Public support for Hurricane Michael recovery efforts in the Florida Panhandle is lacking, according to a REBUILD 850 survey released Tuesday.
The results showed nearly half of respondents would do nothing to help people affected by the hurricane and nearly 75 percent said they would not consider donating money to help with relief efforts.
The lack of public support might be because Floridians mistakenly think life has gone back to normal in the panhandle after the hurricane leveled parts of the coast.
As a new hurricane season ramps up, residents in the panhandle are still trying to recover from last year’s Category 5 storm. Sachs media group conducted the survey of 1,000 Floridians for the National Hurricane Survival Initiative and Rebuild 850. The survey was meant to gauge statewide awareness of the storm and its continued effects.
“These panhandle residents need the support of our entire state,” said Allan Bense, REBUILD 850 co-chair and former Speaker of the House. “These communities are suffering. We’re all Floridians, and we need to come together. We are urging all Floridians to lend a hand to our most vulnerable citizens.”