Sheriff’s offices giving back in Florida
Supplies collected over the past weeks made their way down to the Glades County Sheriff’s Office, well down in South Florida in some of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Irma blowing on shore earlier this month.
A team from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office gathered up supplies donated at the department and teamed up with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office to form their own Polk-Floyd Sheriff’s Disaster Relief Team for Florida, which left on Sept. 18 headed for Glades County.
They arrived with three semi-trailer loads of food, water and other supplies donated in Polk and Floyd counties.
According to Polk County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jonathan Blackmon, Hardin is a Rome native who worked with RomeCares and Floyd Sheriff’s officials to get the supplies to a disaster relief zone.
“We originally took in the supplies for the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, but when Irma hit closer to home we felt it would be more beneficial to send them to Florida,” Blackmon said.
The team that went to Florida with the supplies helped with relief efforts in the Moore Haven area as well.
Blackmon said after they were leaving Glades County that officers who went were involved in a lot of activities, from storm cleanup and home repair to delivering supplies.
“Our prayers are continued for them all,” Blackmon said in a Facebook post.
He added that he would be speaking out more about the trip on Monday after press time.
Those who wish to continue to help with relief efforts are encouraged to donate to a disaster group of their choice.
Find a list with this story online at Polkstandardjournal.com.