Minnesotan living in Florida makes Amazon wish list for those in need after Hurricane Ian
MINNEAPOLIS -- It's been more than a month since Hurricane Ian devastated the west coast of Florida - and the area is still hurting.
Many Minnesotans call Fort Myers home. One woman we've met is doing her part to get direct help to those in need.
Mari Torgerson and family are originally from Spicer, MN, but have been living in Fort Myers permanently since 2015.
Torgerson is a member of the Fort Myers Beach Women's Club. The building where members gathered since the 1950s, hosting meetings and events to do good in the area, was destroyed by Hurricane Ian back on September 23rd. The members themselves were also impacted by the storm.
"Every single one of our board members is either displaced or homeless," said Torgerson, who is displaced herself.
She wanted to find a way to help her friends and neighbors in a more specific way.
"We reached out to our members, a lot of them have totally lost everything, and if you could have 5 things what would they be?" said Torgerson.
The responses she received turned into an Amazon wish list, a collection of different things people in Fort Myers beach need right now.
The need for one specific item is growing.
"People need extension cords because if you're running off a generator you need an extension cord to get wherever you need to drill on the second floor," said Torgerson.
However, some are more personal, things you may not expect, like pajamas and hair dryers.
"There are other things that are construction based, but I wanted to have the caveat that this is a real request and even though it doesn't seem like it's practical, it's practical to them right now," said Torgerson.
While new clothes and feminine products don't fix the mess they're in, it helps make their lives a little easier.
"How can we get just little pieces of normalcy in some of these people's lives?" said Torgerson.
To purchase items from the Wishlist, click here.
When you're ready to purchase your items, make sure to click the sending address as: 'Torgerson/Allan's Gift Registry Address'
All the items are being sent to a storage locker near Fort Myers that still has UPS deliveries and items will be distributed from there.
