Hurricane Laura, classified as a Category 4 Hurricane, made landfall in Louisiana in the early morning hours of Thursday, August 27. With wind speeds of up to 150 mph, the storm has already resulted in widespread damage to the region, as well as dangerous flash floods, power outages, and the potential for tornadoes in the surrounding states. The last time there was a storm of this magnitude was more than 100 years ago. Simultaneously, COVID-19 cases continue to be on the rise in Texas and Louisiana.
On the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Ivan striking the Gulf Coast, the same area finds itself picking up the pieces after Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 storm at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach at 4:45 AM, Wednesday, September 16, 2020. As it slowly crawled to shore, the monster storm gained strength which means that this area of Alabama, and then quickly followed by the panhandle of Florida, endured hours and hours of rain and storm surge. This caused mass flooding and destruction, across a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast. We know that when disaster strikes, a wave of helpers always follow. Because Hurricane Laura was just a few weeks ago, many disaster relief organizations were already down on the Gulf and could transition some or all of their team to be in place to respond to the wrath of Sally.
We have established The 2020 Hurricane Disaster Relief & Recovery Fund to support the communities impacted by the storm. This Fund includes pre-vetted nonprofits providing emergency response in the region. Through a single donation to the Fund, you can support multiple organizations' initiatives to provide short-term and long-term response and recovery. We have initially selected organizations that are working to provide immediate relief; the composition of the nonprofits in this Fund are subject to change as we learn more about the needs on the ground.