Dear Community, Many of you have probably heard about the devastating hurricane Helene that tore through several US states in the south. Hopefully you are all safe and did not experience tragedy firsthand. Relief and rebuilding efforts will continue for a very long time, and hurricane season is not over. With hurricane Milton now approaching Florida, awareness and safety are extremely important. We wanted to shed some light to the disaster that already occured, and also encourage you to help in any way that you are able to. Not everyone is in a position to help financially, but support can also be given by volunteering time if you're near an affected area, or even by sharing posts to spread information. If you are in Florida, please take care of yourself and your loved ones/neighbors this week as Milton arrives. Prepare yourself in any way you can. There are a few preparedness links below if you would like to reference. Over 200 people are confirmed to have died in the damage caused by Hurricane Helene so far. Rescue efforts are still continuing to find missing people, and bring aid to stranded residents. Entire communities have been destroyed and washed away in the flooding. Image from the New York Times article Hurricane Helene: Mapping More Than 600 Miles of Devastation For those who want to assist with relief efforts, please consider checking any local news sites or social media accounts for places in your area that are collecting donations (monetary or physical items), or ones that are organizing volunteer efforts. Local veterinarians may be collecting pet food. Local schools and churches may be collecting materials such as food, paper towels, cleaning materials etc. to deliver to affected areas. If you are going to volunteer, please be careful and if possible, get together with an organization. Traveling to flooded/damaged areas by yourself can be dangerous and can also potentially impede efforts from the National Guard. This is not an official post from the PIMD developers, this is just coming from members of the mod team who wanted to help in any small way possible. Some of us live in the states that were in the hurricane path, but we are not affiliated with any of the below organizations. Please do any research you'd like before donating or getting involved. The list compiled is just some of the most popular organizations that are working on relief efforts. Resources and Information Hurricane Preparedness: American Red Cross National Weather Service Florida Disaster Kit Checklist Resources & Aid: FEMA Disaster Assistance FEMA Individual Assistance Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services All Hands and Hearts Americares Direct Relief Humane Society Save Our Allies Donations and Volunteering Opportunities Volunteer Opportunities: American Red Cross Samaritan’s Purse FEMA Donation Links: Red Cross Samaritan’s Purse International Fund for Animal Welfare Florida Disaster Fund United Way