New Jersey

Throughout the end of October and early November, wildfires have blazed through New Jersey. Dry conditions led to nearly constant Red Flag warnings. Most of the state did not receive any substantial amount of rain throughout the two months.

Craigmeur Lookout Wildfire

• Approximately 200 acres of land burned in a fire at the Craigmeur Recreation Complex in Rockaway, New Jersey.

Cannonball 3 Wildfire

• A 181-acre fire ripped through through the former DuPont-Chemours plant and other surrounding areas in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.

Englewood Cliffs Wildfire 

• Nearly 40 acres were burned in an area of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Jennings Creek Wildfire

• Nearly 5,000 acres of area have burned in this New York-New Jersey fire. The fire has impacted Orange County New, York and the towns of Ringwood and West Milford, New Jersey. The fire claimed the life of an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter, Dariel Vasquez.

Wildfire Relief and Aid

• New Jersey Highlands Coalition – Jennings Creek Wildfire Emergency Appeal
  • The New Jersey Highlands Coalition, with the help of community donors, was able to raise $20,000 in aid. The money raised went to provisions for the firefighters and N-95 masks for local residents; along with other items that supported both those being impacted and those fighting the wildfires.

Spain

Eastern Spain experienced heavy rainfall during an October 29th, 2024 storm that led to intense flooding in the Eastern region of Valencia and other parts of the country. The flash flooding triggered mudslides and landslides that further added to destruction throughout the country.

At least 220 people have been killed.

Hurricane Milton – Florida

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida on October 9th, 2024 as a powerful Category 3 hurricane. Milton’s landfall unleashed deadly tornadoes across Florida and Georgia; hundreds of miles from the eye of the storm.

The costal town of St. Petersburg received nearly 16 inches of rain in a matter of hours, causing flooding. Wind gusts exceeded 100 mph (160 kph), causing great destruction to impacted areas.

At least 24 people died as a result of the storm.

Hurricane Milton Relief Efforts and Resources

• Learn how the United States government is responding to the hurricane.
• SBP (formerly the St. Bernard Project) mobilized on the ground in Florida before the storm made landfall, and continues to provide support to the communities impacted by the storm.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is collaborating with over 750 partners to provide meals for those hit the hardest by Hurricane Milton (and Hurricane Helene, just day before). The organization is distributing food to local partner organizations, along with deploying mobile food distribution units.

Hurricane Helene – South Eastern and Appalachian United States

On Thursday, September 26th, Hurricane Helene landed in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (225 kph).

From there, Hurricane Helene moved through Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee with torrential rains, sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. Western North Carolina was isolated because of landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads.

At least 230 people in six states were killed.

Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts and Resources

• The American Red Cross offers food, shelter, supplies, and emotional support to victims of crisis. It already has hundreds of workers and volunteers in Florida and has opened dozens of shelters for evacuees.
• All Hands and Hearts provides community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief. All Hands and Hearts has deployed teams to Florida and North Carolina, initially focusing on Asheville and the surrounding areas. Teams are removing debris, along with mucking and gutting homes damaged by the heavy rainfall. This will be a 12-month project with ongoing evaluations of the need for boots-on-the-ground efforts.
• World Central Kitchen has set up kitchen facilities and started serving thousands of meals to victims and responders.

Israel and Gaza

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with nearly 100,000 injured. Over 80% of the population has been displaced and Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hindered efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger.

Israeli officials have reported at least 700 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza.

Israel and Gaza Relief Efforts

• The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral, and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other violence situations and to provide them with assistance.
• Doctors without Borders – Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.
• Save the Children Fund – Save the Children is an international, NGO that was founded in the UK in 1919, with the goal of helping improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization helps to raise money to improve children’s lives by creating better educational opportunities, better health care, and improved economic opportunities.