An American flag flies amongst rubble left in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida, Oct. 11, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Jonathan Bachman.

The Israeli international humanitarian organization IsraAID will send an emergency response team to Florida to help those affected by Hurricane Michael, the humanitarian NGO announced on Friday.

Hurricane Michael made landfall as a category four storm on Wednesday, killing at least six people, and thousands have been evacuated from their homes. The hurricane damaged and destroyed houses, hospitals, roads and water systems across the Florida panhandle.

IsraAID’s emergency response team will collaborate with Team Rubicon, the international disaster response organization founded by US military veterans, to return survivors of Hurricane Michael to their homes.

“Our thoughts turn again towards the southeastern United States, as towns and cities in northwest Florida have suffered large-scale, catastrophic damage at the hands of Hurricane Michael,” IsraAID Co-CEOs Yotam Polizer and Navonel Glick said. “IsraAID currently has a team in North Carolina, assisting in the recovery and reconstruction of communities struck by Hurricane Florence, and we are preparing to send a team to the worst-affected area in the Florida panhandle as soon as possible. This will be the second time in just over a year that we have responded to an emergency in the state, after Hurricane Irma hit last September. Our team will remain in the area to help people affected by this devastating storm for as long as we are needed.”

IsraAID currently has teams conducting emergency response operations in North Carolina, the Philippines and Indonesia. Since 2017, the organization has provided disaster relief to communities affected by wildfires in Santa Rosa, California, and also Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma, in Texas, Puerto Rico and Florida.

IsraAID also offers long-term, sustainable recovery, based on the need of and in partnership with the local community, according to the organization.