Organizations helping Debby flood victims in Manatee and Sarasota counties

Community steps up to help Debby flood victims

Organizations are coming forward to help families dealing with devastation after Hurricane Debby brought record rainfall to Sarasota and Manatee counties, leading to widespread flooding.

PARRISH, Fla. - Debby’s destruction is spread far across both Manatee and Sarasota counties. There are so many families facing the daunting task of draining their homes, cleaning up, replacing and rebuilding.

Community organizations are now trying to provide support.

James Racky of the Parrish United Methodist Church Food Pantry said a call for help was answered in ways he never expected. Neighbor after neighbor dropped off donations for flood victims, piling pallets with everyday essentials such as water, clothing, cleaning supplies and pet food.

"It was such a huge turnout it blew my mind. Couldn’t believe how many people came here, some folks dropped food off and stayed to volunteer," said Racky.

It was all much needed supplies in a community where hundreds of families had to be rescued by boat and others are still stranded by stagnant waters. It’s a similar scene in neighboring, Sarasota.

"For this area, this is the worst flooding I’ve ever seen," said Matt Tuggle with One Mission Disaster Response.

Volunteers with One Mission Disaster Response unloaded boxes of supplies and assembled clean-up buckets for homes drenched in Debby's destruction. Inside the bucket is gear to clean, muck and gut homes.

MORE: Manatee County neighbors spring into action for Debby relief

"We saw homes with four inches of water and four feet of water, so a lot of people lost everything in their homes," said Tuggle.

Many of the homeowners impacted don’t live in flood zones and have never had to go through this process before. Tuggle and his team are pros at this.

"They never even considered they would have flood water coming into their house, they don’t know what to do," said Tuggle.

One Mission Disaster Response members rescued people from their homes earlier this week, but moving through each phase of recovery will take time. These local organizations said they’ll be there for their neighbors, every step of the way.

READ: More than 100 stray pets brought into Manatee County shelters since Debby, officials say

"We are two years post Hurricane Ian, and we are still doing Hurricane Ian recovery, so I would say it’s going to take a lot of people a long time to get back in their homes and get them back the way they were before this storm," said Tuggle.

Friday at The Parrish United Methodist Church, those in need can come and collect items they need between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Both organizations said they’ve gotten a lot of support from other local non-profits and people who just want to help their neighbors, but they could always use more. For more information on helping these organization visit One Mission Disaster Response's website or Parrish United Methodist Church's website.

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