STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES IN TIMES OF CRISIS

In 2017, an unprecedented hurricane season wreaked havoc on communities, leaving thousands of at-risk seniors without essential services.

Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of southern Texas In late August. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Irma caused extensive destruction across the Caribbean, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Florida. An equally catastrophic storm, Maria, followed shortly after, affecting many of the same Caribbean islands — with Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands hit especially hard.

For vulnerable older adults, a natural disaster compounds the struggles they already experience. In the wake of these storms, AARP Foundation quickly launched three separate relief campaigns that raised more than $5.636 million from donors like you — AARP members, staff and the public (including matching funds from AARP, AARP Foundation and the Miami Dolphins). Working closely with our field offices in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with relief organizations in the Caribbean, we identified and provided grants to community-based groups whose focus is on helping vulnerable older adults. Those grants, made possible by your support, are now providing on-the-ground relief to people in areas pummeled by the relentless storms.

LANDFALL: August 17, 2017 | DAMAGE: $125 Billion

Imagine being one of the many who lost their home to Hurricane Harvey. Now imagine getting it back — not just restored, but better than it was before the storm. For Houstonians whose houses were made unlivable by Hurricane Harvey, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall in August 2017 and quickly became one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. An estimated 300,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in Texas alone.

But today, supported by a grant from AARP Foundation’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund — a fund comprising of $3.3 million ($1.8 million in gifts from generous donors, and a $1.5 million match from AARP and AARP Foundation) — a Houston organization is providing eligible homeowners with critical repairs. In addition to roofing, electrical and plumbing repairs, the homeowners are getting something extra: upgrades that will make it easier for them to stay in their homes as they age. Despite the stressful circumstances, homes are being restored with dignity thanks to you.

IRMA Landfall: August 30, 2017 | Damage: $64 Billion

MARIA Landfall: September 18, 2017 | Damage: $91 Billion

From Antigua to Florida, Hurricane Irma’s impact was as devastating as it was vast. Slamming into the U.S. Virgin Islands as a Category 5 storm, with wind gusts as high as 225 miles per hour, Irma’s effect was most profound on St. Thomas, which suffered extensive structural damage. The storm eventually continued north and made landfall in Florida, causing widespread power outages and wreaking havoc on more than 65,000 structures in the West Central and Southwest areas of the state. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria followed a similar path across the Caribbean, inflicting further damage on many of the same islands. The destruction in Puerto Rico was catastrophic as Maria demolished the island’s power grid and left millions without electricity. Already vulnerable seniors were driven out of their homes, facing immediate danger as well as an uncertain future.

AARP Foundation created a relief fund to collect donations for the victims of these disasters. Thanks to a match from AARP and gifts from generous donors like you, the Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria emergency relief funds have distributed grants totaling more than $2,325,000 for recovery efforts across Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other islands in the Caribbean.

• You helped to raise more than $1.75 million for the Hurricane Irma emergency relief fund, which includes $850,000 in matching contributions from AARP, AARP Foundation and the Miami Dolphins organization, and support from AARP members and the public.

• You helped to raise more than $560,000 for the Hurricane Maria emergency relief fund, which includes $250,000 in matching contributions from AARP Foundation and support from AARP members and the public.

On a May visit to Puerto Rico and the USVI, AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins and AARP Foundation President Lisa Marsh Ryerson got a first-hand look at the devastation — and witnessed the resilience of those affected by the storms. They met with residents of a local assisted living community, helped with cleanup at a converted homeless shelter, and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to AARP volunteers on the ground.