Private Sector Companies Offering Ian Relief

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) compiled a list of private businesses in Florida – and from across the U.S. that are helping with relief efforts.

DEO coordinates with the private sector before, during and after disasters to help Florida citizens, businesses, and communities recover. It says many of the state’s stores were able to reopen within 24 hours after Hurricane Ian passed through the state. Updates to this list can be found at FloridaDisaster.Biz/CurrentDisasterUpdates. 

Grocery stores

• Publix – Publix has reopened nearly all locations in Florida, some with modified hours. View open stores and modified store hours here. Publix Super Markets Charities is donating $1 million to nonprofit organizations, including the American Red Cross and United Way, supporting relief efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Ian. Simultaneously, Publix has activated a donation campaign allowing customers and associates to help people affected by the hurricane. One hundred percent of proceeds donated at checkout will go to the American Red Cross. Finally, Publix distributed nearly 8,000 gallons of water and 75,000 pounds of ice to individuals affected by Hurricane Ian in southwest Florida.

• Southeastern Grocers (Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket) – Southeastern Grocers has reopened most of Florida stores. View open stores and modified store hours for Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket. Southeastern Grocers has extended its current in-store community donation benefiting the American Red Cross and Winn-Dixie has initiated relief efforts with distributions of free water, ice, food and cleaning essentials to more than 1,100 families in the impacted areas of Englewood and Port Charlotte. Additionally, Winn-Dixie has activated mobile pharmacies to offer preventive vaccines and essential medications, along with food pantries to provide shelf-stable products, fresh produce, water, ice and essential cleaning supplies in affected areas where stores remain closed.

• Walmart – Walmart has reopened many of its Florida locations. View open stores and modified store hours here. Walmart is offering health and wellness services, food and water distributions for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian. Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation are committing up to $6 million to Hurricane Ian recovery and relief efforts, with $1.5 million toward the Florida Disaster Fund. Walmart Transportation also positioned 400 drivers in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to support recovery efforts.

Retail stores

• Lowe’s Home Improvement – Lowe’s reopened all Florida stores within 48 hours of landfall and will host bucket brigade relief events to distribute free critically needed supplies to residents. Location information and hours of operation are available here . Lowe’s is donating $2 million to support relief efforts in Florida, helping disaster relief partners and nonprofit Pro customers provide emergency shelter, food, rebuilding supplies and other assistance. Lowe’s has shipped more than 2,300 truckloads across the region to keep stores equipped with emergency supplies. More than 250 Lowe’s Emergency Response Team members have been deployed to the impacted region from stores outside of the affected area, with more than 100 additional associates scheduled to arrive this week. These specially trained associates voluntarily leave their home stores to provide additional customer support at stores, giving impacted associates a chance to focus on their families.

• Target – All Florida Target locations have reopened. You can find the current status of all stores, including information on any modified hours, here. Target committed $5 million to local and national disaster response partners, including the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, and a variety of local nonprofits. Target stores across the region are supporting local first responders and nonprofit organizations in purchasing supplies. Target is also providing financial assistance to team members experiencing hardship due to the hurricane through its Team Member Giving Fund, which is supported by team member donations, which Target will match dollar-for-dollar up to $3 million.

• The Home Depot – The Home Depot reopened all of its Florida locations, some with limited hours per curfews in place. Location information and hours of operation are available here. The Home Depot Foundation has committed up to $1 million for response and recovery to Hurricane Ian and is working with its national nonprofit partners to provide immediate relief into impacted areas.

Pharmacies

• CVS Health – CVS has reopened many of its Florida locations. Find a store near you here. CVS Health is also assisting impacted communities by supporting the Florida Disaster Fund, the World Central Kitchen and Feeding America.

• Walgreens Pharmacy – As the largest drugstore chain in Florida, the vast majority of Walgreens’ 820+ stores statewide are open and its working hard to re-open impacted locations as quickly and safely as possible. Adjusted store hours are reflected on the Walgreens store locator, which is updated throughout the day, at Walgreens.com/FindaStore and on the Walgreens mobile app. Patients can also chat with a Walgreens pharmacist using the Pharmacist Video Chat feature through the mobile app and website. Walgreens is supporting storm relief efforts in communities across Florida (and Puerto Rico), with a $1 million donation that includes $500,000 each to the Florida Disaster Fund and the American Red Cross Hurricane Fund and through in-kind donations of needed supplies.

Lodging and restaurants

• After hearing about 23 families evacuated from homes in Lee County while their infants were in NICU care and their babies were transferred to hospitals in Broward County, 19 hoteliers in Broward County partnered with VISIT FLORIDA to secure accommodations for every family.

• Airbnb – Airbnb launched a special website to help Hurricane Ian Relocation efforts for impacted residents at Airbnb.com/HurricaneIanFlorida. The page features open (vacant and available for rent) properties available to be booked outside of the FEMA Disaster zones. As communities become fully restored with water and electricity, Airbnb will add more open properties to the inventory. For all displaced residents, Airbnb is also working with their nonprofit partners to offer vouchers for temporary housing at Airbnb properties. Learn more about how the voucher program works here.

• Anheuser-Busch – Anheuser-Busch is delivering twenty truckloads – more than one million cans – of emergency drinking water to support communities recovering from Hurricane Ian. The donation of emergency drinking water will be done in partnership with Anheuser-Busch wholesaler partners to the American Red Cross operations throughout Florida, including City Beverage, Suncoast Beverage Company, and Daytona Beverages, so that they may distribute the resources to those in need.

• Rosen Hotels and Resorts – Rosen Hotels and Resorts activated their Florida Residents Distressed Rates to give Floridians a safe, affordable place to ride out Hurricane Ian. Evacuees can call (866) 33-ROSEN (76736) to reserve a room.

• The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association – The Association is urging lodging establishments to relax pet policies and share that there are still available hotels and other lodging available from Tallahassee to Pensacola and Palm Beach, Broward and Dade.

Telecommunications

• AT&T – AT&T is waiving talk, text and data overage charges for AT&T Postpaid & PREPAID customers with billing addresses in 828 zip codes across Florida from Sept. 28, 2022, through Oct. 28, 2022, to keep customers connected. It’s also welcoming other carriers’ customers to roam on AT&T networks so they can connect, even if their carrier’s service isn’t available after the storm. Once this roaming begins, customers will automatically be connected to AT&T network. At this time, only four AT&T store locations in Sarasota, Naples, Port Charlotte and Venice are closed.

• Comcast – Comcast NBCUniversal, along with the Universal Orlando Foundation, will donate $2 million to support relief and recovery efforts in Florida following the catastrophic flooding and devastating effects of Hurricane Ian. The commitment includes $1 million in cash and in-kind contributions to the Florida Disaster Fund, with the remainder distributed among the Comcast NBCUniversal Employee Assistance Fund, United Way, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Team Rubicon, and American Red Cross. Additionally, Comcast has opened Xfinity WiFi hotspots in Central, North and Southwest Florida, and the Panhandle for Xfinity customers and non-customers to stay connected during and after the storm. Details are available here.

• SpaceX – SpaceX is helping Florida deploy more than 300 Starlink units to provide high-speed satellite internet service units, enabling connectivity for recovery and first response efforts.

• T-Mobile – T-Mobile is offering Text to Give opportunities. Additionally, Wifi and charging stations are available to at: West Florida State College, 8099 College Pkwy, Fort Myers; Port Charlotte Town Center Mall, 1441 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte; and Ft. Myers Town Hall, 2525 Estero Boulevard, Fort Myers Beach.

• Verizon – Verizon residential and small business customers in affected areas had unlimited domestic Talk, Text & Data through Oct. 4, 2022. Verizon’s Wireless Emergency Connection Centers are available at: West Florida State College, 8099 College Parkway, Fort Myers; Port Charlotte Town Center Mall, 1441 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte; and Ft. Myers Town Hall, 2525 Estero Boulevard, Fort Myers Beach.

Transportation and storage

• Uber – Uber offered round-trip rides to and from Southwest Florida shelter locations in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Pasco, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Orange, Brevard, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties.

• U-Haul – U-Haul is offering 30 days of free storage and U-Box container usage at 43 Florida locations. Learn more here.

• PayPal has added the Florida Disaster Fund to its PayPal Giving Fund. Individuals going to their website will see it listed first among causes to support. Anything given via the Giving Fund is not subject to any fees or deductions so that 100% of proceeds goto the Florida Disaster Fund. This is in addition to PayPal’s Braintree service’s processing fees being waived already for Volunteer Florida website donations.

• Wawa – The Wawa Foundation Inc. announced the launch of a chain-wide, in-store crisis campaign designed to provide disaster relief assistance to those communities most affected by Hurricane Ian. The campaign is being held in partnership with the American Red Cross and allows customers to contribute to Hurricane Ian disaster relief by adding $1, $3, or $5 to their Wawa purchase at checkout. The Wawa Foundation will be matching the first $250,000 in customer contributions to the campaign. The campaign will run from Tuesday, Oct. 4, to Sunday, Oct. 16, in all of Wawa’s more than 970 stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, DC.

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