ALL HANDS AND HEARTS SMART RESPONSE INC

NORTH CAROLINA WAS SEVERELY IMPACTED BY HURRICANE HELENE PRIMARILY IN ITS WESTERN APPALACHIAN REGION, CAUSING OVER 100 STORM-RELATED DEATHS IN THE STATE ALONE AND SIGNIFICANT DESTRUCTION OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS ACROSS SEVERAL SETTLEMENTS. AFTER MAKING LANDFALL IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF FLORIDA ON SEPTEMBER 26TH, THE HURRICANE BEGAN TO TRAVERSE OVER LAND ACROSS GEORGIA AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE AND INTO THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN RANGE AS A TROPICAL STORM, DEPOSITING RECORD-BREAKING AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL ACROSS SEVERAL SETTLEMENTS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, SUCH AS ASHEVILLE, SWANNANOA, CHIMNEY ROCK, MONTREAT, LAKE LURE, AND SEVERAL OTHERS.AS A RESULT OF THE HISTORIC RAINFALL, SEVERAL RIVERS IN THE REGION OVERFLOWED AND INUNDATED MULTIPLE SETTLEMENTS, DESTROYING HOUSES AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND CUTTING OFF POWER, TRANSPORTATION, AND COMMUNICATIONS TO MANY TOWNS FOR PROLONGED PERIODS. IN ADDITION, SEVERAL DAMS WERE BREACHED AND MUDSLIDES OCCURRED ACROSS THE REGION, SIGNIFICANTLY WORSENING DAMAGE.OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT LONG-TERM RECOVERY EFFORTS FOR COMMUNITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA AFFECTED BY HURRICANE HELENE BY REPAIRING HOMES, ENSURING FAMILIES CAN RETURN TO SAFE AND STABLE LIVING CONDITIONS. OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS WE WILL ASSIST 60 HOMEOWNERS WITH LONG-TERM RECOVERY, FOCUSED ON INSULATION, DRYWALL, MUD & TAPE, FLOORING, INTERNAL DOORS, DOOR & WINDOW TRIM, BASEBOARD TRIM, PRIMER, AND PAINT, VAPOR BARRIER AND INSULATION. WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE SUPPORTING RESPONSE EFFORTS WITH MOLD SANITATION, MUCK AND GUT, AND DEBRIS REMOVAL, WITH THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF BEING A CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE SOURCE OF PEOPLE POWER THROUGH OUR VOLUNTEER MODEL. TO BUILD LONG-TERM CAPACITY WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION, WE WILL IMPLEMENT A SITE SUPERVISOR TRAINING (SST) PROGRAM TO STRENGTHEN STAFF SKILLS, ENHANCE RECOVERY PROGRAMS ACROSS THE U.S., AND IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO SUPPORT RAPID AND SHORT-TERM RESPONSES. AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM, WE WILL INTRODUCE CHAINSAW TRAINING, SETTING NEW STANDARDS AND EXPANDING THE TRAINING TO BUILD INTERNAL EXPERTISE AND BETTER PREPARE FOR FUTURE RESPONSE EFFORTS.

ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2024, HURRICANE HELENE MADE LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE, FOLLOWED BY HURRICANE MILTON ON OCTOBER 9TH, 2024, A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE IN PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA. HURRICANE MILTON AFFECTED 35 COUNTIES AS IT MOVED ACROSS FLORIDA, SPARKING 19 TORNADOES ACROSS THE STATE. TWO BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES EXACERBATED IMPACTS DUE TO ALREADY FLOODED AREAS AND EXISTING DEBRIS THAT WAS YET TO BE CLEARED, IN ADDITION TO THE EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA FOR RESIDENTS. COMBINED ESTIMATED COST OF THE STORMS IN DAMAGES IS IN THE TENS OF BILLIONS OF USD.OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT LONG-TERM RECOVERY EFFORTS FOR COMMUNITIES IN PASCO COUNTY AFFECTED BY HURRICANE HELENE AND MILTON BY REPAIRING HOMES, ENSURING FAMILIES CAN RETURN TO SAFE AND STABLE LIVING CONDITIONS. WE WILL ASSIST HOMEOWNERS WITH LONG-TERM RECOVERY, FOCUSED ON INSULATION, DRYWALL, MUD & TAPE, FLOORING, INTERNAL DOORS, DOOR & WINDOW TRIM, BASEBOARD TRIM, PRIMER, AND PAINT. WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE SUPPORTING RESPONSE EFFORTS WITH MOLD SANITATION, MUCK AND GUT, AND DEBRIS REMOVAL, WITH THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF BEING A CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE SOURCE OF PEOPLE POWER THROUGH OUR VOLUNTEER MODEL. TO BUILD LONG-TERM CAPACITY WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION, WE WILL IMPLEMENT A SITE SUPERVISOR TRAINING (SST) PROGRAM TO STRENGTHEN STAFF SKILLS, ENHANCE RECOVERY PROGRAMS ACROSS THE U.S., AND IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO SUPPORT RAPID AND SHORT-TERM RESPONSES. THROUGH GRANTS RECEIVED WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO CONDUCT CRITICAL REPAIRS ON HOMES WITH CONTRACTORS DOING CRITICAL REPAIRS LIKE ROOF REBUILD OR HVAC AND ELECTRICAL WORK.