By Terry Bibo
Help could be as simple as gas money to tote the kids from temporary housing to school.
Or help could be as complex as mental health counseling to heal from the trauma of facing an EF-4 tornado.
Most of the wreckage from the mammoth storms that demolished more than 1,100 homes in Tazewell County last Nov. 17 has been cleared. New construction is well underway. Now is when it becomes apparent that full healing takes longer. Getting to “the new normal” involves unexpected twists and expenses that someone who has not experienced a major disaster cannot imagine.
Filling those needs as efficiently as possible is the goal of a not-for-profit organization called Tri-County Long Term Recovery (LTR). By design, LTR smoothes the healing process once the initial response is over. But it is a temporary organization, also designed to go dormant when that next phase of recovery is complete.
As LTR chairman Jim Fassino (Left) notes, lots of organizations stand ready to help with food, clothing, and a place to sleep in the days immediately following a disaster. Over the following weeks, a family might seek longer-term shelter and perhaps furnishings for an apartment. As their home is rebuilt or repaired, they may discover many items are not covered by insurance. Additional help might be needed to deal with the emotional impact of the event.
“Tri-County Long Term Recovery is here to help families put their lives back together, and we know that can take some time,” Fassino said.
LTR actually started before the tornadoes. The need for long-term area-wide disaster coordination became apparent after the spring 2013 floods. FEMA and the American Red Cross and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster offered information. The lessons — coordination is vital and duplication can be avoided — had been learned when Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern seaboard and a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri.
So LTR was poised to get going when the Tazewell County tornadoes struck. Its efforts were recognized and underwritten by a $500,000 grant from The Robert R. McCormick Foundation. That funding enabled LTR to open its Washington Plaza headquarters (formerly Sunnyland Plaza) between the affected communities in Washington, East Peoria, and Pekin.
“It gives a place to meet with case managers,” said Sondra Hayes, direct services program manager with the American Red Cross.
One case manager helps a family through the entire process, from identifying and prioritizing their needs to communicating with FEMA and insurance companies to connecting with community resources. The case managers themselves come from the Red Cross, Eureka College, The Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul Society. They work as a team, using a central data base to avoid duplication.
“We try to make it as easy as possible for everyone involved,” said Liz Pollack, LTR’s full-time disaster case manager under a grant from Lutheran Social Services. “I am proud to work with such an incredible group of case managers who are dedicated to helping others every day.”
When an individual or family has needs beyond the regular resources available, LTR steps up. Case managers present those needs at a monthly meeting of organizations with money, manpower, and materials called the Funder’s Forum.
“This forum connects those with needs and those organizations with resources,” said Fassino. “It is a uniquely efficient process and helps organizations of all sizes participate in the recovery effort.”
Bethany Community Church in Washington, an LTR member, has estimated more than 86,000 volunteer hours have been contributed by Washington’s four churches alone. LTR has provided funds for items from dumpsters to mileage. More than $130,000 has been distributed to date.
While the time and money expended to date are huge, LTR exists because the need is even larger. For example, one area surfacing for discussion is soil remediation. Homeowners are returning to find their property studded with broken glass and metal. There is no easy or inexpensive fix. Remediating a single lot may take thousands of dollars.
To get help, or give help, contact Tri-County Long Term Recovery at 696-6923. Tax-deductible contributions may be made to Central Illinois Disaster Recovery Fund, c/o Community Foundation of Central Illinois, 331 Fulton, Suite 310, Peoria, Ill. 61602.
Photo courtesy of Tri-County Long Term Recoveryc