Team South Florida helping first responders affected by Hurricane Ian
MIAMI - It has been three weeks since Hurricane Ian hit, and there is still a lot of hard work happening, and a big burden falls on first responders.
Imagine having to do that job, while being a victim of the storm yourself.
That is why a South Florida organization is stepping in.
"Things just kept flooding and flooding," recounts Lisa Allen.
A Broward County native, she was at her boyfriend's house in North Port as Hurricane Ian slammed Southwest Florida.
"It was 10 hours straight where we were in a closet," she says.
The house now needs a new roof, fence, and flooring. And, for days, they were cut off from being able to get supplies.
That's when Team South Florida got in touch.
"I told them we're fine, but we could use some toilet paper and ice, kind of joking," Allen says.
She used to work for the Broward Sheriff's Office. Her father was a formal federal agent, and her mother was with Coral Springs Police, so Allen certainly knows how the law enforcement community shows up.
She says Team South Florida showed up for them, with a load of groceries in tow.
"That was just so nice to see some friendly faces and people that care and are doing so much. It really means a lot," she says.
Team South Florida is a volunteer organization of active and retired law enforcement, and they wanted to help first responder families in need in the aftermath of Ian.
"You don't know what you're going to come back to," says Andrew Baxter. He's a former lieutenant with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and is currently part of the Team. "Is the roof going to be missing? Are the cars going to be blown away? Is your house going to be relatively unscathed? It's something that is in the back of your mind while you're out protecting, responding, rescuing."
He says they were able to identify these families through different departments reaching out to them and from other law enforcement officers already out there for recovery work.
Baxter says they want to continue these deliveries for as long as recovery takes.
"This is a November problem, a December problem, a January problem," he says. "And the Team is committed to make sure that our first responder families are taken care of. That way, there's less for them to think about, so they can get out and take care of the public."
If you want to help, they have an Amazon storefront, where they have registered for items like bedding, baby products, and other essentials.
Click here to follow the link.
They're making another delivery in about two weeks.