Stamford, Conn. – August 29, 2018 – One year after a series of catastrophic hurricanes battered the southern United States and the Caribbean, Americares is launching a national disaster preparedness campaign to raise awareness and critical funding to help communities stay safe and recover faster. The “We Hate Hurricanes” campaign will run through the end of September, during National Preparedness Month, to highlight the need for families to prepare for future emergencies. Campaign ads will be broadcast on radio stations in New York and Chicago throughout the month.
“We can’t predict where or when the next disaster will strike, so we have to get ready now,” said Americares Director of Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction Kristin Stevens. “The key is having a plan in place that families can activate at a moment’s notice.”
Americares will spotlight its preparedness work in Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and educate families about how they can prepare to stay safe throughout the month of September.
Americares supporters, including the GE Foundation, Horizon Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and Voya Financial, are joining the effort. Johnson & Johnson, a supporter of Americares since 1986, will activate the campaign through its Donate-a-Photo platform where every photo uploaded to their app will result in a $1 donation to Americares preparedness efforts.
“As we’ve witnessed far too frequently in recent years, hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters have forced families and communities to contend with life altering hardships. Americares on the ground work helps communities prepare for these events in advance in order to limit the impact, and ultimately save lives,” said Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs & Chief Communication Officer Michael Sneed. “J&J’s Donate-a-Photo program is a simple way for people to help Americares in this cause. For every photo uploaded to the app, J&J will donate $1 to Americares preparedness efforts up to $20,000.”
Corporate supporters will also have the opportunity to set up customized Crowdrise fundraisers to support the health-focused relief and development organization’s ongoing disaster preparedness, response and recovery initiatives in the United States and the Caribbean.
In response to the 2017 storms, Americares launched its largest relief effort since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Americares established a base of operations in Houston and Puerto Rico to oversee its relief and recovery programs to restore health services for survivors. To date, Americares has delivered more than $75 million in aid for hurricane survivors in Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. Americares work includes more than 360 shipments of medicine and relief supplies, repairs to damaged health facilities and medical care for the most vulnerable survivors.
Americares responds to an average of 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings disaster preparedness programs to vulnerable communities. The organization has a long history of responding to severe storms in the United States, including Hurricanes Katrina; Sandy; Irma; and Maria; the Moore, Oklahoma tornado; and the 2018 California wildfires. Since its founding nearly 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $15 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.