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Hurricane Recovery
Hurricane Relief Fund Application
----Hurricane Relief Fund Applications are no longer being accepted----
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Flood Cleaning Kits: Are you cleaning up a flooded residence? We still have flood cleaning kits! Please call the church office at 727-894-4661 for availability.
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​Disaster Relief Training video: Cleaning a Flooded Home
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Do you need housing?
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Airbnb.org, working with the Florida United Methodist Conference (FLUMC), is providing free, temporary housing for people who have been displaced by Hurricane Helene. Florida residents displaced by the hurricane should contact FLUMC by calling 863-688-5563 or 800-282-8011 (toll-free) or by contacting their local 211.
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The State of Florida also announced that it is mobilizing hundreds of travel trailers for residents whose homes were damaged by the storm so they can live comfortably on-site while renovations and repairs are underway. If you need temporary travel trailer sheltering through the Florida State Emergency Response Team (@FLSERT), please fill out the Activate Hope disaster assistance form here or call the HOPE LINE at 1-833-GET-HOPE. Units are limited.
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The Bay Area Apartment Association has compiled a list of units available for rent to people displaced by the hurricanes. To view available units in Pinellas County, please click here.
Donate to hurricane relief:
Login to Realm or go to our Giving Page and choose “Local Hurricane Relief.” Donations will go to aid local hurricane relief; any residual will be forwarded to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).
You may also donate to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), which supports this and other US disaster response efforts.
Hurricane Relief Helpers
Thank you to all who have signed up to help with work to be done with people affected by the hurricanes. We appreciate your willingness to reach out with our church family and our community. We are finding people in a holding pattern for now and reminding ourselves this is a marathon not a sprint, and we are in this for the long haul. Please stay tuned for our next steps in how you can help. In the meantime, you can give to the hurricane relief fund or if you would like to make a meal to show some love from our church, please email KayLee Bennett-McFall
---PAST EVENTS--- Trunk or Treat (Fri Oct 18; 6-8 pm) This is a fun, family-friendly event open to the community! JIMMY’S SLIDER TRUCK AND KONA ICE were here, and the church picked up the tab for all the food! Children went from trunk to trunk to collect candy and treats from decorated vehicles, plus we had separate candy stations. There were bounce houses (including a separate bounce house for the little ones on the playground), face painting, a balloon artist, a petting zoo, pony rides, an outdoor movie with popcorn, and preschool-age activities inside the preschool. Family-friendly costumes were everywhere! This event was FREE and open to the public. All ages welcome! Clean up the church campus after Hurricane Milton (Tues Oct 15; 9:30 am) so we can safely hold our regular Wednesday Night Live dinner, classes, and groups. Unloading Flood Cleaning Kits/Buckets @StPeteFirst (Mon Oct 7; 10 am - please get here at 9:45 am) We need to unload 100 buckets - come give us a hand! Thursday Lunch @Shore Acres (Thurs Oct 3; 10 am-2 pm) Volunteers will deliver 500 lunches to people in the Denver Park area of Shore Acres on Thursday. We will meet at the church at 10 am, then will travel to Shore Acres to hand out free sack lunches and flood cleaning kits. We should be done by 2 pm. Wednesday Night Live SERVE (Wed, Oct 2; 5:30 pm) This week's Wednesday Night Live will be Wednesday Night SERVE. There will be NO CLASSES or GROUPS meeting on Wednesday night from 5:00-7:30, and no regular dinner. Instead, we will join together to help others affected by Hurricane Helene. We will be packing bag lunches in the Fellowship Hall, which will be handed out in Shore Acres on Thursday at lunchtime. Bring your family to help pack! We will provide sandwiches to eat for volunteers. Wednesday Flood Cleaning Kit Distribution (Wed, Oct 2; 10 am-2 pm) Are you cleaning up a flooded house? We will be distributing free flood cleaning kits at the east end of the alley (covered area on the north side of the church building) from 10 am-2 pm. We also need volunteers to help hand out the kits: 2 per shift (10 am-12 noon & 12-2 pm; Please arrive 15 minutes early.) ​ St. Pete First served a FREE dinner from 4-6 pm in the church Fellowship Hall today (Friday, Sept. 27). This is open to everyone, and you can eat at the church or get your food to-go. Come in and charge your phone and enjoy the air conditioning. We will serve food until 6 pm or the food runs out. Since we are not a shelter, the doors will be closing at 6 pm.
RESOURCES
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Local
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City of St. Pete Hurricane Center
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What Water Treatment/Sewer Facility serves your address? Click here to do an address search
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Pinellas County Emergency Management
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Citizen Information Center (727) 464-4333
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2-1-1 (Disaster Recovery & Assistance Support) Call 211 or (727) 210-4211 OR text your zip code to 898-211 (txt211)
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American Red Cross of Tampa Bay (24-hour Disaster Services phone number: 1-877-741-1444)
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Electricity Outage Maps: Duke Energy | TECO
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Alert Pinellas - Sign up for free alerts about a variety of situations, such as severe weather, boil water notices or evacuations.
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Florida
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Florida Division of Emergency Management
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Florida Emergency Information Line 1-800-342-3557
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Report Price Gouging: 1(866) 9NO-SCAM
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If you need help filing a home insurance claim in Florida, call the free insurance consumer helpline: 1-877-693-5236
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National
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Disaster Distress Helpline 1-800-985-5990 – If you’re feeling emotional distress related to a disaster, call or text to talk with a trained counselor. You can get support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
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Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Federal Disaster Assistance Programs Overview
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Residents living in Pinellas County are now eligible to apply for individual assistance from FEMA. If you sustained damage from Hurricane Helene, visit disasterassistance.gov to apply or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Click here to view an accessible video on how to apply.
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FEMA Operation Blue Roof (Hurricane-related roof damage Tel: 888-ROOF-BLU) FAQs
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Individual Assistance Program – (800) 621-FEMA (voice, 711/VRS-Video Relay Service) (TTY: (800) 462-7585).
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United States Department of Agriculture Disaster Assistance Program
Veterans
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Health Resources Center Disaster Hotline (Tel. 800-507-4571)
Mortgages
Consumer Protection
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Florida Price Gouging Hotline: (866)-9-NO-SCAM
Businesses
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The Florida Virtual Business Emergency Operations Center (FLVBEOC)
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Florida Chamber of Commerce Hurricane Information
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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Disaster Help Desk 1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP (888-692-4943)​
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Donate​​
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Click here to donate to St Pete First Local Hurricane Relief or login to Realm and choose “Local Hurricane Relief.” Donations will go to aid local hurricane relief; any residual will be forwarded to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).
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Donate to the UMCOR US Disaster Response and Recovery Advance Project #901670
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