Hurricane Michael Charity Response Called 'Underwhelming'

When disaster strikes, Americans pull together. That's the lesson you can draw from massive charity responses to major storms that have struck the U.S. coast in the past. But you wouldn't know it if you look at the charity response to last fall's Hurricane Michael, which devastated the Florida Panhandle and carved an arc of destruction into Georgia. According to a joint report by the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times, the donor response to Hurricane Michael has been relatively flabby (see: "Hurricane Michael caused epic damage. Why has charitable response been so anemic?" by Emily L. Mahoney).

"Major donors simply aren’t coming through for Florida’s forgotten coast," the story said. "According to a Herald/Times analysis of contributions to three prominent national charities, donations to Hurricane Michael recovery fall far below donations for recent landmark hurricanes to hit the South such as Florence, Irma and Harvey."

Lagging corporate donations are a big factor, the story said: "After every major American natural disaster, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation collects a list of corporate donations on its website. It’s not comprehensive but provides a window into company giving. After Hurricane Irma, the U.S. Chamber site showed roughly $100 million in corporate donations. For Michael, it is about $27 million."

In the days after the Herald and Times report, local nonprofits reported an upsurge in small donations, the Herald reported (see: "Donations pour in after story reported anemic Hurricane Michael charitable giving," by Emily L. Mahoney).

But as the Michael story fades in the national press, Panhandle locals say they aren't feeling the love (see: "As Hurricane Michael falls out of the national news cycle, survivors feel forgotten," by Collin Breaux). "The continuing recovery has largely fallen out the national news cycle, according to many locals," reported the Northwest Florida Daily News. "The struggles residents endure to rebuild homes and get full claims from insurance companies, and the millions of dollars municipal governments face in debris hauling costs, mostly go unmentioned by major outlets besides a handful of stories."