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.
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."
The faces of resilience include volunteers, first responders, hospital staff, caregivers, and more.
They are proactive, prepared, and ready to respond.
A grant from United Way of Southwest Alabama and funded by Verizon 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.