NEW ORLEANS, April 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the 2017 National Hurricane Conference will recognize FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson with the Outstanding Achievement in Public Awareness Award. Last year, Chapman-Henderson and FLASH brought FEMA, NOAA, and The Weather Channel together to create the National Hurricane Resilience Initiative - #HurricaneStrong. The campaign garnered national attention and helped advance hurricane preparedness.

#HurricaneStrong increases public safety and reduces economic losses by motivating individuals and families to undertake preparedness and mitigation activities before storms strike. The award recognized the new approach to tackle waning hurricane awareness in an era with decreased hurricane activity.

The campaign offered information through business summits, digital channels, home improvement store workshops, kids programming, media outreach, school lesson plans, and special events, and tied into FEMA and NOAA initiatives, e.g. National Hurricane Preparedness Week and the accompanying White House declaration.

Leslie Chapman-Henderson led the effort that created #HurricaneStrong, and FLASH partners provided creative talents, resources, and enthusiasm to try something new—the social media campaign featuring a novel #HurricaneStrong 'Pose'.

"We are honored by this recognition and thankful to the National Hurricane Conference.   Through the team effort, the inaugural 2016 campaign brought together the most recognized public and private brands in the disaster safety and mitigation movement to advance the cause of hurricane resilience," said Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "We look forward to working with our committed partners to continue the campaign in 2017."

The program is highlighted in this brief video debuted during the general session of the Conference.

For more information contact zoe@flash.org.

About FLASH

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 120 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation including: BASF Corporation, FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, The Home Depot®, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, Kohler® Generators, National Weather Service, Portland Cement Association, Simpson Strong-Tie®, State Farm®, and USAA®. In 2008, FLASH® and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on Twitter, Facebook.com/federalalliance, and the FLASH blog – Protect Your Home in a FLASH.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

Related Links

http://www.flash.org