BY: REESE MAY, CHIEF STRATEGY AND INNOVATION OFFICER On March 29, Danny Vinik provided a clear and sober exploration of the complex institutional challenges facing disaster survivors in affected American communities. As Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer I’ve helped lead SBP’s efforts in disaster-impacted communities all over the country. My experience has taught me that after disasters human beings…
BY: MARLY MASKILL, MANAGER OF DISASTER PARTNERSHIPS AND TRAINING In my role at SBP, I get to see how massive the need is in disaster impacted-communities when it comes to accessing resources and navigating recovery. To say it’s a difficult process would be an understatement. Wading through pages of requirements for insurance claims and FEMA applications all…
BY: REESE MAY, CHIEF STRATEGY AND INNOVATION OFFICER Did you know that 90% of mitigation investment is made after major events. Efforts to increase resilience and mitigate risk are too little too late and almost always backward looking. Mitigation efforts also pale in comparison to amount of money we spend each year and, importantly, the time it takes for…
SBP is committed to helping residents recently impacted by the tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The days after disaster are extremely trying times. We want to empower survivors to take immediate action to prevent a long and drawn out recovery. THE GOLDEN RULE OF DISASTER RECOVERY Advocate for yourself and never give up until…
Jerry and Kim Elia aren’t the only homeowners to utter these words after unexpected and life-changing floods ruined their home, causing thousands of dollars in damages. Many Americans adopt a false sense of security when it comes to flooding because they don’t live near a major body of water. They are wrong. The Elia family…
Every Hurricane Season, severe weather and flooding destroy in hours what people have taken years, even decades, to build: a home, a life savings and a family’s sense of security. Severe weather doesn’t come with a calendar invitation—we don’t know exactly when or where it will strike. And while the risk information we do have…
BY: DIO ORTIZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SBP PUERTO RICO A category 5 hurricane is one of the most devastating events in nature that a person can experience. For Blanca Rosa Garcia and her entire family, it was their worst nightmare. On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria tore their home to pieces. The sheer force of the…
BY: ELIZABETH EGLÉ, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Now more than ever, HOME is an essential and life-saving component of the human experience. Beyond the home office, home school, home cooking and home entertainment, your HOME is protecting you and you must protect it! While the world’s attention is focused on the pandemic crisis right now, we are…
BY: MARLY MASKILL, SBP MANAGER OF DISASTER PARTNERSHIPS AND TRAINING Recent grant for Hurricane Florence recovery in North Carolina exceeds rebuilding goals “Thanks to the American Red Cross, SBP is coupling focused capacity-building trainings with the resources needed to drastically increase our nonprofit partners’ ability to serve Florence-impacted communities in North Carolina. This program is…
One of the most rewarding parts of our time at SBP has been witnessing human connection – that compulsive pull to help people when they need it. We’ve seen hundreds of thousands of instances over the past 14 years when people come from all over the world to help other people who they have never…