Newview location hit by severe storm
On April 29, 2017, NewView Oklahoma’s corporate offices suffered devastating damage when severe storms ripped through Oklahoma City. A major roof failure due to 90 mph straight line winds resulted in flooding our offices from the 4th floor down. This tragedy caused extensive damage to our building, where 60 blind and visually impaired Oklahomans are employed in our manufacturing area and contact center. The building also serves as a corporate headquarters where a dedicated staff of professionals work diligently to provide blind Oklahomans with the opportunities, tools and resources they need to live independently and work productively. The financial impact of making repairs to our building will be significant and we are asking for your help.
Fortunately, our manufacturing facility was not damaged, but we lost productivity for more than a week as we ensured the facility was made safe for ingress/egress for our blind and visually impaired employees. We did not produce or ship any products during that time, but continued to pay every employee on staff. Since the severe storm damage was inflicted, many of our staff have been working at alternate locations while insurance evaluations are being completed and temporary repairs are performed. Many thanks to United Way of Central Oklahoma and the Arthritis Foundation for allowing our employees to use offices within their facilities.
While our employees are back on the job, we know that because of the extreme water and structural damage our property suffered, it will take months and hundreds of thousands of dollars to return NewView to where we were before April 29. As of June 30, NewView has incurred more than $75,000 in upfront costs related to storm damage just to make the building safe and restore basic functionality to the building. Based on current estimates from our insurance company and contractors, NewView will incur another $475,000 in other upfront costs related to storm remediation, roof, electrical and plumbing repairs, damaged equipment and rental of temporary office space for dislocated staff. While most of the repair costs should be covered by insurance, NewView’s deductible and other out-of-pocket expenses are estimated to be greater than $150,000.00 – funds that would otherwise be used to deliver our life changing services to thousands of visually impaired Oklahomans.
Please consider making a gift to NewView Oklahoma to offset the costs for the needed repairs to our building. Your generosity will ensure that NewView will be able to continue to fulfill our mission – to empower people with vision loss to achieve their full potential for living independently where they live, work, learn and play. You can make a donation online to help with this effort.
With your help, we will persevere and come out of this trial stronger than ever. Thank you for your consideration and your interest in improving the lives of blind Oklahomans.
