As part of long-term rebuilding efforts in the hurricane-ravaged Eastern Seaboard and Louisiana, World Vision is assisting families and communities hit by past year’s hurricanes Sandy and Isaac and is supported by more than $130,000 in building materials donated by Weyerhaeuser.
“While tornado survivors in Oklahoma are in the relief phase and are currently receiving basic relief supplies, we cannot forget the families devastated by the hurricanes of 2012,” said Rick Miltimore, domestic relief director for World Vision. “Those communities are in desperate need of ongoing rebuilding efforts, where we provide on-the-ground partners with building materials such as insulation, roofing and faucets to help families rebuild their homes, their lives.”
Forecasters recently predicted an extremely active hurricane season this year, and organizations like World Vision are planning for a quick response, with pre-positioned supplies of tarps, water, clean-up kits, hygiene and food kits in key sites across the U.S. In addition, donations of desperately needed building materials from partner corporations are critical as disaster areas move from first-response into longer-term rebuilding phases.
Weyerhaeuser donated three truckloads of lumber and eight truckloads of oriented strand board (OSB) for flooring and roofing this spring. In New York, New Jersey and Louisiana, World Vision is working with local community partners as crews load smaller trucks with house packs, each with enough OSB, lumber, siding, roofing and insulation to rebuild a 1,900-sq.-ft. home.
“At Weyerhaeuser, we are proud to contribute building materials that we manufacture and distribute to those in need,” said Larry Burrows, senior vice president, wood products. “This is one of many shining examples of our employees seeing a need and connecting with the communities where we live and work. We are delighted to deepen our relationship with World Vision, an organization with the credibility, footprint and logistics capabilities to get our wood products to local community partners supporting the rebuilding.”
