One month after Hurricane Idalia -- the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida's Big Bend region since 1896 -- neighbors living along its path are still dealing with the aftermath.听The Red Cross has been on the ground since before the storm and continues to offer help and support today.

Idalia produced storm surge flooding all along the West Coast of Florida.听As of the one-month mark, we know that more than 2,100 homes were destroyed or received major damage. Particularly hard hit is the agricultural industry. Early estimates report losses could be more than $78 million in that area alone.

Here are some of the resources and services provided by the Red Cross to date:
听

• Since Idalia made landfall,听more than 980听trained Red Cross disaster workers have deployed to help people impacted by Idalia.
• The Red Cross has provided听almost 3,000 overnight stays in 33 shelters听across Florida and Georgia.
• With the help of our partners, we have provided听more than 291,000听meals and snacks, and served听some 21,000 households with more than听37,300 relief items.
  听

In addition, the organization is helping those affected plan their next steps as they begin to recover. This can include financial assistance for qualified households.

This year has already seen records broken for the number of U.S. weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1 billion each, and with several months to go, there is the potential for additional devastating disasters. According to a September 11 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have been 23 billion-dollar disasters. In comparison, the U.S. experienced 18 disaster events exceeding a billion in disaster-related losses in 2022.

# # #