When disaster strikes, the chaos that follows can leave communities and individuals feeling overwhelmed and struggling to connect with vital resources. Please welcome Heather Hackett, founder of Local Relief, a nonprofit mobile app designed to connect communities with essential help, services, and information once disaster strikes, serving as a central hub for disaster preparedness, survival, and recovery. Heather is from my home in Sarasota, Florida, which is no stranger to floods and hurricanes, and 2024 proved to be one emergency followed by another, leaving communities and individuals looking for information on how to recover and where to find relief. The Local Relief app connects residents with local authorities and organizations to access life saving resources during crises such as hurricanes, wildfires, and floods. Residents can find food services, shelter locations, and recovery assistance, all while communicating directly with neighbors and professional services offering help. That's the heart of Local Relief-turning chaos into connection and resilience.

We will talk with Heather about her vision for Local Relief not just in Florida, but in other communities as well, including here in SoCal, clearly no stranger to natural disasters from fires to floods and earthquakes. Local Relief is a boots-on-the-ground nonprofit, and local volunteers are strongly encouraged to get involved, because who knows their community better than its residents?

Heather was named Humanitarian of the Year 2024 by the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. Let’s just say this isn’t her first rodeo in the space of giving back to her community, and we will discuss that as well. We’re stronger when we work together, whether in Los Angeles, Sarasota, or anywhere else we call home. Please join me in welcoming Heather to #DeborahKobyltLIVE &

#TheSarasotaPodcast on all video and audio podcast platforms, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.

Also, if you have a story idea, particularly in #Sarasota where we’re looking to grow our podcast, please let us know💚