Grants awarded from long-term Disaster Relief Fund

Sisters and Angie

After devasting tornadoes ripped through West Liberty, Kentucky on March 2, assistance arrived from the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA, and other immediate relief organizations. These groups helped with critical needs such as food, shelter or medical care.

But what happened after the "first responders" left town? What about the needs of a community that extend beyond the first few weeks after a disaster?

That's where the Community Foundation's Disaster Relief Fund comes in. While some grants are used to help meet immediate needs, this fund is primarily designed to help meet the long-term, unmet needs that surface weeks or months after a disaster.

"Making MilkshakesIt can take a long time for people to even realize the full extent of their needs," explains Angie McDonald-Hackett, Vice President of Community Leadership for the Community Foundation. "After the dust settles and the intial distress of a situation subsides, folks can take a step back and examine their entire community's needs and not just their own."

It's also important to confirm the validity of requests for assistance. "We don't want to find that any person or organization has 'double-dipped' when it comes to money," adds McDonald-Hackett. "Generous people trust the Foundation to distribute these grant dollars in a responsible manner. We take that role and responsibility very seriously."

The Disaster Relief Fund has supported needs in both southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky. Community Foundation staff recently visited West Liberty, Kentucky, to see some of the grant dollars in action. Photos from West Liberty show how this community is rebuilding.

Grants from Disaster Relief Fund

Apartments destroyed by March 2 tornado(as of 10/2/12)

  • $10,000 to the American Red Cross to assist with immediate needs
  • $1,500 to Metro United Way (fiscal sponsor for March2Recovery) for the Survivor Summer Day Camp program established to provide social and emotional enrichment to children over the course of the summer months after the tornado in Henryville, Indiana
  • $11,337 to Metro United Way (fiscal sponsor for March2Recovery) to provide roofing, mold remediation, siding, deck construction, drywall, windows, doors, gutters and foundation/concrete work to repair damaged homes in Southern Indiana
  • $5,300 to Gateway Area Development District for the Morgan County Senior Center in West Liberty for large appliances
  • $5,000 to the Gateway Area Development District for restaurant equipment for Freezer Fresh in West Liberty

 

See all photos from West Liberty on September 24, 2012.