-- Grant to support purchase of 100 Shelter-In-Place kits --
Just as communities are finalizing storm preparations for active Atlantic hurricanes, the Salisbury Fire Department Fire Marshal’s office has received a $7,500 grant from Duke Energy Foundation “to create powerful communities” through its Storm Resiliency initiative. The grant will provide for 100, three-day shelter-in-place (remain indoors until given an all clear) emergency packs to a prioritized population during significant weather events such as hurricanes and snow storms.
Through a relationship with the local American Red Cross, health department and social services, Salisbury Fire worked to identify qualified populations who do not or cannot evacuate during weather events due to circumstances.
“The Salisbury Fire Department is proud to provide shelter-in-place kits to citizens who have special needs, and to increase community resiliency in times of weather emergencies,” said Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell. “The result is that those most in need will receive needed items and emergency information they otherwise would not. I appreciate Duke Energy Foundation’s grant program and the efforts of our own Fire Marshal Office to secure this grant that makes these essential survival kits available.”
The shelter-in-place kits contain items for self sustainability and safety while indoors over a three-day period, including calorie bars, drinking water, Mylar blanket, crank flashlight and radio, safety whistle, first aid kit, contact card, etc. The department will monitor proper distribution of packs with a ticket redemption system in order to measure accountability for the grant.
According toDuke Energy, Salisbury Fire is one of 65 organizations in North Carolina to collectively receive $1.1 million in grants from the Duke Energy Foundation. The storm resiliency grants, funded by the Duke Energy Foundation, support:
- Specialized training for first responders for severe weather scenarios
- Organized planning initiatives for communities to prepare for extreme weather
- Equipment necessary for severe weather rescues to preserve human life
- Community storm preparedness training, materials, kits or shelters
- Emergency communication tools for severe weather scenarios
- Improved outcomes for low-income communities experiencing extreme weather
“Duke Energy stands with our communities as they recover from the devastation of recent storms, and we want to help them become more resilient to the impacts of future storms,” said Stephen De May, North Carolina president, Duke Energy.
The Duke Energy Foundation’s Powerful Communities program makes strategic investments to build powerful communities where our natural resources thrive, students can excel and a talented workforce drives economic prosperity for all.The Foundation annually funds more than $30 million to communities throughout Duke Energy's seven-state service area.
The Salisbury Fire Department
The Salisbury Fire Department has a long and proud history of quality service to the citizens of our community. We are here to serve you. In addition to the traditional role of providing fire protection and emergency medical services, we offer much more. In line with our City Council’s goal to be community-oriented, you will find our staff is available to help with many requests you may have. We strive to not only meet, but exceed the community's expectations in every way. We offer numerous community outreach programs such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), CPR Training, Community Mentoring, Child Safety seat installation, blood pressure screening and much more. For more information about the Salisbury Fire Department, visit www.salisburync.gov/Fire. To receive updates regarding our community engagement initiatives, upcoming events and safety tips, please follow us on Twitter at @SalisburyFireNC or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SalisburyFireNC.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy’s customers live and work. The foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 125 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers’ experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit’s regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2019 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, and Forbes’ 2018 “America’s Best Employers” list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Centercontains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy’s illuminationfeatures stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.