United Way Activates Rapid Response Disaster Fund

SAVANNAH, GA (August 8, 2024) – United Way of the Coastal Empire has activated the Rapid Response Disaster Fund for Chatham County. These funds will provide critical response and recovery support to impacted residents in Chatham County.

In 2023, United Way of the Coastal Empire launched a formal partnership with the Emergency Management Agencies in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties to support disaster recovery in an emergency. Each County Emergency Management Agency determines when the Rapid Response Disaster Fund is necessary and should be activated. United Way’s role in this partnership is to spearhead fundraising efforts for disaster response and recovery.

At this time, the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency has assessed the County’s needs and has activated the Rapid Response Disaster Fund for Chatham County. United Way will remain in close contact with all of our county partners. Funds will be allocated across the community for short-term relief and/or long-term recovery efforts as deemed necessary by the County Emergency Management Agency, based on damage and needs assessments.

“At United Way of the Coastal Empire, we mobilize the caring power of our community to improve lives. Through this partnership, our role is to harness that caring power by raising funds to address the immediate needs of our neighbors impacted by the storm and related flooding and support the long-term recovery of our community,” says Kimberly Waller, United Way of the Coastal Empire President and CEO.

Give to Rapid Response Disaster Fund

Donations to the Rapid Response Disaster Fund can be made by visiting the United Way of the Coastal Empire website at uwce.org.

Resources

If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.

If a downed power line is encountered, it should not be approached. Residents should call 911 to report and alert Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.

United Way, CEMA, and the Coastal Empire Disaster Recovery Committee (CEDRC) are using Crisis Cleanup to collect information from Chatham County residents who have physical damage to their homes following Tropical Storm Debby and the related flooding event. If a homeowner has damage to their home or property, they can call 1-844-965-1386 to register for voluntary agency assistance. Registering with Crisis Cleanup does not guarantee assistance but does allow for organizations within the area to receive notification of the needs within the community.

Residents impacted by the storm may contact United Way’s 211 Information & Referral System for critical resources and information by calling 2-1-1, emailing [email protected], or visiting United Way’s website at uwce.org/211.