Private agencies join forces for Disaster Relief

by Duwayne Escobedo, Inweekly—

Residents along the Gulf Coast know they must take care of the first 72 hours after a hurricane slams ashore before typically receiving any federal or state relief.

Amid Hurricane Michael’s destruction, nonprofits, churches and other organizations throughout the Panhandle have begun setting up a team to form a parallel private response during major disasters. Regions across the state already have activated similar response teams.

Two Pensacola organizers coordinating the process of setting up the Northwest Florida Resilience System are community activists Bill Caplinger, a former University of West Florida administrator, and Brunie Emmanuel, a former director of The Friary and Pathways for Change.

“We’re filling a need,” Caplinger said. “We hope there is enough interest here to build this system throughout the Panhandle from Pensacola to Tallahassee.”

So far, United Universalists Social Justice Network, local NAACP chapters, Movement for Change and churches have joined the new system. Despite the network just taking off, it already has experienced success.

Working with Tyson Foods it became the first to set up feeding stations in the Panama City area that bore the brunt of the Category 4 hurricane. In all, about 250,000 pounds of food have been donated.

It happened because Caplinger knew Tyson truck driver Brian Hansen, who he mentored as part of a reentry program after being released from federal prison. Hansen has responded to four other major storms with Tyson.

With the help of Johnson Brothers Wholesale Meats, the Panama City Council members, and area churches the first shipment of food was stored and was distributed.