Why Hurricane Help FL Was Created

Our Founder, Kristen, has a deep-rooted commitment to disaster recovery. After Hurricane Katrina, she spent two years working with a grassroots nonprofit, Building Better Communities, helping to rebuild New Orleans East. Prior to that, she made six trips to Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1997, assisting in the reconstruction of schools, orphanages, and churches. Determined not to turn her back on the devastation in New Orleans, Kristen relocated across the country to make the Big Easy her new home.

The first six months were challenging, living in a trailer without electricity, but when she met families living in the gutted remains of their homes, she felt grateful just to have shelter and meals provided by volunteers. These incredible volunteers came from around the world to help gut homes, rebuild, and distribute clothing, toiletries, and non-perishable items to those who had lost everything.

Kristen also took on the task of managing nonprofit employees, ensuring that donor funds were used appropriately by creating checks and balances. She worked to secure local land-use permits and approvals for a new community center. After hearing from many homeowners about dishonest contractors and remediation companies taking money without completing the work, she launched a local program called Community Connection to help address these issues.

Community Connection held weekly meetings, where Kristen coordinated efforts with insurance companies to assist residents with claims, and worked closely with FEMA representatives to guide them through the application process. She also connected local residents with trusted contractors, roofers, and remediation companies. Additionally, Kristen established rebuilding protocols for homeowners, coordinated police enforcement in New Orleans East, and provided support with the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) program, which was dedicated to helping Katrina survivors rebuild their lives.