September 28, 2022 will be a day Southwest Florida will never forget. Hurricane Ian made landfall as one of the most catastrophic natural disasters the state of Florida has ever seen. The amount of damage to homes, properties, infrastructure and more are estimated to be over $3 billion. The flooding and wind damage may take years to rebuild from. Many are still without basic necessities and the comforts of home they were so used to. We’ve seen so many struggling with the new normal. The AltaHOPE Hurricane Ian Employee Relief Fund was created to help those impacted the most and to help lift them up.

When Hurricane Ian set its sights on Southwest Florida, the decision was made to close the office starting at 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 27. The office remained closed for business until Monday, October 3. While our office was closed, we shifted work and call volumes to our other locations. Every employee that returned to our office on the following Monday was paid in full for the days the office was closed. Our doors reopened on Saturday, October 1 to allow our co-workers and their families a place to take advantage of our generators and running water. This gave people a place charge their phones, connect to WI-FI, relief from the heat, grab some food and even take a shower. We also provided catered, hot meals every day for three weeks following the devastation. For many weeks following the storm, our building became a respite from the outside world.

Our Florida office has close to 800 employees and each & every one of them was impacted by Ian. Through AltaHOPE, hundreds of people from across all five of our global locations donated a total of $13,000 to help those impacted by Ian. The money donated was matched and surpassed by Alta Resources, creating our AltaHOPE Hurricane Ian Employee Relief Fund. To make sure the $37,000 was allocated to those with the most need, everyone working at our Fort Myers office was asked to complete a form of 13 questions. Based on what was collected, responses were ranked ‘Green, Yellow, Red’. Green was defined as area surrounding home was flooded but home had minimal to no damage. Yellow was defined as home was flooded, damage to property but still able to salvage the home and some appliances & furniture. Red was defined as home was completely destroyed and unable to salvage the majority of belongings or home. The money was distributed to 96 people identified as the most in-need. Dollars were gifted before the end of December.

Our primary concern is and always will be peoples well-being. The people that work at Alta Resources are our most important asset. They embody the very spirit of our company and they are the reason so many brands have us take care of their customers. Hurricane Ian and its aftermath caused monumental damage to Florida. The AltaHOPE Hurricane Ian Employee Relief Fund was created to help those impacted the most and to help lift them up. Through it all, the people working at Alta Resources have persevered. We are grateful for each and every one of you from across the globe. We are grateful for their dedication and spirit. Each of you embody the many strengths of Alta Resources.