In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Destin residents who were spared the brunt force of Hurricane Michael, stand ready to help bring relief to those in Panama City and eastward. Heidi LoCicero of Frill Seekers Gifts said that she is accepting non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies, dry pet food and baby supplies at her storefront over the next two days. “My daughter Peyton is a news reporter for the ABC affiliate in Panama City and we thought this would be an easy way to get the items to people in need because she can still get across the line where people who want to give right now cannot get in,” LoCicero said. “The Destin community is so generous and a lot of people stocked up before the hurricane, so we thought, ’Why don’t we put those things to good use to help our friends and neighbors to the east?” Brian Squire of Hays Company in Destin is also spear-heading a donation drive and is hopeful that he can personally deliver water and other items to those in need in Panama City Beach. While en-route to Panama City, Squire said he was surprised at the rapid response of the local community to the call out for relief efforts. “My wife and a friend started it yesterday, and we didn’t think it would get much traction, but it has,” he said. “We are making the first floor of the Runnels Professional Building in Destin a donation center. We are just doing anything we can do to help.” If you want to donate or volunteer for local Hurricane Michael relief efforts, here is a list of businesses and charities that are collecting items: Destin Fire Station: The Destin Fire Station is now accepting donations to support those impacted my Hurricane Michael and has a detailed description of needs online. From hygiene kits and school supplies to food and cleaning supplies, all items can be dropped off at the main fire station at 848 Airport Road in Destin from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/DestinFireRescue Frill Seekers: Destin’s Frill Seekers Gifts in City Market is accepting donations of non-perishable food items, and cleaning supplies for hurricane relief in Panama City. Peyton LoCicero of News Channel 13 and her cameraman Chase are planning to fill up their news trucks with supplies as they try to make their way to the station in Panama City. Frill Seekers Gifts is located at 4495 Furling Lane, Suite 130 within the City Market Bayside in Destin. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/FrillSeekersGifts/. Donations are accepted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Feeding The Gulf Coast: Feeding The Gulf Coast, based out of Milton, Florida is partnering with Feeding America, Feeding Florida, Bay County Emergency Management and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to distribute food and water in areas affected by Hurricane Michael. Feeding the Gulf Coast is asking for volunteers and monetary donations to tackle upcoming needs. To find out how you can help those affected by Hurricane Michael, please visit : www.feedingthegulfcoast.org. Hays Companies: Bring donations of water, canned goods, baby supplies, dog and cat food, and school supplies to Hays Companies at 4399 East Commons Drive 200 B in Destin. Donations are accepted Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. YOLO Miramar Beach: YOLO Board & Beach located in Miramar Beach is accepting supply donations for Hurricane Michael relief at their store at 11610 U.S. Highway 98 West in Miramar Beach. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/yoloboardandbeach/ or call 850-424-6852. Campus Café: The Campus Café located within the Fort Walton Beach campus of Northwest Florida State College is taking donations of canned goods, water, toiletries, clothing and shoes. Visit them at 1170 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach, Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Visit http://www.facebook.com/campuscafefwb.com Boys & Girls Club: The Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast is taking donations of school supplies, snacks, water, non-perishable foods and athletic supplies. The donation drop-off site is at the South Walton Coys & Girls Club located at 427 Greenway Trail in Santa Rosa Beach. For more information visit http://www.emeraldcoastbgc.org. Fort Walton Beach Library: The Fort Walton Beach Library is partnering with Coastal Community Cleanup to collect donations for Hurricane Michael relief to Bay County. Donations of toiletries, diapers, new underwear and socks, first aid items, cleaning supplies, pillows, blankets, box fans, dust masks and utility gloves are being accepted at the front desk. Fort Walton Beach Library is located at 185 Miracle Strip Parkway SE in Fort Walton Beach. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/fortwaltonbeachpubliclibrary/ or call 850-833-9590. SpringHill Suites Navarre Beach: SpringHill Suites in Navarre Beach is collecting items 24 hours a day including cleaning supplies, baby necessities, hygiene kits, non-perishable food items, pet supplies and bottled water. SprinHill Suites Navarre Beach is located at 8375 Gulf Blvd. Navarre. The donations can be taken to the fist floor lobby front desk. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/SpringhillSuitesNavarreBeach/. Sunshine Yoga Destin: Sunshine Yoga Studio in Destin is collecting donation to meet the needs of the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. The needs include paper plates and plastic utensils, baby wipes, water, peanut butter, bread, non-perishable food items, lighters and other items. Sunshine Yoga Studio is located at 211 Main Street in Destin and will have a bin out by the yoga sign on the street. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/SunshineYogaDestin/. Walton County: Walton County has three official drop off locations for hurricane relief items, please drop them off during normal business hours at one of the following locations: DeFuniak Springs: Southern Choice Properties (917 US HWY 331 S), M-F 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.DeFuniak Springs: Matrix COC (37 State Highway 83), M-F 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.Santa Rosa Beach: Walton Area Chamber Office (63 S. Centre Trail Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459), M-F 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Salvation Army will be assisting with the collection and transportation efforts at these official drop off locations. We will continually update this page as donation centers and volunteer opportunities arise.<doc-sep>Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, wreaking havoc on the communities that lay in its path. The Category 4 storm, one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the continental United States in 50 years , brought heavy winds, rain, and flooding to the Gulf Coast, as well as Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas, which are still recovering from Hurricane Florence ( climate change , man). At least 11 people died because of the storm. While the danger from Michael has mostly passed, and it was downgraded to a tropical storm at midnight on Wednesday, the affected communities need help rebuilding. Here’s how to help, and be sure to give to vetted organizations by checking sites like Charity Navigator:<doc-sep>SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - The images coming out of Florida since Hurricane Michael made landfall have been devastating. In South Mississippi, we know what it’s like to come home to nothing. We also know what it was like in the days following Hurricane Katrina when people around the country reached out to us, offering an abundance of donations and prayers.<doc-sep>But the line was also full of hugs and tearful reunions, and across the broken region, residents exhibited selflessness and sweat as they began the long slog of putting it all back together. Crews had been able to clear some of the power lines and fallen trees from the main roads of Panama City, but many other areas were still choked with a riot of debris and limbs. Search-and-rescue teams continued to check neighborhoods in coastal Bay County, and Mark Bowen, the county’s emergency services chief, said that officials had estimates of the dead, but would not release them until the work was done. “We have missing people, O.K. ?” he said. “Are they missing because their loved ones can’t contact them, or are they missing because they perished in the storm? We just don’t know that.” Shellshocked residents continued to stream from their homes, mostly focused on the first steps of rebuilding — finding help, from government assistance to shelters. But for some, the search proved frustrating: Solid answers were scarce, particularly in remote parts of the Panhandle. Some turned to word of mouth, and that was equally unreliable. “I just keep looking for steeples and long lines, but I haven’t found much so far,” said Lynette Cordeno, 54, a retired Army sergeant who hoped to find a meal service somewhere. “We are walking around with no internet, no cell service, no way to even ask for help.” Ms. Cordeno had gathered with others outside the Mr. Mart convenience store in nearby Callaway, one of many stores big and small that were rumored to be opening Friday. Some came barefoot and some in storm-battered cars. They came for room-temperature water and beer, charcoal and candy — and critical information. “This is the working-class part of town. We didn’t have much before and now we have even less,” said Kevin Deeth, who lives four blocks away in a trailer missing jagged chunks of roof. “Now we need answers so we can try to start over.”<doc-sep>
The images are evidence that Hurricane Michael showed no mercy as it barreled into Florida and other states down south.After the storm, always comes the need for help.While it's hundreds of miles away, locally, help is just a phone call away.Greg Smore with PECO says crews are in standby mode. "Right now what we are doing is participating in coordination calls with these mutual assistance groups we belong to, and what we are doing is asking those member utilities who are either in the path of the storm or have already been impacted: What do you need? What do you need to get your customers back online?" said Smore.It's not just PECO, organizations like the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are also keeping a close one the impacts of Hurricane Michael and say they are ready to respond at a moment's notice. "We tend to do 14-day deployments in the Salvation Army, so that is two long weeks of probably very minimal living and working conditions and really just interacting with people who have just been through a major catastrophic life-changing experience," said Robert Myer of the Salvation Army.If you want to help, both the Red Cross and Salvation Army say donating your time and money are the most effective.SOT)) Monica Cryan - American Red Cross"Sometimes people want to give food and clothing, but that here in Eastern Pennsylvania is very difficult for us to store, clean and sort through, so we just ask for monetary donations," said Monican Cryan of the American Red Cross. "That is the easiest and quickest way for the Red Cross to really mobilize your generosity. "Response efforts to this hurricane and flooding are expected to be costly and last for years. The best way to help after a disaster is to make a financial donation. * Donate by phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)* Donate by mail: The Salvation Army, PO Box 1959, Atlanta, GA (Please designate '2018 Hurricanes - Michael' on all checks. )* Donate online : https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn * Donate by text: Text STORM to 51555 to receive a donation link for easy mobile givinghttps://www.redcross.org/------