AIA Disaster Assistance Program Updates

Recent disasters: Hurricane Helene and Milton response and recovery

Hurricane Helene recently swept through the southeastern United States, rapidly intensifying to a Category 4 storm before making landfall on the Florida panhandle. Its powerful winds and heavy rains caused widespread damage in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, reaching inland communities far from the coast. In its wake, Helene left many communities without power, homes destroyed, and, tragically, lives lost. Less than two weeks later, and as Florida was still responding to Helene's impact, Hurricane Milton made landfall as a category 3 hurricane. The flooding and resulting tornadoes hampered ongoing response efforts and led to even more destruction.

AIA is actively working with state and local chapters to support impacted communities. Check back for updates on how you can help. 

How you can get involved with Hurricane Helene relief:

• Donate to East Tennessee: Support communities through the East Tennessee Foundation.
• Donate to North Carolina: Contribute to the North Carolina Architectural Foundation to support firms and members in western NC.
• Donate to the Red Cross: Provide disaster relief across the affected communities. 
• Donate to Communities by Design: Help provide design assistance to communities in need.
• Donate to Florida: Any amount is appreciated and will be put to use locally in areas hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton
• Safety Assessment Program (SAP)-trained? Deploy to assist in building assessments in affected states (note: you must be licensed in the state you are volunteering in)
• Contact your chapter: If you live in an affected state, reach out to your local chapter or state disaster coordinator for opportunities to support efforts.

Be proactive: Prepare before disasters happen

Don’t wait until disaster strikes to get involved! Here’s how you can support your community:

• AIA’s Disaster Assistance Handbook: Learn how architects can engage in all phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Get SAP training: Become certified to assess building safety after disasters. Sign up for our next training.
• Resilient design resources: Integrate resilience into your projects to protect communities from future disasters.
• Advocate for better codes: Work with your chapter to promote stronger building codes and land-use policies that reduce disaster risk.
• Get involved in preparedness: Contact your local chapter or state disaster coordinator to contribute to disaster preparedness efforts.

Contact AIA with any questions.