Our Mission
Founded by Morgan Freeman and others after the devastating Hurricane Ivan hit Grenada in 2004, PLAN!T NOW provides scholarships to college students severely impacted by severe weather, funds for students to enter fields to find new ways to protect vulnerable coastal regions, creates public education campaigns and assists in rebuilding efforts.
PLAN!T NOW advocates empowerment of people through information and connection, and creates dialogue between people and organizations preparing for and dealing with natural and human-made disasters. Operating with the understanding that no matter where you live, a natural disaster can happen at any time, PLAN!T NOW advocates the power of preparedness.
Why You Should Care
Across the United States, residents face severe weather risks that range from hurricanes along multiple coastlines, large fires and earthquakes along the west coast, and tornadoes and flooding nearly nationwide, depending on the season. Severe weather is a concern to all communities, as residents work to react to the whims of nature and to recover after the disaster has passed.
PLAN!T NOW focuses on creating more aware and prepared communities, connecting those at risk of natural and man-made disasters with information that can help them better face the next storm, to better arm each other with the knowledge of what weather threats they can encounter and how to protect their families, their property and their communities.
Residents in areas like New Orleans, Galveston, Grenada and Haiti know all too well how quickly severe weather can alter their landscape. All it takes is one storm.
PLAN!T NOW was formed in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan, a Category 5 storm, struck the island nation of Grenada, reducing its rain forest to shrubs, removing roofs from 90 percent of homes, and killing dozens. Originally formed as the Grenada Relief Fund, we assisted in recovery projects in the country, furthering the understanding that appropriate preparedness measures can have a significant positive impact on how a community fares during a storm.
The lesson is this: Disaster happens when preparation doesn’t.
Today, Grenada Relief Fund has become PLAN!T NOW, which focuses on preparation for a broad range of natural and man-made disasters. Our work has included scholarship awards to students impacted by major storms like hurricanes Katrina and Rita; helping rebuild homes in the Gentilly neighborhood in New Orleans on the fifth anniversary of Katrina; and educating North Carolinians about storm preparedness kits.
Help us expand our reach, because for too many today, preparedness is an afterthought or even out of reach. We cannot stop storms from occurring, but with your donation, we can stop them from destroying the lives of many.
