MARIANNA, Fla. (WMBB) — The pandemic has made it difficult for the North Florida Inland Long Term Recovery group to help residents recover after Hurricane Michael more than two years later.
Kristy Terry, executive director for North Florida Inland Recovery, said one of their partners ‘All Hands and Hearts’ had to cut their repairs in half during their time in the area as a result of COVID-19.
‘All Hands and Hearts’ has come up with new ways to keep their projects on track such as moving to a staff-only model by eliminating volunteers to reduce the chances of a coronavirus contact.
“We’ve been able to adjust plans,” Terry said. “Maybe adjust workloads, put in some additional protocols, and just try to keep everybody safe. But unfortunately, we have not been able to accomplish as much as planned because of the concern from volunteers.”
Terry said the recovery group is always looking for new volunteer organizations to partner with to help rebuild Jackson and Calhoun counties. She said because of the pandemic, they lack volunteers to be able to help build or repair homes that were damaged or destroyed from Hurricane Michael. If you are interested in seeing how you can help, click here.