NECHAMA Florence Response – 9/12/18 Update

Hurricane Florence continues to grow in size and strength. Now a Category 4 storm, the storm itself is larger than Hurricane Harvey in terms of size and will affect a much larger land mass upon landfall. The forecast also calls for Florence to slow down as soon as it hits land. This increases the potential danger of freshwater flooding from rainfall. It may be measured in feet in some locations well inland from the coast where storm surge will potentially affect numerous communities.

In advance of the storm, NECHAMA's Operations Team is preparing our fleet and will begin moving east on Sunday to preposition assets and staff in Atlanta until the storm has passed and it is safe to begin assessments in the affected region.

Once operational, NECHAMA will assist homeowners affected by storms like Florence for free. Your donations make this work possible. By leveraging volunteers and donations, it costs NECHAMA just $1,500 per home to render assistance. Our work allows low-income and at-risk households to get their homes back after such damaging storms. Without NECHAMA's assistance, it can cost homeowners more than $15,000-$20,000 to get their homes back in a livable condition. The people we work with do not have access to such funds. Our supporters make it possible for low-income households to receive the assistance they need after storms like Hurricane Florence.

In order to operate for those first three critical months, NECHAMA needs to raise $175,000. These funds will provide those in the path of the storm hope, comfort, and healing as we begin to rebuild communities in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

Your support makes the work we do possible - thank you!

David Kaplan
Executive Director
NECHAMA - Jewish Response to Disaster