Remembering the Forgotten

On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael hit an area of the Florida Panhandle nicknamed “The Forgotten Coast.” By 2019, the area seemed to live up to its name. More than six months after the hurricane wiped out parts of this community, no federal relief aid – so critical for recovery – had arrived. As locals began to wonder when things would return to normal, WJHG got to work educating the community at large about how long it had been waiting for federal relief funds and what needed to be done to grab lawmakers’ attention. Through social media, daily coverage of local suffering and national media outreach, this team made sure lawmakers heard the outcry for support. Finally, 236 days following Hurricane Michael, a Federal Disaster Relief package passed and this area was one step closer to not feeling so forgotten.