Freedom to Rise

Beyond the Storm: United Way Suncoast’s 2026 Community Resiliency Plans

United Way Suncoast

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0:00 | 26:03

Bronwyn welcomes back United Way Suncoast Disaster Resiliency Officer Heather Koester to the Freedom to Rise podcast as the 2026 Hurricane season is upon us. They discuss 2025 recovery work after hurricanes Helene and Milton and United Way’s leadership in strengthening COAD and long-term recovery coordination. They also discuss the Verizon-sponsored Beyond the Storm business continuity/COOP workshops and a major scale-up in preparedness support, including distributing 6,000 disaster resiliency kits through food pantries.