To say that the effects of a hurricane are devastating is easily an understatement...and perhaps a bit insulting to someone who has been through one and really knows what the word ‘devastating’ means first-hand. It’s truly hard to imagine what families who have been victims of some of the more famous hurricanes of late – Ivan and Katrina – have experienced when they board up their homes, pack what they can and escape danger, only to return to homes that have been ravaged and turned upside down or to homes that no longer exist.

As was the case with so many who were left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, thousands of families scrambled -- in what had to be their darkest hour -- to find temporary homes. Shelters were overwhelmed and the newly homeless who owned beloved pets weren’t able to bring them into these shelters. Thankfully, Americans all over the country showed what they’re made of and opened their homes and hearts to many of the families who otherwise had no place to go. Forsyth County welcomed many New Orleans residents last fall with open arms, as families across our county gladly opened their doors to help, to house and to offer comfort.

Because of the tempestuous weather the country seems to experience each and every hurricane season, two women from the state of Florida – who have been evacuees themselves several times – felt that there needed to be a more organized format for finding refuge in the aftermath of a horrific storm. Kelly Sedgewick and Melanie DeStout had watched numerous newscasts over the years that profiled displaced families sitting in parking lots, rest stops and on the side of the road – with their children, pets and belongings in tow – with absolutely no place to go. The two thought there had to be a better way.

Why not establish a database of 'buddies' willing to accept evacuees into their homes and then match people, based on their lifestyles, children’s ages, pets, etc., so that hurricane victims could find some comfort in knowing they had a welcoming refuge, just in case?

Hurricane Buddy, LLC, was established just this year, based on this notion. “By matching people together, we can make an unbearable experience tolerable by human kindness,” said Hurricane Buddy co-founder, Melanie DeStout. “We continue to believe that people will do the right thing, whether it’s leave their own home to escape harm’s way or offer their home to another in need.”

By signing up with Hurricane Buddy (www.hurricanebuddy.com), you become a member and can select from three options: Host, Guest or Buddy. By becoming a Host, you are on the receiving end, meaning that you plan to welcome an individual or family into your home. If you sign up as a Guest, you are seeking a place of refuge should you need it, and a Buddy is someone who seeks a place of refuge and is also willing to open their home to fellow evacuees. DeStout and Sedgewick hope that these matched groups will develop relationships that go beyond “neighbor helping neighbor,” but that lifelong relationships will ensue.

The web-based company is a cost-effective hurricane preparedness plan that will enable families and/or individuals to search and match with others before an impending hurricane or other natural or man-made disaster occurs. Hurricane Buddy went live on June 15, 2006 and is available to people everywhere who need a place to go during an emergency event.

DeStout and Sedgewick will also be offering targeted advertising to Hurricane Buddy members by providing information on licensed contractors for these members to search by their own zip codes, either before or after a storm or disaster.

Probably the main purpose for establishing this unique hurricane preparedness resource is that it puts its members in a proactive mode, taking the anxiety out of finding refuge in the heat of a disaster, when victims are already emotionally drained.

“Our objective is to match up individuals and/or families who have similarities and could not only co-exist peacefully but who could actually take their relationship to a higher level,” explained DeStout. For example, a 'Host' family with three children, two dogs and a cat may select another family with children around the same ages who also own pets. Another 'Host' may wish to welcome just an individual into his/her home, based either on preference or space limitations.

Hurricane Buddy members can sign up and register at no charge. And the only cost associated with the site – just $79.95 the first year -- comes once a member is ready to search and/or select a family or individual.

With Forsyth County’s proximity to the coasts of Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas, Hurricane Buddy might be the perfect resource for a family or individual to become a member of, and one of the most selfless ways County residents can help neighbors in need.

For more information on Hurricane Buddy, LLC, please visit www.hurricanebuddy.com or e-mail to hb@hurricanebuddy.com.