Our near and dear Bay & Northern Gulf counties are in our thoughts, as several wildfires spread across more than 14,000 acres of land this past week. Rebuild Bay County, The Red Cross and supporting organizations are making great efforts to provide relief to the evacuees and first responders affected by the Adkins Avenue and Bertha Swamp Road fires.

Sponsors and organizations including Tyndall Air Force Base, Salvation Army, Starbucks, Walmart, and more have provided plenty of clothes and food to those in need at this time. Because of the abundance of donations collected, the most helpful way to provide relief for evacuees is through monetary donations. Additional donations are also being collected for firefighters at The Red Cross staging area behind The Panama City JC Penny’s. Useful items include water, gatorade, eyedrops, bug spray, sunscreen, baby wipes, lip balm.

I think we’re going to have a financial need for some of the residents. We’re already seeing indications where residents went to a hotel that may impact their bills later on. So, if folks want to start maybe saving up to send to any fund that might open up for that cost, that might be helpful.

Donna Pilson, Rebuild Bay County Executive Director