A Santa Barbara organization is preparing to help Flordians affected by Hurricane Milton. The massive storm is bearing down on the Gulf Coast of Florida and expected to make landfall Wednesday evening.
Thomas Tighe, the CEO of Direct Relief, said the organization is sending inhalers, diabetes medications, and medical kits to low income people in the area.
“…And then things like personal hygiene items for people who find themselves in shelters — kind of basic no prescription medication just to help relieve some of the pressure that comes when people are evacuated,” Tighe said.
Hurricane Milton is expected to be one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the area in over a century. Tighe said he’s hunkering down in Jacksonville waiting for the storm to pass before beginning his work.
“If they have to flee and they don't have their medications… their chronic, but managed condition can become an unmanaged acute health crisis that can put them in the hospital,” he said.
Ten members of the Central Coast's Red Cross chapter are also preparing to travel to Florida to help with storm relief.
