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If it seems as though the weather has gotten more severe in the past few years, that is because it has. In fact, a report in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that there were three times as many natural disasters between 2000 and 2009 than there were between 1980 and 1989; 80% of those disasters were climate-related. The National Climatic Data Center reported that in 2013 alone “there were 7 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States.”
This means that your team members are at higher risk than ever before of being victims of a weather-related natural disaster, and could find themselves in severe financial difficulty. Many insurance policies do not provide coverage for certain natural disasters, and worse still, many people do not have insurance coverage for events like severe flooding. In the face of immeasurable loss and the prospect of not having enough insurance to cover expenses, the entire future of one’s life can become uncertain.
A Relief Fund could make all the difference in the life of an team member in the aftermath of a severe natural disaster. While these funds do not cover expenses that are covered by insurance or eligible for coverage under state or federal disaster relief programs, there are many expenses not covered by these programs that would be eligible for coverage from a relief fund. Through our streamlined review process, a fund could be up and running within 48 hours, with applications for funds being reviewed and money being distributed to those who qualify. In times of tragedy, every little bit helps, and Relief Funds can help team members start to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible.
Sources: Steady Increase in Climate-Related Natural Disasters, AccuWeather, November 15, 2013, http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/climatechange/steady-increase-in-climate-rel/19974069.
Billion dollar weather/climate disasters, National Climatic Data Center, http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/
