As many of you know, the Miami office of the Funders’ Network has been closed as our South Florida staff prepared for Hurricane Irma and its aftermath. And while I’m pleased to report that our office fully reopened today — and our staff and their families are safe and secure — we know that the road to recovery for many affected by Hurricane Irma will be a long and complicated task.
The most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, Irma left a deadly trail of devastation across the Caribbean and the Florida Keys. Irma’s impact was felt through much of Florida, beginning with the evacuation of more than seven million people and power outages that left nearly two-thirds of the state’s population in the dark (with tens of thousands still without electricity as of this afternoon).
While damage assessments have only just begun, we’ve already seen evidence of the destruction and disruption felt by the most vulnerable in our community, including the elderly and infirm and low-income families unable to adequately prepare for the storm and struggling to deal with its aftermath.
We are also mindful of the communities in Houston and the surrounding areas still reeling from Hurricane Harvey.
These storms have cast in sharp relief the issues that TFN and our funders care deeply about: the urgency of tackling climate change, the need to build resilient and sustainable communities, and the moral obligation to adequately—and equitably—prepare and protect our vulnerable populations.
Please visit the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for more information on how to aid in the long-term recovery of communities impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as additional resources for funders looking to prepare communities in advance of disasters. (CDP serves as the curriculum development and technical assistance partner for TFN’s Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership, or PPREP.) And in case you missed it, here is a recap and audio link to CDP’s recent webinar, Hurricane Irma: What Funders Should Know.
The Florida Philanthropic Network has also assembled a terrific list of recovery funds and efforts across the state.
On behalf of the TFN staff, I want to thank all of our members and partners who reached out in advance of and following Hurricane Irma to inquire about the safety of our Miami team.
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