to 3 p.m. – 93rd Street Community Baptist Church, 2330 NW 93 Street in Miami
  • 2 to 4 p.m. – Bunche Park, 15600 Bunche Park Drive West in Miami Gardens
  • 2 to 4 p.m. – Uber Wings, 9579 NW 160 Street in Miami
  • 4 to 6 p.m. – Lakeshore Park 8750 North Sherman Circle in Miramar

Call (786) 277-7889 for additional information.

4 to 6 p.m. – The City of North Miami will provide free hot meals and soft drinks to residents recovering from Hurricane Irma at community picnics. Today, Sept. 16, District 4 Councilman Alix Desulme will host the first picnic at the Sunkist Grove Community Center, 12500 NW 13 Avenue in North Miami. On Sunday, September 17, from 3 to 5 p.m., District 3 Councilman Philippe Bien-Aime will host the second picnic at the Griffing Community Center, 12220 Griffing Boulevard in North Miami.

United Way of Broward County and the Salvation Army are collecting personal items for those who have been impacted Hurricane Irma.  These items include:

  • General hygiene products
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Baby diapers
  • Water
  • Non-perishable food items
  • Cleaning products and kits
  • Gift cards
  • New towels
  • New blankets

Those interested in donating items should contact Jenelle Aragon, United Way of Broward County at 954-308-9262 or 786-514-1734 or email jaragon@unitedwaybroward.org for more information on where and when to drop off the donated items.

Donate Dollars: The Community Foundation, Jewish Federation and United Way of Broward County have joined forces and launched a collaborative disaster recovery and rebuilding coalition to help support the community. The organizations will be collecting donations at www.browardcares.org. 100% of these donations will be directed to areas critically impacted by Hurricane Irma. This will be done through the provision of grants to select nonprofits that provide disaster recovery programs or support those in need. For more information, visit www.unitedwaybroward.org/browardcare.

Resident Assistance: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has added Broward County to the list of counties eligible for individual assistance. That means homeowners with damage that is documented can apply for funding from FEMA. Information on eligibility criteria and the types of assistance available can be found at disaster assistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Residents without internet access can use the computers at Broward County libraries to register for FEMA Individual Assistance.

Broward County Residents and Businesses are urged to stay connected for updates. PLEASE NOTE: Broward County’s s Emergency Hotline, 311 or 954-831-4000, has resumed normal business hours 8:30AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday. Visit Broward County online at:

Broward.org/Hurricane

Twitter@ReadyBroward

Subscribe to AlertBroward

Facebook@BrowardEMD

PLEASE NOTE: Updates on more relief efforts will be provided as they are received. Some relief efforts mentioned yesterday, like Make The Homeless Smile, are still ongoing. Food and other essential items are distributed on a first come, first served basis.