In the wake of the disaster left behind by Hurricane Ian, the Clarkesville Fire Department has stepped up and will be collecting supplies through Friday, Oct. 7 to be driven down to Myakka City, Florida.
Clarkesville volunteer firefighter Mandy Hicks, along with Cole Dann, will be driving down the collected donations to her hometown, which was hit by Hurricane Ian last week.
Hicks, who has lived in Clarkesville for about three years, said Myakka City, which is about 40 miles inland, got hit by Hurricane Ian and is struggling.
“Myakka is a very rural community, just like a lot of Clarkesville, and they had a lot of flooding,” Hicks said. “There is still a good portion that is underwater. Most of it still doesn’t have electricity.”
The rural community of Myakka is also counting its losses as businesses are moving through debris and trying to rebuild from what was left behind in the wave of destruction.
Dakin Dairy Farm, a staple in Manatee County’s agriculture and near Myakka City, lost more than 250 of their 2,400 milk-producing cows, said Hicks.
Hicks counts herself blessed as her family was able to stay safe during the Category 4 hurricane, which has reportedly claimed the lives of 101 people in Florida and four in North Carolina, with death tolls expected to rise as rescue crews go door-to-door, according to CNN.
“Physically everybody is doing good, thank goodness everybody is safe but a lot of damage was done to their homes,” Hicks said. “ A lot of their farm animals, they are struggling to keep them well and safe.”
With roads washed out, travel has been made more difficult, only adding to the already time-consuming task of going to the grocery store.
“You have to drive 45 minutes to get to a grocery store, to begin with,” Hicks said about living in Myakka City. “This has made it a lot more difficult.”
In the wake of the news, Hicks asked for permission to use the fire department as a drop-off location for the community to donate supplies to be driven down to Florida for aid.
“You need a comfort level that you know that what you are donating is going to go to actual people that need it and is going to help,” Hicks said, adding that she is working with the East Manatee Fire Department in Myakka as well as the local community center, which will be the distribution site for this Saturdays delivery.
Donations will be collected at the Clarkesville Fire Department through Friday morning, as Hicks said they will be hitting the road on Friday mid-morning as they expect the drive to take longer than the usual 10 hours due to road closures.
Hicks hopes to be able to collect much-needed items such as toiletries, feminine hygiene products, cleaning products, bleach, and non-perishable food. Donations are already coming in, said Hick, and she urges Habersham residents to bring donations, which can be left under the awning by the front entrance if firefighters are out on a call.
“It’s not [dissimilar] to here [Clarkesville], they are a strong fierce community,” Hicks said. “They are loyal to each other. They are very strong, very resilient. They will be okay but they just need a hand up right now.”