For Immediate Release September 2, 2004
Contact:
Steve Uhlfelder
Hurricane Charley Fund CEO
(850) 201-0888
Fonda Anderson, Communications
(727) 821-2056
Tallahassee - Volunteer Florida Foundation (VFF) announced today that
fund distribution from the Hurricane Charley Relief Fund will rely upon the
plans of communities impacted by the disaster. VFF is the nonprofit designated
by Gov. Jeb Bush to manage the fund.
"In disaster recovery, it seems there is never enough money to cover all
the damage caused by a hurricane of this magnitude," said Steve Uhlfelder,
a Tallahassee-based attorney appointed by Gov. Bush to serve as the voluntary
CEO of the fund. "The Hurricane Charley Relief Fund is our state's first
effort in helping make sure those affected can rebuild not only the structure
of their lives, but the quality as well. We are asking communities to tell us
how these funds should be used and to ensure dollars stretch to where they're
most needed."
To date, pledges and donations are over $4 million for the Hurricane Charley
Relief Fund, including large corporate donations, such as $1 million from the
Family of Wayne Huizenga and the Miami Dolphins, to $9 from an anonymous donor.
All pledges and donations to date for the Hurricane Charley Relief Fund will
be used for 10 counties most impacted by that storm. Allocation of the Hurricane
Charley Fund is modeled in part upon the successful relief fund used by North
Carolina in two previous hurricane disasters. Specifically:
- The 10 counties most severely impacted by Hurricane Charley just three weeks
ago, will receive funding. Those are: Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands,
Lee, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia.
- Each of those counties will create a needs committee, which must include
representatives from all disaster relief organizations working in that county.
- Each committee will create an unmet needs plan, outlining needs for which
there is not enough, or not any, funding and ensuring no duplication of funding.
- The Hurricane Charley Fund will use FEMA data to weight county allocations
by percentage - the most heavily impacted counties will get the largest percentage
of the fund.
- Individuals receiving assistance, if included in the counties' plans, will
not be required to have a social security number.
All donations are tax-deductible. For more information on the fund, go to www.HurricaneCharleyFund.com,
or call 1-800-FL-HELP-1.
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