By Sarah Kruger | Executive Director
It had been shaping up to be a relatively slow Atlantic storm season when, just under two weeks ago, several above-average size storms appreared off the Eastern Coast of the United States. At the same time, the Pacific Ocean was stirring with both tropical depression Olivia and Super Typhoon Mangkhut. As Fuel Relief Fund (FRF) monitored the situation in both oceans, it became clear that one, if not two, emergency response deployments were on the horizon.
As some of you may already know, FRF is a small organization, so this level of storm activity immediately puts us on gaurd. By mid-week last week, we had all of our volunteer responders around the world on standby. And when Florence eventually made landfall, FRF hit the ground running. Our team deployed to the region, some heading to the Carolinas directly while others flew to Atlanta to pick up the fuel truck and drive it to the coast.
A million people had lost power and gas stations in both North and South Carolina were running out of gas or were damaged by strong winds and storm surge. Torrential rains, downed trees, and flooded or closed roads made finding fuel nearly nearly impossible for some residents. On Saturday, September 15th, FRF set up shop in Northwest, North Carolina and began working around the clock to distribute fee fuel to all those in need.
Over the course of the week, FRF distributed free fuel to close to 1700 families as well as fire and police departments, radio stations, ambulances, and local governments for city generators. We worked in primarily lower-income areas where the needs were acute and access to assistance was limited. In Bolton, North Carolina, the team were told about a woman with six children and a sister with cerebral palsy who were stuck at home without power or fuel for their car. With her husband at work, she couldn't leave the house to go wait on line for gas, so FRF filled up her van and drove it back to her.
This is a great example of the kind of work that your donations go to support. Every emergency deployment, every drop of fuel is made possible becuase of donors like you. But FRF isn't just giving away fuel, we're providing hope. When a family reaches the front of the distribution line with their fuel can, we are there not just to fill it, but to hear their stories and show them that people care.
So from the FRF family, and everyone we served in response to Hurricane Florence - thank you!
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