Last weekend, volunteers from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR) went to the areas of Southwest Florida that were hardest hit by Hurricane Ian. Over the course of two days, they brought several truckloads of supplies to the hard hit areas of Englewood, North Port and Fort Myers.

The common theme at trailer parks and lower income areas was that no other relief workers had shown up to support them. “They’re all on the rich side,” Dominic Dawson of Fort Myers’ historically Black Dunbar neighborhood told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

Many were now homeless, dehydrated and hungry. Those who weren’t homeless were searching for clean water and power. In the more expensive parts of Fort Myers, national guardspeople roamed the streets and assessed damage, figuring out what they could help with.

But the devastation extends to millions of Floridians, many of whom are historically left to fend for themselves after disasters.

MADR has now established a relief hub in Fort Myers. Supplies are being regularly transported from the Tampa relief hub at Waters Avenue Church (609 W Waters Ave), while more relief supplies come in from around the country.

The efforts to rebuild from the carnage of Ian will take months, if not years, and grassroots relief efforts will be necessary to help ensure that people aren’t left behind.