Despite slamming into a sparsely populated stretch of Florida’s western coast, Hurricane Idalia caused extensive damage in several small communities and left 200,000 people without electricity. Making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Idalia downgraded to Category 1 as it moved towards Georgia and other southeastern states.
Idalia caused flash flooding in western Cuba before moving into the Gulf of Mexico where abnormally warm waters allowed it to intensify as it approached Florida. Evacuation orders were issued for several counties in the state, including ones still recovering from Hurricane Ian which devastated the region last year.
WCK teams spread across western Florida ahead of the storm and began providing sandwiches, fruit, and water and assessing food needs immediately after the storm passed. Our teams set up operations centers in Gainesville and Tallahassee and worked with restaurant and food truck partners to distribute warm, nourishing meals in small communities in Florida and Georgia.
By the numbers:
* 18 Food Truck Partners
* 15 Distribution Sites in two different states
* 94,000+ Meals