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Hurricane season is a tough and unpredictable time for many coastal areas. Typically running from June to November, they pose a constant threat to cities and residents along the coast, each year causing extensive damages and destruction to everything along their path. Knowing the inevitability of the season, it is important to be prepared and have emergency plans in place for such situations, but being prepared for a natural disaster like hurricanes is impossible.
This hurricane season has seen destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, a category 4 storm that absolutely decimated four states. Work is being done to help those affected by the natural disaster recover, but the damages caused by Helene were exacerbated by the overall impact of previous hurricanes during the season. Florida was hit back to back by Hurricane Debby, a category 1 hurricane that devastated parts of Florida and caused widespread flooding in early August. Although not as destructive as Helene, the back to back hurricanes are problematic due to the obstacles they pose with recovery and the damages they have done to natural storm barriers and causing road blockages that make it difficult to evacuate. Lake City, Florida is one of the many areas affected, and put out an RFP for an emergency need to correct architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical issues caused by Hurricane Debby that made landfall on August 5, 2024. Florida has barely had time to recover before Hurricane Helene struck, and despite the damages caused by that storm hurricane season is not over.
The physical effects of hurricanes are scarring and depressing, but the damages done to the psychological and emotional health of those affected require a special kind of care. The stress of rapid evacuations, loss of property, and uncertainty of a full recovery weigh heavy, and at many times can seem like too much. However, with enough aid and help, anything is possible. Resources are being distributed to help as many people as they can to facilitate the recovery process, and federal and state governments are doing as much as they can to help aid those afflicted.
If interested in aiding Lake City in parts of their recovery processes, click on the link to learn more, including the extent of work desired and more ways to help.