To aid Florence recovery, New Hanover Disaster Coalition gets new director

Audrey Hart heads an alliance of government agencies and civic groups dealing with recovery and disaster preparedness

Audrey Hart has been named director of the New Hanover Disaster Coalition.

Formed in October 2018, the group is an alliance of government agencies, businesses, non-profit groups and churches working toward long-term hurricane recovery and disaster preparedness.

“We act as a liaison among groups,” Hart said. “We bring them all to the table and make sure everyone is working together.”

The coalition is a “working partner” with the Just Florence Recovery Coalition. “We’re coordinating to make sure that we’re not duplicating efforts,” Hart said.

The coalition’s case management subcommittee has been working to coordinate funding for unmet needs in the community, Hart said, such as finding transitional housing for those whose homes are apartments are still being repaired after Hurricane Florence. Other subcommittees tackle such issues as construction and donation management.

A native of Montreal, Hart is a 2012 graduate of the University of North Carolina Greensboro with a degree in social work.

The New Hanover Disaster Coalition meets at 2 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the First Baptist Church Activities Center, 1939 Independence Blvd. Meetings are open to the public and those interested in hurricane recovery are urged to attend. For more information, call Hart at 910-338-9121 or email her at audrey@newhanoverdisastercoalition.org.