Disaster Relief Program

Disaster Relief Program is sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation. The Home Depot Foundation supports communities impacted by natural disasters through grants to national nonprofit partners. This includes funding for disaster preparedness, immediate response (e.

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The Home Depot Foundation Invests $5. 5M in Disaster Preparedness and Community Resilience Ahead of Storm Season | The Home Depot Disaster Preparedness & Response News The Home Depot Foundation Invests $5.

5M in Disaster Preparedness and Community Resilience Ahead of Storm Season As hurricane season approaches, The Home Depot Foundation is directly supporting efforts to help communities better prepare for, withstand and recover from natural disasters by investing more than $5. 5 million in grants to nonprofit partners.

These grants, along with mitigation training for those partners supporting rebuilding efforts, will aid communities through every stage of the disaster response cycle. Beyond philanthropy, The Home Depot activates its Disaster Response Command Center for significant disasters, providing continuous, daily communication between teams, impacted stores and suppliers.

The Command Center organizes more than 100 expert associates across the business in real-time ahead of a storm. This approach supports communities at every stage, from immediate relief to long-term recovery, by combining operational expertise with resilient building practices to create stronger, safer homes. Disaster Investment Highlights The $5.

5 million grants will fund: Community resilience and fortification efforts by Habitat for Humanity International, including repairs and rehabilitations in Augusta, Georgia; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Planada, California, and the construction of new homes in California and Northwest Iowa. Team Rubicon’s response efforts to train 8,000 volunteers and its long-term recovery work through the completion of 100 home repairs.

The design and completion of Operation Blessing’s mobile “energy hub” trailer where community members can access WiFi and charge their power tools and other devices. The establishment of Inspiritus' centrally located warehouse in South Georgia and specialized training for its volunteers to lead immediate response and long-term recovery efforts.

The maintenance of a 450-unit housing complex for those who lost their homes during the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, in partnership with HomeAid Hawaii. The development of the “Strong Homes” program with the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), designed to train nonprofit construction managers in FORTIFIED Gold standards and resilient building practices.

“Preparedness is a year-round commitment to building stronger, disaster-ready neighborhoods,” said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. “With our research showing a “recovery lag” in areas rebuilding after a wildfire, hurricane or tornado, we’re working to prioritize both reactive recovery and proactive resilience.

” Prioritizing Fortification and Long-Term Recovery The Foundation’s focus on fortification comes at a critical time, with the country experiencing an average of 23 billion-dollar disasters each year since 2020 .

As the cost of long-term recovery becomes less sustainable, it's increasingly important to support community resilience; in fact, the National Institute of Building Sciences has found that every $1 spent on hazard mitigation saves $6 in future recovery costs. Long-term recovery remains a cornerstone of the Foundation’s work with partners.

In Pensacola, Florida, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate recently completed all recovery work from damage caused by Hurricane Sally in 2020. A testament to the Foundation’s “last out” philosophy – staying long after media attention fades, ensuring communities have the support they need to fully recover– this multi-year partnership provided the final funding needed to repair homes and return families to their communities.

“Pensacola is a resilient community, but resilience has its limits,” said Andrew Rhodes, director of development for Pensacola Habitat for Humanity. “Nearly six years after Hurricane Sally, blue tarps still dot our neighborhoods – a lingering reminder of damage that many lower-income homeowners simply couldn’t afford to fix.

For them, a leaking roof became something to endure quietly and alone “The Home Depot Foundation changed that,” he added. “By repairing the roofs and addressing the resulting interior damage, they’ve provided more than just a home improvement. For the first time in years, these families don’t have to worry when the clouds gather.

This is stability, dignity and safety restored. ” Additional Foundation grants will fund programs with American Red Cross, Convoy of Hope, World Central Kitchen and Appalachia Service Project.

This funding will support ongoing disaster response and long-term recovery efforts, including building homes for Hurricane Helene victims in the Asheville area, purchasing bulk food and distributing to those in need, providing shelter and financial assistance, and pre-positioning supplies for immediate response operations in warehouses around the country.

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