What Hurricane Milton Taught me About Everyday Generosity

The day after Hurricane Milton, I sat at a stoplight in Palmetto, Florida and burst into tears. 

The emotional toll of the storm and its impact on my Gulf Coast community hit me. 

I saw the homes of neighbors shredded like pieces of paper. The cobblestone streets I had walked with friends to see a play or concert were flooded beyond recognition. Tractor trailers were flipped over like toy cars. 

The stories of deep personal loss and devastation were still unfolding…

I sat in my car gazing at the undeniable destructive impact of climate change when a caravan of vehicles with police escort caught my attention. The Waco Fire Department, Texas A&M Forestry Department and so many others from around the U.S. had come to help. To be present in our grief, provide aid for our basic human needs, and walk the path of rebuilding with us. 

Tears began to fall – we were not alone. Help had come to restore our community. 

I realized the tears weren’t just about Florida or the states recovering from Hurricane Helene. It was the recognition of what it must be like for the millions of people served by World Relief in disasters around the globe. 

In South Carolina, World Relief staff had also been deeply impacted by the storm. Yet they were faithfully rebuilding —- delivering food packets, assessing damage and meeting the critical needs of their refugee and immigrant neighbors, even as they continued their work of welcoming newly arrived refugees.

I felt like God was giving me a small glimpse of what it might feel like when a World Relief truck enters a town or village devastated by war, conflict or natural disaster. There is an exhaling of days of tension that you didn’t even realize you were holding. There is a spark of joy to see the collective power of human kindness shining brightly into the darkest moments. 

The everyday generosity of global partners sends World Relief to the frontlines of international crises to provide emergency food, medical aid, clean water and so much more. World Relief is there because caring people like you send us, as the hands and feet of Jesus to enter the suffering and forge a path with families and communities from fragility to flourishing.

As I got one block away from my neighborhood – the tears didn’t stop falling. I looked and saw a local church gathered in their parking lot with supplies to begin cleaning up and serving their community.  Just hours after this shattering storm, the church was immediately there, in position, seeing the need and ready to give hope. 

In moments of crisis, generosity and action are born out of seeing the image of God in one another. Those who are suffering bear His image and our faith in God compels us to respond in hope. 

Hope is the comfort of a meal when crops and food resources have been destroyed. Hope is the cool refreshing of clean water or the safety of shelter. Hope is the start of a new future as a refugee, immigrant or asylum seeker when you’ve had to flee your homeland. 

As we enter this season of giving, I pray that you will see Christ in the 120 million people displaced globally and make a generous gift of hope through World Relief. You can join our urgent response in hot spots of displacements like the Middle East, Ukraine, Haiti, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and many more. 

Thank you for seeing God’s image in vulnerable communities and taking action to give hope with World Relief today. 

“…your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:11b

Allison Daniels is the Annual Fund Director for World Relief. With more than 15 years in non-profit administration work, her core belief is that generosity is an expression of God’s goodness. Outside of work, you’ll find her leading Bible Study, writing YouVersion devotionals, hiking Florida trails and exploring vintage markets.