Financial advisor Cameron Bielman is on a mission to help those impacted by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers this week, and he is asking for help to make that mission successful.
What You Need To Know
- After seeing the catastrophic damage done to Fort Myers, St. Pete insurance adjuster Cameron Bielman said he felt compelled to do something to help
- He posted to a community Facebook page asking for donations, and said he was happy to see so many people step up to help
- As an insurance adjuster, Bielman said he also plans to help victims in Fort Myers "get a check in their hand from the insurance companies"
“The big items (I need) are gas, water, coolers full of ice,” he said of the supplies he plans to take with him.
In an attempt to garner more support, Bielman posted a request on a St. Pete community Facebook Page, hoping that people would chip in. And they did.
“(People have donated) big gas cans that are really helpful, cause we can fit a lot of fuel I them and they’re easier to transport,” Bielman said, “People are bringing by potable water in containers. That’s helpful. Cases of water would work fine. Tarps are always helpful.”
Since his posting late Saturday night, Bielman said he has had a constant stream of good Samaritans showing up with supplies to give. Jordyn and Brian Johnston read Cameron’s post and drove all the way down from Palm Harbor to help out.
“I feel so bad for the people in Fort Myers, just knowing that they lost everything," Jordyn said. “They don’t have any water, they have no gas for their generators — I mean there’s people who need electricity for things. We’re blessed and we have it at our house, but they don’t have it, so the only thing that I can do is to just give what I have.”
Taking donations down to Fort Myers it's not the main reason why Bielman is headed there. As an independent insurance adjuster, he's also a financial lifeline for countless storm victims.
“It’s gonna be 14-16-hour days, seven days a week just trying to get people put back together and get a check in their hand from the insurance companies," he said.
And with concerns about scammers threatening to further victimize people recovering from the storm, Cameron is proud to say that his best interest are also in the best interests of those victims
“We don’t work directly for the insurance company, so we get paid based on how well we help you," he said. “I actually get paid more — the more I tell insurance companies they owe policy holders, the more I get paid, so it’s a win-win for both."
