Firstrade donates pallets of bottled water to support hurricane Ian relief efforts
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Hurricane Ian made landfall into west of Fort Myers, Florida on September 28 as a Category-4 storm, causing many fatalities and catastrophic damage to cities in its path. In the aftermath, many Florida residents experienced displacement, flooding, power outages and damage to their homes.
Firstrade worked closely with the area’s main bottled water distributor, Blue Triton, and the largest church in Fort Myers (First Assembly of God - an official relief distribution center) to reach distressed communities in the Fort Myers area and supply them with 23 pallets of drinkable water.
“The West Coast cities such as Fort Myers were devastated. In the first three days of the aftermath, we were unable to reach any agency, hospital, news media, or even local first responders to learn how we could help. We saw on the news that there was no supply of bottled water for miles around Fort Myers and urgent requests for donations were going unmet—so we took matters into our own hands.”
“Working directly with the local community enabled us to cut through the red tape and normal delays that occur in a crisis to get the relief to the affected communities sooner.” said Jeff Huang, CIO of Firstrade.
The staff at Blue Triton were so moved that they worked around the clock to locate supplies for Firstrade. On the day of delivery, a total of 23 pallets were delivered instead of 11 pallets that were expected.
The cleanup and restoration process is expected to take some weeks, however Firstrade will continue to support the Florida community during these testing times. The new Orlando FL branch and aforementioned support to the Floridian community is the start of continued initiatives in the state, to help the community get back on its feet after the devastation brought by Ian.
About Firstrade Securities
Firstrade is a leading online brokerage offering commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds and fixed income through its mobile apps and web platform. It offers a full line of investment products, no-fee IRA retirement services, advanced tools to help self-directed investors take control of their financial future and has the lowest cost among other brokerages. Since 1985, Firstrade has been a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). For more information, visit https://www.firstrade.com.
Firstrade began an expansion into Florida, and opened the first FL branch in Orlando in April of this year. Firstrade FL branch was opened after launching cryptocurrencies on its brokerage platform, allowing customers to trade cryptocurrencies while having access to stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options – all under one roof.
Cryptocurrency trading is offered by Apex Crypto LLC. Cryptocurrencies are not securities and are not FDIC or SIPC insured. Cryptocurrency execution and custody services are provided by Apex Crypto LLC (NMLS ID 1828849) through a software licensing agreement between Apex Crypto LLC and Firstrade Crypto LLC. Please understand the risks before trading: apexcrypto.com/legal.