Homes for West Virginia to Rebuild Homes, Restore Lives and Rejuvenate Communities Lost in Flooding

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va., Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- West Virginia businesses and community leaders have partnered with SBP, a leading national disaster recovery nonprofit organization, to launch Homes for West Virginia. Homes for West Virginia is a newly created partnership with SBP and local stakeholders with the goal of working to help rebuild homes, restore lives and rejuvenate communities devastated by the 2016 West Virginia flooding with local, regional and national businesses, organizations and volunteers.

Homes for West Virginia's first initiative is Homes for White Sulphur Springs, which will serve as a model for similar projects to be scaled for additional West Virginia communities impacted by the floods. Mennonite Disaster Services will help build the village, which will feature 42 homes and a community park. On Aug. 2, the City Council of White Sulphur Springs voted unanimously to support the project that will be the home of a new community, aptly named "Hope Village." The land transfer will be completed at the Council's meeting on Monday, Aug. 8.

The community of West Virginia, neighboring areas, nonprofits and people all over the world have contributed generously to the immediate needs of flood victims. SBP's Homes for West Virginia is especially thankful to Neighbors Loving Neighbors, including the leadership of Greenbrier CEO Jim Justice, for bringing the community together for this important effort. Homes for West Virginia also looks forward to partnering further with local United Way and Red Cross agencies, and many others committed to the long-term recovery.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m. EDT, in White Sulphur Springs to bring together community business leaders, members of Congress, state and local officials, many volunteers and the community to discuss the Homes for West Virginia project and provide additional details about Homes for White Sulphur Springs. The event will take place at 1266 Big Draft Road, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  Regional and local leaders as well as the general public are encouraged to attend to show their support for the cause.

Tom Crabtree, a volunteer architect and White Sulphur Springs resident who mobilized the project with a group of local businesses and supporters, commented: "We are humbled by the incredible local effort on behalf of our little town of White Sulphur Springs, and are thrilled the project will serve as a springboard for state-wide efforts to rejuvenate the entire West Virginia region devastated by the flooding. Partnering with SBP, a nationally-recognized leader in disaster recovery, to launch Homes for West Virginia is a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to rebuild the state.

"SBP brings tremendous experience in managing disaster recovery efforts and has a proven track record of accelerating actual recovery time, rehabilitating communities and positioning these regions for long-term success with the partnership of local businesses. By combining SBP's results-oriented expertise with the passion, generosity and commitment of community leaders, we have in place all of what is needed to tackle a catastrophic situation hands-on and revive disaster areas physically, emotionally and economically. We are grateful for the expedited action of the White Sulphur Springs community to secure land to bring "Hope Village" to life. We look forward to breaking ground this Saturday to commemorate this milestone and get to work."

Lloyd Haynes, Mayor of White Sulphur Springs, said: "We are proud to support Homes for White Sulphur Springs. City Council has moved forward quickly in support of this project. Speed is of the essence in helping our community recover from this disaster, and we appreciate the commitment from everyone involved to bring permanent homes and hope to impacted families as quickly as possible."

Zack Rosenburg, SBP co-founder and CEO, added: "SBP is honored to launch Homes for West Virginia, in partnership with many leaders and volunteers to expedite the recovery of communities across West Virginia impacted by the devastating flooding. Unfortunately, what's happening in West Virginia is a familiar sight to us at SBP. What gives us hope is that Homes for West Virginia, with the passion and support of dozens of national, regional and local organizations and hundreds of volunteers, has the capacity, experience and vision to rebuild what was lost. SBP has helped more than 1,100 families return home after a disaster and rebuild communities from the ground up, and we look forward to helping West Virginia do the same."

Mylan, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, and MedExpress, the national leader in urgent care delivery, both with roots in White Sulphur Springs, have already committed to support Homes for West Virginia. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch and MedExpress CEO Frank Alderman plan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony and will announce contributions at the event.

About SBP

SBP's mission is to shrink time between disaster and recovery. Since its founding in 2006 in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, SBP has rebuilt homes for more than 1,120 families with the help of 125,000 volunteers in New Orleans; Joplin, MO; Staten Island, NY; Rockaway, NY; Monmouth and Ocean Counties, NJ; San Marcos, TX and Columbia, SC.

SBP's model is enhanced by AmeriCorps, which provides 140 members annually to manage worksites and clients, and train the organization's volunteers nationally.

Through its Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lab (DRRL), SBP works to share lessons learned, prevent common barriers to recovery and help communities utilize SBP's standardized, repeatable and proven-effective model.

SBP shrinks time between disaster and recovery via five interventions:

1. Build innovatively, driving efficiency
2. Share SBP's proven effective model with other organizations to increase efficacy across the disaster rebuilding sector
3. Train home and business owners in resilience and risk mitigation prior to disaster
4. Advise local and state government officials so they can deploy federal dollars sooner, and in a way that empowers an efficient recovery
5. Advocate so that what is measured is what matters – a complete recovery

To learn more, visit www.SBPUSA.org and like/follow on Facebook & Twitter @SBPUSA.

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SOURCE Mylan N.V.; Homes for West Virginia