For a long list of reasons — social, economic, environmental, and health-related — 2020 will go down in history as one of the worst on record. In addition to the pandemic, folks living in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Florida have also had to contend with a hurricane season of biblical proportions. The sheer number of violent storms could shatter previous records. Stillhouse recognizes the simplest and most effective way for people to protect their homes is with metal shutters. Now, the premium liquor brand is doing something to help those in Florida’s hurricane-prone panhandle.
Bacardi-owned Stillhouse recently partnered with disaster resilience and recovery non-profit SBP on the “Unbreakable” Shutters initiative. Together, they’re donating more than 400 metal panels to homeowners affected during the 2020 hurricane season. The bright red shutters are installed over standard residential windows and emblazoned with phrases like “Unbreakable Bay County” and “Welcome to Unbreakable Nation.” The program will protect more than $3 million dollars that SBP invested in rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael.
Given the staggering number of violent storms that have already hit the U.S. and Caribbean this year, that region needs all the help it can get. Some forecasts are estimating as many as 25 named storms in 2020. With a five-month-long hurricane season each year, that’s more than one major storm per week. The U.S. is estimating $34 billion in economic losses just from storm-related damage.
Inspiration for the Stillhouse x SBP collaboration came from a surprisingly low-tech place: Stillhouse’s own liquor bottles or, rather, its cans. The Florida company’s spirits are packaged in shatterproof, industrial-grade stainless steel cans. They represent strength, utility, and an unbreakable spirit (pun intended), just like the hurricane shutters they’ve inspired.
“We understand that the U.S. storm season had the potential to be particularly damaging this year and we have already seen the terrible destruction Hurricane Laura has caused,” said Jennifer Pisciotta, Global Vice President, Acceleration Brands. “We want to do our part to lend support to families at risk and prevent future damage by strengthening their homes with metal shutters – the same type of metal we use to make our Stillhouse cans.”
SBP was founded in Louisiana in 2006, one year after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the state. The group works in hurricane-ravaged areas to, in its own words, “shrink the time between disaster and recovery.” SBP accomplish this by preparing those in hurricane-prone areas and advocating for appropriate policy reform. With the cooperation of 130,000 volunteers, it has helped more than 2,300 families in 13 communities in the United States and the Bahamas.
