Distance does not eliminate support.
Hurricane Michael ripped through the Florida Panhandle Oct. 10, but its effects were noticed around multiple southern states. According to CNN Tuesday, the Category 4 storm has killed 29 people across four of those states.
One thing students across the world may fail to think about when natural disasters occur is how many of their peers are affected. At ETSU many students come from storm prone areas. ETSU Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jeff Howard says that there were 200 students with addresses in the Florida area around Hurricane Michael and around 1,000 in the areas affected by Hurricane Florence back in September.
The ETSU Response website is now up to help those in need. The website started in 2010 with the Haitian Earthquake and the Miller Crest fire in Johnson City and pops up to help when needed ever since.
“It’s to try to let our students and faculty/staff members know how they can respond to help and to get involved, and if they are impacted, what kind of support mechanisms we have in place,” said Howard. “It’s really all about supporting members of our community and being good neighbors in the region.”
If you are a student, faculty or staff member or a part of the community who wants to help, the link to the website is www.etsu.edu/response. Once on the website, there is a link to Charity Navigator that allows you look at a list of high rated organizations that are responding to the results of Hurricane Michael. If you want to do research on the organization before donating, there is also a link to the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information website.
If the website does not answer all your questions, contact the ETSU Office of Student Affairs for more information.
