Hurricane Irma Children's Relief Fund

On September 10th, Hurricane Irma crashed into the Florida Keys on, carving a path of destruction and triggering floods statewide, shortly after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas. Save the Children, the national leader in child-focused emergency preparedness, response and recovery, was one of the first humanitarian organizations on the ground once the storm passed.

In Irma’s immediate aftermath, we opened child-friendly spaces in evacuation centers that provided a “time-out” from the stress children felt while in these unfamiliar places. We’ve partnered with service agencies to reach families in the poorest communities in southwestern Florida with diapers, baby wipes, portable cribs and sheets, hygiene kits and children’s clothing.

In the Florida Keys, we helped childcare facilities to reopen and distributed backpacks filled with school supplies to children.

Our child protection specialists are partnering with local mental health professionals and social workers to launch programs for children and their caregivers to help overcome stress and build their resiliency. 

We are focused on restoring children’s access to child cares services and education and supporting distressed children’s need for emotional support, as many girls and boys continue to carry the stress and fear of what they endured during the storms and in their aftermath.

We are grateful to you and all our donors for providing the resources we required to quickly deploy trained staff, mobilize relief and plan our longer-term recovery work, knowing that we have the secure funding to do whatever it takes to help children, families and communities rebound.