As communities across Florida begin recovering from Hurricane Helene, organizations such as Second Harvest Food Bank and the American Red Cross are mobilizing to provide immediate assistance to those in need.

Orlando firefighters put out a burning apartment along South Semoran Boulevard, reporting a dog had died while several other animals and people were rescued.

The American Red Cross was called Saturday to assist eight people, including six children, following a fire at an apartment in Orlando, according to firefighters.

A strike of lightning causes a house to go up in flames in Marion County.

Smoke alarms save lives. That was the message Saturday morning in Seminole County.

In a release, the fire department said that crews tackled the two-alarm fire on the third story of an apartment building near 5365 Cinderlane Pkwy.

The American Red Cross sent six Central Florida volunteers to help with disaster relief efforts.

The American Red Cross was called in to assist a Dunnellon family after their home caught fire overnight, according to Marion County Fire Rescue.

The American Red Cross is assisting a Marion County family after their mobile home burned down Tuesday evening.

A deadly tornado practically destroyed the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi and the surrounding areas, killing dozens and leaving a community in need of help.

The American Red Cross of Central Florida and the Ocoee Fire Department teamed up on Saturday to install free smoke alarms in homes that did not have them.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated a long-running pattern in giving by foundations and charities for health and natural disasters, a new Chronicle analysis of nine years of data show.

A powerful storm system took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that caused damage east of Houston.

There were many thankful residents Saturday morning at Deerwood, a mobile home park in east Orange County.

Sports physicians and CPR instructors are reacting to Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin's sudden cardiac arrest on Monday.

Local organizations and faith leaders are on standby here in Central Florida to help the people of Puerto Rico impacted by Hurricane Fiona.

A fire at an Orange County apartment complex Wednesday evening impacted 15 families, according to a spokesperson from the American Red Cross.

A fire burned its way through two units on the 200 block of Palm Place Dr. around 2 a.m., waking neighbors.

Heavy rain from overnight storms damaged multiple units at an Orlando apartment complex, prompting the American Red Cross to provide emergency assistance for 14 people, 11 of whom were displaced, officials said Saturday.

Volunteers and firefighters went door to door in an East Altamonte community Saturday morning installing free smoke detectors.

Orange County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at an Orlando apartment complex Saturday morning that crews said caused extensive damage to at least a dozen units and led to the hospitalization of two people.

Twenty-three people were displaced after a two-story apartment caught on fire in Seminole County on Monday.

The fire occurred on the 1000 block of Clearlake Road in Cocoa, according to the American Red Cross.

You hear it often: There’s a need for blood donors -- but there’s apparently a particular need for the Black community to step up and donate.

As the U.S. faces a blood shortage, National Donor Day on Monday seeks to raise awareness of the importance of donating.

Hurricane Ida’s projected path shows the storm hitting Louisiana this weekend.

FILE - In this March 31, 2020 file photo, a leaning sign sits in front of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. “There’s no other way to claim it than a Biden border crisis.”Texas Gov. The memo sent to Dallas City Council members says the Federal Emergency Management Agency and HHS will “be responsible for providing shelter management and contracts” for food, security, cleaning, and medical care at the convention center. Dallas previously offered space to HHS during the 2014 surge of crossings of immigrant children. HHS also has said it will house immigrant youths in Midland.

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando family is working to rebuild their lives after losing their Sanoma Village home in a fire last week. I’ve lost absolutely everything,” Sharrice Abney said. Abney was at work when she received the devastating call from a friend. Orlando Fire Department crews responding to a fire on Jan. 29, 2021. (Image: Sky 6) (WKMG 2020)Abney’s daughters, 5-year-old Kennedy and 4-year-old London are now living in a hotel room with Abney and her mother, who recently underwent surgery to amputate her leg.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A family of four, including two young boys, are receiving help from their community and the Red Cross after a fire broke out at their home in the Lake Nona area. According to Orange County Fire Rescue, the fire started around 3:01 p.m. Wednesday at the home on Marsh Point Drive. A GoFundMe fundraiser was started for Mike and Teri D’Amelio and their sons to help them recoup some of the items they lost in the blaze. Teri and Mike, with their two boys, are very active within the community, especially with Nona Sports,” fundraiser organizer Mandy McIntyre wrote. All donations will be spent towards their recovery.”Donations have poured in from neighbors, friends and family, totaling more than $12,000 a little less than 24 hours after the fire.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Two dogs died Monday afternoon when a unit at Catalina Isle Apartments caught on fire, according to the Orlando Fire Department. The fire was reported at about noon when smoke was spotted coming from the window of a second-floor unit. [TRENDING: Here’s how to register for COVID-19 vaccine | Select Publix locations will offer vaccine | Fla. woman accused of screaming political profanities]During their efforts, they also removed three dogs from the apartment, two of which died from smoke inhalation. “Our volunteers arrived on scene and provided emergency assistance to 5 adults and 11 children (16 total) living in 3 units,” the statement read, in part. One-on-one support to connect people to available recovery assistance as well as mental health services.”The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – More than 30 people are now left trying to figure out where to call home after a fire at the Pine Hills apartment complex on Saturday. A spokesperson with Millennia Companies, the apartment complex management company, said that about 32 people were displaced, including about 22 children. She said now especially, since the fire happened there, she wants to make sure the affected families affected can have a merry Christmas. The Red Cross will also be assisting the affected families with a gift card of $500 to assist with hotel accommodations and other necessities. Saturday’s toy drive is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jernigan Gardens Apartments.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando firefighters battled an apartment fire Saturday that displaced more than 40 people. pic.twitter.com/qS6Pxj7Ryy — Orlando Fire Dept (@OrlandoFireDept) December 12, 2020Fire crews said around eight apartment units were impacted and four had smoke damage. Update: 44 residents displaced from Jernigan Gardens apartment fire this morning. pic.twitter.com/Q5oEMgkBuq — Orlando Fire Dept (@OrlandoFireDept) December 12, 2020The Red Cross stepped in to help those affected. “So far, the Red Cross has provided 29 people (and counting) with emergency financial assistance,” Duhane Lindo, Regional Communications Manager with American Red Cross said.

I’d heard rumblings that you could give blood through the American Red Cross, and they’d test your blood for antibodies. Worth mentioning: The Red Cross says it’s a perfectly safe time to donate, despite COVID-19. How to interpret your resultsMine said: “COVID-19 Test Result: NEGATIVE.” And I blanked for a second, as in, “Negative? Learn more about COVID-19 antibody testing.” (It’s like the Red Cross knows that we’re not all health experts). The Red Cross could use your donation one way or the other.

Volunteers wearing disposable masks walked from group to group, taking down their information and asking what they need for the days ahead. Normally, they'd be gathering in school gymnasiums and meeting halls, sleeping on cots and eating at buffet lines, all provided by organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other faith and community groups. When possible, displaced residents are sent to hotels instead of group shelters. In group shelters, staffers are using plastic pipes strung with clear shower curtains to separate evacuees but allow them to see out from their own socially distanced areas. In Oregon, group shelters are set up at churches, colleges and community buildings, while malls, golf courses and other businesses opened parking for evacuees who can stay in recreational vehicles.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Kathy Burkett and Sammy Conneen are volunteers with the American Red Cross of Central Florida. On Tuesday, the two got on a plane to Texas to help ahead of Hurricane Laura. The National Hurricane Center expects Hurricane Laura to strengthen into a major hurricane before it reaches landfall between Texas and Louisiana. [LIVE TRACK: Turbocharging Laura could strike US as Category 3 hurricane]Conneen, who's been volunteering for six years, said she's been in Texas for other natural disasters. “I know that if it was us they’d be coming to help us so it’s our turn to help them,” Conneen said.

A worker puts reinforcements on boarded storefront windows in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Saturday, July 25, 2020, as Hurricane Douglas approaches. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Hawaii on Saturday because of Douglas, directing federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts. Powerful storms are familiar to many in Hawaii who have spent the past several summers preparing for tropical cyclones. Luke Meyers, the administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, urged people get ready by learning about the hazards where they live. The coronavirus was complicating preparations for the American Red Cross, which operates emergency shelters on behalf of local governments.