HUMPHREYS COUNTY LONG TERM RECOVERY ORGANIZATION
The Humphreys County Long Term Recovery Organization (HCLTRO) was formed after the flooding in May of 2010, and received our 501c3 status in 2011. Our funding sources at that time consisted of donations from local churches, entities, and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. We were also able to obtain grant money to assist with our endeavors. These grants are not available at this time because they are tied to a FEMA declaration (which we have not received as of yet). During the recovery efforts following that event, we were able to assist 93 families to return to their "whole" status. We have been totally inactive since 2015. As many small, non-profit organizations, we lost our 501c3 status shortly thereafter.
Our organization started the reinstatement process after the flood on February 23. A phone number was established, and we have taken initial information from flood victims and shared that with Odell Poyner. Our ability to seek donations and offer assistance has been greatly hampered by the delay in our reinstatement and we are determined to not allow that to happen again. Although we focus on home owners for the rebuild process, we do attempt to assist renters with replacement furniture and appliances after their living quarters are returned to a safe environment by the landlords. Our group hopes to provide a coordinated assistance effort in accessing damages and working with available
partners to first demuck (take the living quarters from a wet to dry situation) and eventually rebuild. Some of our current partners are United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Church of Christ Disaster Relief Organization (providing furniture), various local churches and other entities. We are currently assessing the priority status so that the UMCOR teams can begin working on several houses of the highest priority when they arrive. Their main focus will be removing any damaged items or areas, disposing of ones that cannot be treated, treating those areas necessary and making sure they are dry. This will lay the ground work for the rebuilding as necessary.
Our greatest challenges are:
1. Finding housing for families that need to be out of their homes for the demuck phase, as well as relocating those with permanently damaged structures.
2. Providing housing for the teams coming in to assist with this process.
3. Finding the means to dispose of damaged goods. Debris cannot be picked up by the City garbage trucks, nor can debris be taken to the County Landfill.
4. Identifying other community partners to help provide funds or like-kind services and materials.
5. Starting a campaign to raise funds for the above noted items.
We are a 501c3 organization with a Board of Directors consisting of Karin Landers (Chair); Daryl Mosley (Co-Chair), Becky Keele (Secretary/Treasurer), Jason Toler (Construction Manager) and Board Members Robert Craig and Ann Peek.
We have 5 teams of Case Managers who are assigned to interview and collect data regarding losses and present the cases to the Board. Our Construction Manager visits the appropriate sites and oversees the work that is deemed necessary. He will sign off on all work to be certain that it is completed in a safe and professional manner. Once the work is completed, the Case Managers will follow up with the victims to be certain that they are in as good or better conditions than before the flood. All parties involved with Humphreys County Long Term Recovery are working as volunteers. We have, what we believe to be, correct processes and procedures in place in order to be consistent with our goal as an organization.
To date, we have been contacted by approximately 130 families to report damage and seek some form of assistance. Many of these families have been able to recover (to some extent) but many others are in dire situations. One list generated from our in-take forms indicates over 35 families with damage to their HVAC systems. Some were left without heat in February and March and are now without air-conditioning. We have 8-10 homes in urgent need of demucking where the homeowners lack the funds to pay for the services and have no other housing options available to them. We have encountered three homes that were total losses. One of these families has been separated and are living with relatives, another has had to relocate to another county and the last has been forced to move in with her daughter in Memphis. We have been able to offer temporary assistance to two different families consisting of seniors and disabled homeowners by placing tarps on leaking roofs until supplies and repairs can be arranged. These are families on limited income with no means to fund the repairs on their own. Upon reinstatement in 2019, our account balance was $2,082.83 (consisting of the remaining funds raised after the 2010 flood event and $1,000 from the sale of tools no longer needed (we had no place to store these items). All monies donated during the 2010 flood event were used to assist local residents in recovery. It has not been our intent to maintain a running balance or have a yearly budget. We are a disaster driven organization. Donations have been requested by means of an ad in the local newspaper, through social media and our local radio station. Letters have been sent to local business and we are in the process of seeking assistance from area churches. We have applied for a grant through Chemours in the amount of $10,000 and are still awaiting a response. Funds have been received from Occidental Chemical Corporation in the amount of $3,500 and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in the amount of $5,242.50. These funds represent private monies donated through them for flood Disaster assistance in the Humphreys County area. We will continue to receive any funds earmarked for Humphreys County through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and are accepting donations at First Federal Bank. The majority of what we have been able to accomplish to this point is to assist 35 families with furniture, appliances and bedding through our partnership with Churches of Christ Disaster Relief. Though the number of families with loss are not as large as those in 2010, those who have experienced the flooding from February of this year are devastated and extremely discouraged. This process will not happen quickly. The goal of Humphreys County Long Term Recovery will be to assist the most vulnerable citizens of Humphreys County and to help them return their lives to a "whole" place and their homes to a safe and clean state. We are a small group of people with big hearts and a strong belief in our mission. Any assistance you might offer us will be greatly appreciated.
Below is a link where you can make a donation to assist Humphreys County Long Term Recovery help our neighbors who so desperately need it. Thank you in advance for your contribution and assistance with this endeavor.
Our organization started the reinstatement process after the flood on February 23. A phone number was established, and we have taken initial information from flood victims and shared that with Odell Poyner. Our ability to seek donations and offer assistance has been greatly hampered by the delay in our reinstatement and we are determined to not allow that to happen again. Although we focus on home owners for the rebuild process, we do attempt to assist renters with replacement furniture and appliances after their living quarters are returned to a safe environment by the landlords. Our group hopes to provide a coordinated assistance effort in accessing damages and working with available
partners to first demuck (take the living quarters from a wet to dry situation) and eventually rebuild. Some of our current partners are United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Church of Christ Disaster Relief Organization (providing furniture), various local churches and other entities. We are currently assessing the priority status so that the UMCOR teams can begin working on several houses of the highest priority when they arrive. Their main focus will be removing any damaged items or areas, disposing of ones that cannot be treated, treating those areas necessary and making sure they are dry. This will lay the ground work for the rebuilding as necessary.
Our greatest challenges are:
1. Finding housing for families that need to be out of their homes for the demuck phase, as well as relocating those with permanently damaged structures.
2. Providing housing for the teams coming in to assist with this process.
3. Finding the means to dispose of damaged goods. Debris cannot be picked up by the City garbage trucks, nor can debris be taken to the County Landfill.
4. Identifying other community partners to help provide funds or like-kind services and materials.
5. Starting a campaign to raise funds for the above noted items.
We are a 501c3 organization with a Board of Directors consisting of Karin Landers (Chair); Daryl Mosley (Co-Chair), Becky Keele (Secretary/Treasurer), Jason Toler (Construction Manager) and Board Members Robert Craig and Ann Peek.
We have 5 teams of Case Managers who are assigned to interview and collect data regarding losses and present the cases to the Board. Our Construction Manager visits the appropriate sites and oversees the work that is deemed necessary. He will sign off on all work to be certain that it is completed in a safe and professional manner. Once the work is completed, the Case Managers will follow up with the victims to be certain that they are in as good or better conditions than before the flood. All parties involved with Humphreys County Long Term Recovery are working as volunteers. We have, what we believe to be, correct processes and procedures in place in order to be consistent with our goal as an organization.
To date, we have been contacted by approximately 130 families to report damage and seek some form of assistance. Many of these families have been able to recover (to some extent) but many others are in dire situations. One list generated from our in-take forms indicates over 35 families with damage to their HVAC systems. Some were left without heat in February and March and are now without air-conditioning. We have 8-10 homes in urgent need of demucking where the homeowners lack the funds to pay for the services and have no other housing options available to them. We have encountered three homes that were total losses. One of these families has been separated and are living with relatives, another has had to relocate to another county and the last has been forced to move in with her daughter in Memphis. We have been able to offer temporary assistance to two different families consisting of seniors and disabled homeowners by placing tarps on leaking roofs until supplies and repairs can be arranged. These are families on limited income with no means to fund the repairs on their own. Upon reinstatement in 2019, our account balance was $2,082.83 (consisting of the remaining funds raised after the 2010 flood event and $1,000 from the sale of tools no longer needed (we had no place to store these items). All monies donated during the 2010 flood event were used to assist local residents in recovery. It has not been our intent to maintain a running balance or have a yearly budget. We are a disaster driven organization. Donations have been requested by means of an ad in the local newspaper, through social media and our local radio station. Letters have been sent to local business and we are in the process of seeking assistance from area churches. We have applied for a grant through Chemours in the amount of $10,000 and are still awaiting a response. Funds have been received from Occidental Chemical Corporation in the amount of $3,500 and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in the amount of $5,242.50. These funds represent private monies donated through them for flood Disaster assistance in the Humphreys County area. We will continue to receive any funds earmarked for Humphreys County through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and are accepting donations at First Federal Bank. The majority of what we have been able to accomplish to this point is to assist 35 families with furniture, appliances and bedding through our partnership with Churches of Christ Disaster Relief. Though the number of families with loss are not as large as those in 2010, those who have experienced the flooding from February of this year are devastated and extremely discouraged. This process will not happen quickly. The goal of Humphreys County Long Term Recovery will be to assist the most vulnerable citizens of Humphreys County and to help them return their lives to a "whole" place and their homes to a safe and clean state. We are a small group of people with big hearts and a strong belief in our mission. Any assistance you might offer us will be greatly appreciated.
Below is a link where you can make a donation to assist Humphreys County Long Term Recovery help our neighbors who so desperately need it. Thank you in advance for your contribution and assistance with this endeavor.