Youths help Floridians to batten down
As part of an Alternate Spring Break Program introduced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, college students have been helping install storm shutters on homes in Miami-Dade County, Fla. The county’s Community Action Agency provides the hurricane shutters free of charge to low-income households and enlists volunteers to help put them up and take them down. Home Depot provides supplies, and local construction businesses supervise the students. Since the program started in 1999, 1,500 homes have had shutters installed. “The 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons were the worst in Florida history,” says Frank Reddish, an emergency management coordinator. “After the storms, we went out and looked to see how the shuttered houses fared and we found zero damage. Shuttering works, and this is a great program because we’re bringing shutters to those who can’t afford them on their own.”