Hurricanes Helene & Milton – 1-Year Later + Additional Financial Assistance
As the one-year milestone approaches for Hurricane Helene (September 26) and Hurricane Milton (October 5), the Red Cross is supporting communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee as they continue their recovery. Long-term recovery efforts happening in the communities include home repair and rebuilding, private road and bridge repair, mental health support, food security projects and debris removal, among other important work.
Capacity-building grants funded by the Red Cross continue to empower local communities to lead their own recovery. These include grants to Long-Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs) across the 5 states affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. In one notable example from the Milton operation, the Red Cross is supporting every single long-term recovery group on the Atlantic side of the state of Florida.
The Hurricane Helene and Milton Long-Term Recovery operation will also be launching an additional round of direct financial assistance for families continuing to experience obstacles to their recovery. The Red Cross provides this round of financial assistance later in the recovery timeline, focusing on individuals and households that are continuing to experience significant roadblocks to their recovery and seeks to reach those with the greatest needs. The program will launch in September/October and seeks to reach individuals and households whose recovery journey is even more difficult due to pre-existing challenges, such as low-income, and help them improve their post-disaster living conditions. More to come, including program launch and eligibility, in mid-September.
In addition, Long-Term Recovery grants continue to be awarded on a rolling basis, providing funding for long-term recovery groups, debris removal, the creation of disaster relief hubs, and more, across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
2025 California Wildfires – Long-Term Recovery Grant Update
The initial Request for Proposal phase period has ended for Long-Term Recovery grants supporting the 2025 California Wildfires. Twenty-five organizations have been formally invited to submit an application, based on programmatic priorities and community needs. More to come as grants are awarded and program activities begin.
In the interim, Boys and Girls Club of Malibu was awarded a Red Cross long-term recovery grant to support impacted children and families with a variety of services, such as free childcare and mental health services, case management and household items. The Boys and Girls Club will also serve as a lead agency to convene the future Long-Term Recovery Group in Malibu, maintain a fixed disaster recovery center, and coordinate with the Malibu Building Department on the rebuilding process. More to come as this program comes online.
2025 California Wildfires – Mission Moment
Robert and his wife lost their home in the Palisades Fire. Now in their 90s, the upheaval to their familiar routine has deeply affected them, especially his wife who lives with Alzheimer’s. With the funds from Red Cross Bridge Assistance, Robert purchased an Alexa device to bring comfort to his wife by filling their new home with familiar songs like “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”
This wasn’t Robert’s first experience with Red Cross support. During World War II, while stationed in the Philippines, he was hospitalized with a burst appendix. After two months without word from him, his worried mother reached out to the Red Cross. They located Robert in a base hospital and sent a reassuring telegram home, letting her know he was safe and recovering.
A member of the Los Angeles Region Service to the Armed Forces team recorded his story for preservation in the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project. This image of him in his WWII uniform is the only copy that remains – the original and all his other WWII photos and memorabilia burned in the fire.
Other Disaster Activities – Texas Flooding, Maui Wildfires
Following the destructive flooding that inundated central Texas on the 4th of July weekend, the Red Cross is launching another round of financial assistance to assist Texas families as they continue their recovery. Direct financial assistance gives recipients the dignity and autonomy to meet needs as they see fit. These often include needs related to housing, childcare, transportation, health and mental health. More to come, including program details and eligibility, as this program launches in mid-September.
To commemorate the 2-years since the devastating Maui wildfires, members of the Long-Term Recovery team, the Pacific Islands Region, and senior disaster leadership gathered on Maui. The event honored the many local partners who worked alongside the Red Cross during the recovery and received Long-Term Recovery grants to do a wide variety of activities supporting survivors, including projects related to housing, food security, mental health, financial literacy and more. Learn more about the operation on the Red Cross website.
To Learn More About Our Long-Term Recovery Work:
Following a disaster, the American Red Cross mobilizes to meet the immediate disaster-caused needs of individuals, families, and communities, providing care, comfort, and immediate support, from a single-family house fire to a catastrophic event. When resources allow, thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Red Cross may provide additional long-term recovery programs to support individual and household recovery and address community-wide needs. For more information, email longtermrecovery@redcross.org.