Overview

Stories of Resilience

Two women embracing

From holding workshops to helping first-responders, 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.

Local focus. Real impact.

The faces of resilience include volunteers, first responders, hospital staff, caregivers, and more. 

They are proactive, prepared, and ready to respond. 

United Way Miami staff assemble hurricane emergency kits
Stories of Resilience: Miami

Helping Miami Prepare for Heat and Hurricanes

United Way Miami staff is handing out 1,200 free emergency preparedness kits for residents in some of Miami-Dade County’s most hurricane-vulnerable communities. The work is part of United We Prepare, a United Way Worldwide nationwide disaster preparation initiative.
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Stories of Resilience: Houston & Bay Area

Preparing for Disasters: Free Workshops to Get Ready

United We Prepare resilience workshops and disaster clinics offer free tips to prepare for disasters, from making a plan to packing a go bag.
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Workers stack sandbags to prevent flooding damage
Stories of Resilience: West Virginia

West Virginia Resiliency Centers Bring Disaster Preparedness Home

Two regional Resiliency Centers, launched through a partnership between United Way Worldwide and Verizon, are working to help all 55 West Virginia counties prepare for disasters, coordinate, and recover faster.
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Young person hugging Kristin Hegji
Stories of Resilience: Southwest Alabama

Providing Preparedness Tools for Those with Cerebral Palsy

A micro-grant from Verizon and United Way is helping United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile, Ala. replace medical and comfort items families rely on after a disaster.
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Hospital safety and security staffer talking into new radio
Stories of Resilience: Southwest Alabama

Communicating When Every Second Matters

New radios and an antenna system funded by a United Way of Southwest Alabama micro-grant help a Mobile hospital reach first responders during disasters.
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A United Way volunteer holding a heat relief kit
Stories of Resilience: Phoenix

Heat Relief Kits Provide Lifesaving Help

Volunteers with Valley of the Sun United Way and Verizon assembled 10,250 heat relief kits, providing lifesaving help during Phoenix's extreme heat.
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Being Disaster Ready

In Napa, Calif., volunteers assembled 520 emergency preparedness kits and received tips on how to 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 said of her newly assembled go bag sponsored by Verizon and United Way Bay Area. “A bag and the emergency numbers and all this information." 

United We Prepare

Preparedness Tips and Resources

Get tips and resources to be disaster ready.

Get Prepared Now