Stories of Resilience
Communicating when every second matters
New radios and antenna system help Gulf Coast hospital stay in touch with first responders during disasters
Stories of Resilience
From holding workshops to helping find emergency housing, United Way and Verizon are working to help build resilience before, during and after disasters.
Here are some of the many stories that showcase that resilience.
Being Disaster Ready
At a Napa, Calif. United We Prepare event, more than 50 volunteers assembled 520 emergency preparedness kits and got tips on how they could better plan and prepare for disasters.
One participant who had been forced to evacuate four times, said she wanted to be ready if and when there was a next time.
“This is amazing," she of her newly assembled go bag sponsored by Verizon and United Way Bay Area. “A bag and the emergency numbers and all this information."
Stories of Resilience
The faces of resilience include a first responder radioing the hospital to update medical staff on an evolving emergency or volunteers handing a homeless man a heat relief kit with a bottle of water and cooling towel to survive 110-degree temperatures.
They are proactive, prepared, and ready to respond.
Stories of Resilience
Heat Relief Kits Provide Lifesaving Help
Packed with sunscreen, hats and sunglasses, lip balm and lotion, cooling towels, electrolyte packets, and reusable water bottles, the kits are built by volunteers.
Helping Those with Special Needs
A grant from Verzion is providing replacement medical and comfort items, toys, children's activities and more to those with cerebral palsy, giving them tools to cope with disasters.
“This grant will allow us to respond to their needs and will also provide an opportunity to understand the needs of people with disabilities," said Kristin Hegji, vice president of programs at United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, Ala.
“We look at every single family as an individual unit that's going to have different needs. So, when we provide different materials that are tailored to the needs of each family, the community will be able to see examples of supports that we can continue to carry on for years in the future."