The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), in partnership with the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church (AWFUMC), has been awarded $645,000 in funding from the Florida Disaster Fund to rebuild six (6) Hurricane Michael-damaged homes in Bay and Gulf Counties. The six homes will be provided to families with unmet economic needs due to gaps in public and private insurance or other types of support. Currently, the six families are without the resources necessary to overcome the challenges that began when Hurricane Michael damaged their homes. AWFUMC is an active United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) partner and has assisted over 300 families. The project team continues daily work in the long-term recovery of Hurricane-Michael affected communities. Currently, the FLASH
Strong Homes program supports the existing AWFUMC initiative by providing donated and discounted building materials, consulting, and engineering expertise. The support is ensuring that the new homes not only meet the Florida building code but provide the highest degree of safety and performance.
“The Alabama-West Florida Conference is honored to partner with FLASH through this grant to assist those still in need along the Gulf Coast,” stated Bishop Graves. “We are deeply committed to the long-term recovery process and will continue to responsibly use resources to make a direct impact on families needing housing assistance.”
“Everyone deserves a home that is safe and secure from disasters. That is the inspiration behind the
Strong Homes Initiative,” said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. “Through this award and the partnership with AWFUMC, we will continue our commitment to the long-term recovery of Hurricane Michael survivors and Florida’s most vulnerable populations.”
This funding was part of a $2.79 million grant from Volunteer Florida related to Hurricane Michael recovery efforts. The recipients were chosen through a competitive application process.
For more information on this grant and Volunteer Florida, visit volunteerflorida.org.
About FLASH
The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country’s leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO - Verisk Analytics, Lowe’s, National Weather Service, Portland Cement Association, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH, and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes, in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on Twitter, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.
