Before the Next Storm: How SBP Strengthened Mobile, Alabama’s Readiness and Resilience

For Mobile, Alabama, the absence of a major storm in recent years felt like a relief—and an opportunity.

Hurricanes Sally and Zeta struck in 2020, leaving behind damage, disruption, and lessons the city couldn’t afford to forget. Both hurricanes tested Mobile’s response capabilities, but also showed areas where coordination and capacity could be improved. Despite a robust response from first-responders and public services, emergency procedures varied across departments. As long-term recovery efforts continued, it underscored the need for a stronger framework to guide a citywide response to disasters of all kinds. 

“We had strong people doing good work,” said Lance Slater, Director of Resilience and Sustainability for the City of Mobile. “But without additional capacity, it was challenging to align everything  in a way that would hold up under sustained pressure.”

City leadership recognized that building on existing strengths and adding support where needed would help improve outcomes in future storms.

Investing in Resilience: A Necessity in Mobile

SBP began working with the City of Mobile because it sat at a critical intersection: elevated disaster risk and clear social vulnerability. But there was also a willingness to strengthen preparedness before the next emergency hit.

SBP believes that all successful disaster resilience programs begin and end at the local level. That’s why we provide training and capacity-building to support local nonprofit and government partners in leading long-term recovery efforts, effectively navigating disaster response decisions, and advancing solutions for mitigation and resilience.

Mobile County ranks “Relatively High” on FEMA’s National Risk Index. Flooding threatens hospitals, fire stations, wastewater facilities, schools, houses of worship, and historic buildings. Every property in the county is exposed to hurricane or severe storm winds. Nearly all homes face a high extreme heat risk, with projections showing the number of days above 100 degrees could double over the next three decades.

“This is a place where planning ahead could actually change the outcome,” Slater said.

Data reinforced what city leaders and SBP already understood: risk in Mobile is not evenly distributed.

Using the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, SBP identified multiple census tracts in Mobile that qualify as disadvantaged communities—areas overburdened by environmental hazards and socioeconomic vulnerability. The city’s population has a poverty rate of nearly 19 percent and a median household income well below national averages.

“Everything that we’re doing for the city is for the citizens,” Lance said. “At the forefront of every decision is protecting our citizens, helping them recover.”

He emphasized addressing social vulnerabilities alongside physical risks.

“You’re looking at census tracts, social vulnerabilities, and the needs for each zone,” he said. “The goal is to provide tools so residents can be safe and prepared, to not just survive but thrive.”

For SBP, that reality made resilience investments in Mobile not just practical, but necessary.

Resilience Fellow: Building Capacity from Within

One initiative that SBP offered was the Resilience Fellows program. The program offers capacity to community leaders and networks not only to secure the recovery assistance they need when disasters strike, but also to anticipate and withstand future extreme weather threats.

In summer 2024, SBP hired a local, Madeleine Dotson, as a Resilience Fellow, partnered with the City of Mobile. During her two-year term, Maddy helped shift the city from fragmented planning to a more unified approach to disaster response and recovery. She worked across departments and alongside emergency managers, nonprofits, and community partners to align efforts and clarify roles.

Her work secured more than $8 million in federal funding and produced Mobile’s first comprehensive Emergency Action Plan. The plan brought together departments from Public Works and Finance to 311 and Communications, equipping more than 2,200 local officials to coordinate services for over 200,000 residents under a single framework.

In May 2025, she led a full-scale tabletop exercise at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf, where departments, first responders, and community organizations simulated a major storm to test evacuation and recovery procedures.

She also partnered with SBP’s advisory services team to deliver technical assistance, policy guidance, and household preparedness support—strengthening systems beyond any single storm and building lasting local capacity for disaster response and risk reduction.

“Maddy came in from a unique position — she wasn’t city staff, and initially nobody truly understood what an SBP Fellow was,” Slater said. “Her approach was analytical; she asked the right questions, often already knowing the answers. She guided the conversation while flattening the learning curve for me in areas where I had less experience.”

Hannah Trautwein, Director of SBP’s Fellows Program, says, “I was thrilled to meet Lance and hear his vision for his new role in 2024, but I couldn’t have known at that first meeting that this would become an incredible partnership between the City and SBP. Now, two years later, I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunities Lance supported as we grew our Fellows program and for the friendships we have made along the way. Our partnership has taught me in a very real way that we are better, stronger, and more resilient when we work together.” 

After her fellowship, the City of Mobile hired Dotson as its first Resilience Manager, where she continues to lead long-term, emergency, and resilience planning initiatives, building on the foundation she established during her term as SBP Resilience Fellow.

A learning lab for what’s possible

SBP’s work in Mobile didn’t start from scratch. SBP already had trusted relationships in the region through nonprofit grant-sharing activities and preparedness partners like Rebuilding Together Alabama and Smart Home America. That foundation allowed SBP to move quickly from engagement to implementation.

“Having that foundation made a real difference,” Slater said. “It meant we could focus on the work instead of building buy-in from scratch.”

Mobile’s resilience work with SBP shows how targeted capacity-building can reduce recovery time, lower costs, and improve outcomes for historically underserved residents. 

“Being resilient as a community, to me, it’s not just about the disasters,” Slater said. “It’s about addressing the social vulnerabilities, the workforce, our environment, and consumption. It’s addressing the things people don’t see.”

For Slater, that perspective is personal.

“I grew up here on Mobile Bay… doing Mardi Gras… playing in the Delta,” he said. “I want my grandkids and great-grandkids to have the same opportunity. But not just mine. I want it for other families as well.”

Click hereto learn more about SBP’s Advisory Services and Resilience Fellows program.

SBP’s Resilience Fellows Program in Mobile, Alabama, is made possible thanks to the Walmart Foundation.