Pelicans, state’s other minor league teams band together to help flood victims

When tragedy struck Boston in 2013 with the marathon bombings, the entire community banded together and the slogan “Boston Strong” was born.

Now it’s South Carolina’s time to be tough.

In the wake of Hurricane Joaquin and the historic flooding the storm produced, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans have banded together with three other Minor League Baseball affiliates around the state to raise funds and awareness for the relief efforts as part of the “Palmetto Strong” initiative. All funds raised through the campaign will be donated to the American Red Cross of the Palmetto SC Region, which serves the entire state of South Carolina.

“We knew that we wanted to make a difference in our community,” Pelicans president and general manager Andy Milovich said Tuesday. “We watched coverage of [the flooding] unfold and saw the impact it had across the state and it’s pretty traumatic. The chance to work with the other three minor league baseball teams in South Carolina will help us appeal to the industry as a whole and baseball fans across the country and will help us have a much greater impact for the relief efforts.”

In order to donate, visit the GoFundMe page set up by the Pelicans, Charleston RiverDogs (N.Y. Yankees affiliate), Greenville Drive (Red Sox) and the Columbia Fireflies (N.Y. Mets). Each of the four clubs and Minor League Baseball Charities will be contributing $2,500 to the relief efforts. The fundraising goal is $100,000.

As of Tuesday evening, $13,751 had been raised.

“Together we can appeal to Cubs fans, Yankees fans, Mets fans and Red Sox fans and people across the spectrum looking for ways to help and make a difference,” Milovich said. “Donations of 5, 10, 20 dollars will make a difference.”

The Pelicans got a break as TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark sustained minimal damage from the storm and the rest of the team’s staff members were fortunate as well.

But others across the state weren’t as lucky.

“The field itself was fine. We had a little bit of water damage in the clubhouse by the office area but – for the most part – we came out of it in relatively good shape,” Milovich said. “Our staff was fortunate as well with no significant losses or damage to their homes or families. We were glad to come out of it OK but unfortunately, not everybody in the community did.”

Damage from the storm was significant and at least 14 people statewide had died in storm-related accidents since Governor Nikki Haley declared a state of emergency late Thursday, according to The (Columbia) State. Also, at least 10 dams have breached or failed in South Carolina since Saturday, the newspaper reported.

Haley said there had been 175 water rescues so far in South Carolina, and more than 800 people were temporarily housed in shelters. And the damage is not done yet; it’s been reported that rivers across the state might not crest for another two weeks.

“It’s just awful,” Milovich said. “The damage and loss this community has had to endure is substantial. You never want to see tragedy strike; but when it does, I think it’s really important we try to pitch in and help those in need.”

It may be a while before South Carolina recovers, but everyone will have an opportunity to help with the relief efforts.

“Even if people can’t donate, we encourage to help spread awareness on social media and throughout the community by sharing our GoFundMe page and by using the hashtag #PalmettoStrong,” Milovich said.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Pelicans, state’s other minor league teams band together to help flood victims."