Pittsburgh-Based Brother's Brother Foundation Mobilizing To Help Hurricane Michael Victims
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Hurricane Michael remains a dangerous storm as it bears down on Florida, Georgia and other southern states.
But relief organizations, like the Pittsburgh-based Brother's Brother Foundation, are mobilizing to help the victims once the storm passes.
Michael made landfall as an unprecedented Category 4 storm on Wednesday afternoon. With life-threatening storm surge and over 100 miles per hour winds, it's expected to leave devastation in its wake and residents without power for a long time.
That's why the Brother's Brother warehouses on Pittsburgh's North Side were bustling today, as organizers and volunteers prepared to respond down south. The organization is an international relief agency.
"From Pittsburgh, we're putting together a donation, the first part of one to include some personal hygiene supplies such as diapers - adult diapers, children's diapers - that sort of thing, items that are called protective gear," said Luke Hingson, the president of Brother's Brother.
Hingson says they've learned to plan, but also to gather information on what's needed most, first.
"We truly don't know where the danger is," said Hingson. "We can guess, but places that could be damaged could be warehouses where we might send things. We literally have to wait until they tell us what remains."
Donations of supplies, including syringes and medicine, clothing and cleaning supplies, and more, are packed, sorted and ready to go.
Brother's Brothers does local pickups, but for a massive humanitarian relief effort, they contract with a large nationwide trucking company for manpower. The logistical planning will jumpstart within hours.
"Tomorrow morning, we're all going to be communicating very rigorously on what we can do next," Hingson said.
If you would like to help, the foundation is looking for donations of storage buckets, as well as hygiene items like nail files and clippers, as well as bandages, bar soap and toothpaste.
The Brother's Brother Foundation is accepting donations at their North Side facility.
For more information, visit their website here: https://www.brothersbrother.org/