DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A local organization is getting ready to respond should the need arise during hurricane season. Volunteers are hard at work to prepare for any emergency.
Thursday marked the officials start of hurricane season, as the Global Empowerment Mission held an event at its facility, located at 1850 NW 84th Ave. in Doral.
The organization’s officials are asking for two things from the community: donations and volunteers.
“The reason we need the aid and dollar donations now is so that we have the aid and the goods in stocks before the next storm,” said Patrick Lynch, Chief Development Officer for GEM.
Volunteers sorted and packed family necessity kits for the season, which were also an essential part during Hurricane Ian back in 2022.
The packages contained non-perishable food items, water and emergency kits.
“If we have the aid and stock before the next storm, we can respond that much more quickly with that much more aid,” said Lynch.
The organization’s preparedness is a key to their quick response time.
“With Ian, we were able to respond with an incredible amounts of aid because we had raised that money before the storm hit,” said Lynch.
In case of an emergency or when the power gets cut and people don’t have the access to food and water, volunteers at GEM will pack these kits all year round.
“These are kits that after a hurricane are really, really useful, especially in the first 24 to 72 hours after a disaster,” said Lynch, “so they have everything from non-perishable food items to water to hygiene kits.”
If you would like to volunteer, click here.
If you’d like to donate to GEM, click here.
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