United We Prepare™
We can't predict when the next natural disaster will strike, but we can prepare.
United Way of Northwest Florida was just awarded a United We Prepare grant, a national partnership between United Way Worldwide and Verizon, and we're putting it to work right here in Bay County.
A national program, rooted locally
Through United We Prepare, United Way and Verizon are partnering to help communities across the country protect themselves and their families from natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires, and earthquakes, before they strike. Local United Ways like ours use the reach of our community relationships, and the 211 helpline network, to turn "we hope we're ready" into an actual plan.
- Prepare — Practical tools and clear plans, so families feel ready instead of caught off guard.
- Respond — Fast, coordinated help through 211 NWFL, emergency funds, and neighbor-to-neighbor networks.
- Recover — Staying long after a storm passes, to help repair homes and rebuild what was lost.
Learn more about United We Prepare nationally
Why this matters here
When Hurricane Michael hit, a lot of us learned the hard way how much a plan, a stocked kit, and a little bit of savings can matter when there's no time left to prepare. That's not just a local lesson. National research from United Way Worldwide and Verizon found that while 60% of Americans are concerned about a natural disaster affecting them in the next year, only 15% feel very prepared, and just 16% have made a household emergency plan. Among people who've actually lived through a disaster, 87% say it made them take preparedness far more seriously.
The barriers people name most are cost, time, and not knowing where to start. That's exactly why resilience sits alongside youth opportunity, health, and financial security as one of the four pillars of our work, because United Is The Way.
Five simple steps to start now
- Identify your support network and key emergency contacts. Save their numbers in your phone and make sure they have yours.
- Get connected. Make sure your phone can receive local emergency alerts and warnings.
- Assess your needs. Build an emergency kit for your home and a go bag for your car, with a charged power bank in each.
- Safeguard key documents. Photograph important documents and valuables, and save copies to the cloud or an external drive.
- Engage your support network. Share these steps with family and close friends, and decide who checks on who.
The full Disaster Resilience Guide
From Idea to Action
United Way of Northwest Florida has spent the last two years working with tech startup re+connect and Dr. Katherine Flanigan of Carnegie Mellon University to strengthen resilience in Bay County. In June of 2026, Jasmine and Azury, the co-creators of re+connect, came to Panama City to meet with community leaders and help us go deeper at the neighborhood level, building a truly community-led process for resilience.
Every idea below came directly out of a community planning session we held in Glenwood that same month, where we worked with residents and asked how we could help them be more resilient. Neighbors told us what they actually needed. Here are just a few of the plans we’re building together.
Brunch & Buckets - time TBD
Right after Sunday service at a church deep in Glenwood, we'll serve brunch while residents build hurricane preparedness kits for their own homes. Good food, good company, and a bucket everyone leaves with.
Savings Wallet - 11/14/26
A craft day with about 25 women in Glenwood, building a personal savings wallet: set your savings goal - $500 or $1000 - and have something set aside so the next time disaster strikes, weather related or otherwise, you're prepared. A savings plan made to actually stick with, because you made it yourself.
Hurricane Prep Kit Build - time TBD
We're working to bring members of the community together to assemble hurricane preparedness kits to give away across the Glenwood. Details are still coming together, check back for updates.
With thanks
None of this happens without the vision and investment of United Way Worldwide and Verizon, whose United We Prepare partnership made this grant possible in the first place.
And on the ground with us: Rebuild Bay County, the LEAD Coalition, Minority PC, and Macedonia Church are already walking this work out alongside us, with more local partners joining as this grows while our friends at re+connect and Carnegie Mellon University help us continue to build social connection in our neighborhoods from afar.
Come build with us
Want to join us for Brunch & Buckets, craft a Savings Wallet, or help with the kit build? We'd love to have you.
Email info@unitedwaynwfl.org