SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Convoy of Hope’s response team left yesterday around 1 p.m. to head to Florida to help with hurricane relief efforts.
Hurricane Ian wasted no time as the Category 4 storm ripped through parts of southwest Florida, leaving over 2 million people without power.
Areas like Fort Meyers, Sarasota, Naples, and places along the southwest coast of Florida faced a storm surge of up to 12 feet of water.
Stacy Lamb, the senior director of U.S. disaster services for Convoy of Hope, said his team would set up camp near the Fort Meyers area and has been in communication with other volunteers ready to help with the hurricane relief.
“We’ve been talking to partners, search partners, and other partners that we have on the ground for several days up and down the coast. kind of based on where the forecast has been, so we got lots of folks ready, willing, and able to help Convoy once we get on the ground,” said Lamb.
While the rescue team has been preparing to head down to Florida, one Convoy of Hope filmmaker had just gotten back from Puerto Rico where Hurricane Fiona had left over a million people of without power.
Clay Gilligan was in Puerto Rico for a week helping with relief efforts and is now on his way to Florida with the response team.
Clay said despite the quick turnaround, he’s glad to be able to be a part of something like this.
“I mean, in what I do. I just feel really honored to be able to tell people’s stories you know?” said Gilligan. “Both the people who have been affected by the storm but also just our team, who just goes above and beyond to really make sure people get what they need and help as best we can. It’s really an honor to be a part of it.”