- AMWAT's Fill A Truck initiative brought hundreds of donations to Taylor County for Hurricane Helene relief.
- Many neighbors say Hurricane Milton took a bit of the spotlight away from towns affected by Helene.
- Watch the video to see why help is still needed in Taylor County.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Nearly a month after Hurricane Helene barreled through Taylor County, neighbors here say, 'Please, don't forget about us.' I'm Kenya Cardonne at the Keaton Beach Boat Ramp Point of Distribution. Donations and volunteers have become the backbone for this destroyed neighborhood. Neighbors here say they still need all the help they can get.
"We've cried a lot for the first week or whatever, and then you kind of get mad that we've been through a lot," Laurie Adams Brenner told me. The Keaton Beach neighbor says Helene left her town unrecognizable.
"My neighbor to the left and neighbor to the right and neighbors across the street.. it just washed it right away."
The place she called home was no match for the catastrophic surge.
I spoke with her at the Boat Ramp. It is currently serving as a POD for the town.
She tells me the widespread support has been incredible but they can't afford for it to die down. "You know, it seems like with the more that the weeks go by that people might not need anything but they still do."
Amber Durden, Taylor County Emergency Management Coordinator told me "Even through the weekends, we've had people pushing volunteers 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. every single day just trying to keep us known and relevant."
Neighbors and officials say Hurricane Milton has taken a bit of attention away from those affected by Helene.
That is why AMWAT Moving and Warehousing Storage in Tallahassee organized a 'Fill A Truck' drive.
Gloria Pugh, CEO of AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage says "What I was very concerned about is that I don't want Taylor County forgotten."
Pugh says thanks to the community they were able to take a truck full of donations like toiletries and cleaning supplies to Perry on Friday.
Donations that go straight to the PODS in Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach.
"We're only 52 miles away and it's like we're like the little sister.. and it feels real good that people care out there," Brenner said.
A helping hand that Taylor County neighbors will continue to lean on in the months and months of recovery to come.
Pugh - "We want you to know that we have not forgotten about you. We want you to know that we do care about you. We want you to know that we want you to recover as quickly as you possibly can."
The volunteers here are also neighbors directly affected by Helene. So, one of the best ways you can help out is by volunteering, especially on the weekends. The storm survivors say that's when it's getting hard to manage the workload and overall community need here.
In Keaton Beach, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27
