Well my sweet friends, what a wild, unexpected few weeks it’s been for Florida and for our slice of paradise St Petersburg. On September 26th, Hurricane Helene (though 100 miles offshore) created life threatening storm surge levels of 9+ feet that flooded our city and left almost 30,000 homes damaged & unlivable.
Something many people don’t realize is that storm surge & flooding isn’t simply “water” but rather it’s sewage, waste, saltwater, & sea life yuck that instantly ruins what it touches and causes black mold to bloom within days. It’s not only dangerous from a flooding perspective but its aftermath has consequences too. So any house affected (30,000) had to completely empty itself of its contents, and now driving around town there are just massive piles of debris on everyone’s lawn. It’s heartbreaking in a way that’s difficult to verbalize.
AMAZON WISHLIST FOR HURRICANE RECOVERY
Then, just a week and a half later, the St Petersburg & Tampa area sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Milton. While flooding wasn’t a widespread issue with this storm (praise god!), Category 3 winds tore down signage, stoplights, & trees and added insult to injury on our sweet town that’s endured so much already. The photo below show the roof that was torn off of our baseball stadium (Tropicana Field) from Milton!
Throughout both of these tragic storms, my heart has been deeply called to help our city and to try and bring a slice of sunshine back to my friends and neighbors who were impacted and displaced from the storms. For those who flooded, it will be at least a year until they can return to their homes due to level of damage and the sheer volume of homes that were impacted.
I wanted to share here a few efforts I am working on to support hurricane recovery here in St Petersburg, FL and Tampa, FL.
One: I made an Amazon wishlist for impacted families. You will notice that it’s 99% gift cards, and that’s because it’s truly what is most helpful. In talking with friends, coworkers, and neighbors in need, they’ve mentioned time and again that each day there’s a new discovery of something they lost. One day it’s a blow dryer, the next a pair of shoes, the next their daughters dance clothes. So the need for everyday essentials is great and these gift cards help them recover piece by piece. THANK YOU!
AMAZON WISHLIST FOR HURRICANE RECOVERY
Two: on November 2 (this Saturday!) I am hosting a hurricane relief event for moms & families impacted by the storms. What started as a small idea (hosting a few moms at my house to “shop” my closet and baby things we have outgrown) has GROWN AND GROWN into an incredible volume of donations to support moms and kids. We now have over 1000 pieces of brand new (or like new) women’s clothing as well as children’s clothing, toys, and baby gear. I’m hand inspecting every donation to ensure it’s new or like-new and will bring joy to a new family. My heart for this event is that moms who are weary and grief-filled would have a morning of joy that gives them a piece of their “normal” back. And that they would walk away feeling seen, loved and celebrated!
in addition, our incredible & favorite photographer Jessie Roffer will be doing family photos to give a new photo back to families that lost theirs in the flooding. I could cry thinking about this special gift 🩷
Everything during the event is complimentary to those impacted. If you’re local, please spread the word!
While I know I am just one person, I have been so encouraged by the outpouring of love and support for Florida. Friends from across the country have shipped down donations for my event, followers have purchased gift cards for our families in need, and my DMs are filled with amazing people asking “how can I help?” I’ve truly seen the best of people and am filled with such encouragement and hope that together we will make it through and come out of this stronger than before.
Praying for Florida || Gentry
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