JOPLIN, Mo. (June 3, 2014) – After volunteering this week with over 35 Farmers Insurance employee volunteers, Farmers CEO Jeff Dailey today awarded Joplin Mayor Mike Seibert the first-ever Farmers Insurance Resilient Community Award, recognizing the drive, desire and resiliency demonstrated by the residents of Joplin throughout the ongoing recovery process. Dailey also today announced Farmers, inspired by its work in Joplin, will expand its community assistance efforts to reach the Sea Bright, N.J. and surrounding communities, which were devastated by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The first group of 20 Farmers volunteers will arrive in Sea Bright and begin work tomorrow, June 4.
Through its ongoing partnership with the St. Bernard Project and the community of Joplin, Farmers and 230 of its employee volunteers have worked roughly 10,000 hours to help rebuild over 30 homes and additional projects, as well as provide more than $500,000 to assist the community of Joplin reach its recovery goals.
Farmers and the St. Bernard Project captured the lessons learned in Joplin and compiled the Disaster Recovery Playbook, a compilation of the overall best practices utilized and improved following several recent disasters, offering insight into the best practices every community should know after a disaster.
Farmers, through its work in Joplin, understands communities can more readily recover from disaster if they are able to stand on the shoulders of those who have recovered before them, dramatically reducing recovery time.
“We’re not done,” said Dailey, “Working hands on in the community of Joplin, we’ve seen the fortitude of its residents and knew this community would be the perfect role model for other communities in need of help now and in the future. The award recognizes the admiration we have for this hard working community.”
Understanding the direct impact of the Farmers volunteers in Joplin, there is an impending desire among the Farmers employee base to help the communities of the Jersey shore, including Sea Bright, Highlands, Rumson and Monmouth Beach rebuild faster and efficiently. Sea Bright Rising, a local New Jersey nonprofit, will benefit from roughly 200 Farmers employees who will volunteer this year, as well as provide financial assistance to see these communities through a speedy recovery similar to Joplin. Sea Bright is the second community Farmers will adopt and the first since the launch of the playbook last month, as an open and free resource for all municipalities.
Farmers employee volunteers will participate in week-long volunteer rotations to contribute to the rebuilding efforts and impart disaster response expertise through the implantation of the Disaster Recovery Playbook. Additionally, Farmers is contributing financially to Sea Bright and surrounding communities to help offset some of the hard costs associated with rebuilding and recovery.
Learn more about Farmers Cares and to learn how you can help rebuild Sea Bright.
