CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When disaster strikes, federal, state, and local emergency response agencies immediately mobilize resources to aid survivors. Volunteer and non-profit organizations also pitch in to support affected communities in response to and recovery from a disaster.
Responsibility for coordinating volunteers and non-governmental agencies falls on the shoulders of the state. West Virginia is a member of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD). This national association of voluntary and non-profit groups is dedicated to providing critical help to survivors and their communities in all phases of a disaster. They play an important role in assisting families with unmet needs and, at times, helping to repair or rebuild homes. The FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Liaisons coordinate information and resources with the West Virginia VOAD to work as effectively as possible.
Volunteers also act as a bridge to a community’s long-term recovery. In order to help with the unmet needs of survivors who have exhausted all resources, voluntary groups work to direct other resources their way; they stand well-positioned to provide local services.
Long Term Recovery Organizations
Voluntary agencies first address the immediate needs of survivors, providing emergency sheltering, feeding, and other forms of aid. When these immediate needs have been met and life-threatening conditions have been removed, long term recovery activities begin. This is accomplished through Long Term Recovery Committees (LTRCs). Two of these groups now operate in West Virginia after the July floods. As locally-based organizations, their mission is to build community capacity by providing assistance to meet unmet needs. VALs are in continuous contact with LTRGs to ensure they are up to date about federal and state agencies’ resources and programs.
How You Can Help, and Get Help
Survivors need to know that there are still other services and programs available to help their recovery. Visit these links for more information about how you can help, and get help:
By telephone, dial 2-1-1, a single access point for resources like food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance and health resources. Visit www.wv211.org.
Also …
To give or get help:
https://wvvoad.org or call 304-235-2692 ext. 8, available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To volunteer:
www.serve.gov
www.citizencorps.gov
www.helpindisaster.org
www.networkforgood.org
###
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion3 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.