Hurricane Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone to make landfall in the U.S. mainland since 2005.
It dumped roughly 40 trillion gallons of rain and carved a 500-mile path of destruction through the southeastern part of the country, leaving countless homes and businesses in ruins.
The disaster prompted an immediate response from first responders as well as those in construction circles, specifically contractors and home improvement retailers who, along with their partners, sprung into action by offering free hurricane recovery supplies and resources.
Facebook pages and free networks were also quickly set up to connect hurricane survivors with reputable professional contractors and suppliers who could provide materials and expertise on everything from home repairs like tarping roofs to removing muck and debris from a house.
Luke Yoder, manager of Yoder Construction in Perry, Ga., was one of the contractors who responded to the call. He assembled a team and collected supplies for a four-day trip to Hendersonville, North Carolina, a few hours from where he grew up. The team left Oct. 2 and was planning to give away 1,000 gallons of gas to help people power their cars and generators. They’d also loaded up chainsaws to clear roads of debris and planned to provide warm meals.
After the storm, Yoder took to social media and asked for donations to be dropped off at his shop. He raised more than $8,000 for supplies and gas.
“This has been a humbling experience, to say the least,” he said in a posted statement. “To see all the supplies and money and so forth that has come in from anything to $20 donations and then saying they want to give more when they get their next paycheck, to pallets of water, to baby supplies and you name it getting donated. I wish I could personally thank everyone but that’s not even possible at this point and we still have a lot more coming in.
“Whatever does come in, I promise to make sure we get it to people that need it the most, even if it means taking more trucks and trailers to get it up there. One of my goals is to hand out and help people personally that really need it, that can’t even get to drop points to get stuff.”
The Home Depot Foundation, the non-profit arm of Home Depot, also stepped up, committing $2 million to support immediate disaster relief in communities impacted by the hurricane.
Home Depot mobilized teams and resources to deliver supplies and begin cleanup and repairs. The retailer’s non-profit partners are distributing food, water, hygiene items and cleaning supplies to impacted communities and others are helping to remove debris from roadways.
ToolBank Disaster Services is supplying tools and equipment to organizations across Florida while volunteers will be cleaning up communities across North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.
Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation, said the company’s thoughts are with the communities that have been impacted by the hurricane.
“The Foundation and Team Depot are working alongside our disaster relief partners to assist the people and areas impacted by this catastrophic storm.”
Meanwhile, Lowe’s offered free hurricane cleanup supplies at multiple locations in Florida and Georgia. Participating stores distributed buckets filled with recovery items such as sponges, goggles, moisture absorbers, water, heavy-duty contractor trash bags, flashlights, and batteries.
Nearly 100 specially trained members of Lowe’s emergency response team were deployed to assist with hurricane recovery efforts.
BullBag Reusable Dumpster, which has its corporate office in Florida, mobilized additional trucks, support teams and an unlimited supply of 10-cubic-yard-capacity reusable dumpsters to aid in debris removal.
“BullBag is part of this community,” said operations director Michael Tidwell. “We’re here, we’re local, and we’re ready to help our neighbors in any way we can.”
In Florida and Georgia, Facebook pages were set up to help individuals connect with contractors or cleanup crews who have heavy equipment that can be used to remove trees and other debris.
In Florida, the Disaster Contractors Network, a free service, is linking homeowners with licensed contractors who can provide repairs or construction on buildings.
Although there has been an outpouring of support, authorities are warning homeowners whose property has been damaged to be wary of contractor fraud and schemes that exploit the vulnerable.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) issued a contractor fraud alert and tips to avoid problems after such a storm.
“Hurricane Helene has already caused enough devastation to the honest, hardworking residents of the southeast, and in the days to come, unscrupulous contractors may try to take advantage of their situation for personal gain,” noted NICB president and CEO David Glawe.
“We are urging residents to take extra caution in avoiding these scams. Be wary of door-to-door contractors who demand upfront payments, try to pressure you into signing quickly written contracts, or discourage you from talking to your insurance company first.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also weighed in, urging those in the Peach State to be on the lookout for home repair fraud, charity fraud, imposter scams, and price gouging.
“By doing research on a company or contractor, you can help to prevent one tragedy from leading to another,” he noted.
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