Hurricane Helene, fueled by record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024.
With sustained winds of 140 mph, Helene caused significant damage, impacting millions of residents and businesses. In Florida, Helene caused extensive damage along the Gulf Coast from massive flooding and power outages with record storm surge and high winds. As Helene moved inland, it brought heavy rains and strong winds to Georgia causing widespread power outages and structural damage. By the time Helene reached the Carolinas, it downgraded to a tropical storm while continuing to cause flooding and power outages, particularly in North Carolina. The storm’s impact extended to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia where millions experienced power outages and severe weather conditions including flash flooding and landslides. More than 230 deaths have been reported.
Nearly two weeks later, Hurricane Milton struck south of Tampa Bay, Florida on Wednesday, October 9. Accompanied by tornadoes, the storm brought heavy wind and rainfall throughout the night and into Thursday. With sustained winds of 120 mph, the storm damaged Florida communities and left over 3 million homes and businesses without power. Massive evacuation efforts took place prior to Hurricane Milton making landfall.
Response is underway from all sectors to stabilize the situation and begin recovery in affected communities. As part of this, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is monitoring the rapidly changing situation through an extended network of state and local chambers and offers resources on this page as well as on the Small Business Resilience Hub.
Accepting Applications for Small Business Hurricane Recovery Grant Program
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched the Small Business Hurricane Recovery grant program in partnership with American Express to support small businesses impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The program will provide $5 million in funding, distributing $5,000 grants to 1,000 eligible small businesses to support their recovery. The deadline to apply is November 17 at 11:59pm ET.
NGOs Assisting With Relief Efforts
- Airlink
- American Red Cross
- Americares
- Convoy of Hope
- Direct Relief
- GlobalGiving
- International Medical Corps
- ITDRC (Information Technology Disaster Resource Center)
- Mercy Chefs
- NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)
- Salvation Army
- Save the Children
- SBP
- Team Rubicon
- United Way
- World Central Kitchen
This page will provide up-to-date guidance and resources to help the business community effectively contribute to response efforts. For any questions, please contact resilience@uschamber.com
Corporate Aid Tracker
Our team is tracking the corporate response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. View our aid tracker.
Share How Your Company is Responding
If your company is supporting communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, please share your efforts through this form.
