NEWPORT – July 10 is the anniversary of floods across the region. In response to crisis, Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO) built new relationships and systems to be better prepared for the next disaster.
courtesy Northeast Kingdom Organizing
Between 2023 and 2024 NEKO stood up eight disaster resilience hubs, with Hardwick area hubs located at the Hardwick Emergency Supply and Support Center and in Stannard at Black Dirt Farm/Smith’s.
NEKO mucked and gutted 430 homes in 31 towns; mobilized 400 volunteers and logged 2,000 volunteer hours.
NEKO co-founded kuRRve, the Kingdom’s Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) to rebuild homes after disasters, keep NEKers from being displaced from their homes and neighborhoods and preserve the Kingdom’s already-scarce housing stock;
NEKO joined coalitions to create the People’s Demand for Just Recovery and the LTRG Legislative Priorities, joining with Community Resilience Organizations and grassroots flood responders throughout the state to create a Hub Toolkit so every community has a roadmap for resilience.
Heading into flood season, NEKO is going on tour to bolster community-led disaster planning so all have the tools, skills and organizations needed to respond to future disasters.
NEKOs goal is to visit 15 towns in the Kingdom and raise $50,000 to print the Hub Toolkit and resource the resilience hub network with new locations and tools like shovels, generators, and dehumidifiers.
NEKO is raising $50,000 to support resilience hubs across the Kingdom. Every dollar donated to NEKO is invested back into NEK communities. Learn more and donate at nekorganizing.org
To get involved or arrange a town visit email [email protected]
