Nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH) Seeking Donations to Help Helene and Milton Survivors

News provided by

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

Oct 12, 2024, 08:00 ET

Donations to the Strong Homes Fund supports resilient recovery for storm survivors by upgrading homes to the highest construction standards

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) today announced the expansion of the Strong Homes Fund to help low-income families rebuild safer, stronger, and more resilient homes in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The fund provides essential resources to support disaster recovery by rebuilding homes to meet the FORTIFIED Gold standard for hurricane and high-wind events and elevation requirements in flood-prone areas.

The Strong Homes Fund supports rebuilding efforts through partnerships with National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) organizations. Since its inception in 2019, it has provided affordable, resilient recovery for disaster survivors by offering engineering services, donated and discounted products, and inspection expertise to upgrade recovery builds. More than 100 homes across Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana have been completed, and all meet the insurance industry's FORTIFIED Gold standard for hurricane or high-wind events.

The fund expansion follows FLASH's success after Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana in 2021. Partnering with the Bayou Community Foundation and Mennonite Disaster Service, FLASH built 41 wind-resistant and elevated homes for hurricane survivors near Dulac, Grand Isle, and Houma, Louisiana. These homes were tested by Category 2 Hurricane Francine on September 11. Thanks to the resilient construction, no homes were damaged. Homeowners expressed their gratitude by sharing videos of their homes weathering the storm and highlighting the benefits of resilient building practices.

The Trosclair Family (Video)

Ms. Robbins (Video)

"We call this home a piece of heaven because we lost everything during Hurricane Ida. During this storm, our house did amazing; we hardly felt anything, even with the hard wind and rain. It was truly amazing how protected we felt in this home." – The Trosclair Family

To learn more about the Strong Homes Fund and to donate, please visit www.Strong-Homes.org. Help make lasting change for disaster survivors through the power of resilience.

About FLASH

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from 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, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew Financial, 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. FLASH's signature program No Code. No Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to easily identify their community's building code. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on X, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)