Naomi Esther Blemur, Democratic Nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture, postponed her campaign activities for a few days to focus on Hurricane Ian relief efforts and offer much needed assistance to underrepresented communities in the State of Florida. Naomi called upon the Governor and leaders at every level to aid millions of Floridians who have been affected in minority-based communities like Ft. Myers.
Naomi met with several community leaders who lead recovery efforts in the area. Among them is Pastor Terry Mobley from Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor Mobley has organized a donation and distribution center at the church giving out water, food, and toiletries to the residents. He also noted that the most important help the state of Florida can provide right now is transitional housing and rent moratorium.
Another issue raised by the residents was the lack of notifications in Spanish about the upcoming hurricane. With all notifications being in English, some non-English speakers were not able to relocate to safe areas on time. “It is very important for the governor to give updates in all languages so that individuals can make the right decision,” stated Naomi Blemur after learning that local residents were not provided instruction in Spanish.