By By Michele Gerlach
Escambia County's Long Term Recovery Committee (ECLTRC) needs funds, volunteers, computers and information to help local residents recover from the long-term effects of Hurricane Ivan.
Committee members met Tuesday afternoon in Brewton.
ECLTRC chairman Carolyn White said the organization currently has 186 confirmed cases of unmet needs resulting from storm damage. That number could quickly swell higher than 400, she said, as the group does the case work necessary to determine actual needs. In some cases, for instance, residents have received help since their names were given to ECLTRC.
Many outside organizations are prepared to provide volunteer labor, but before those groups arrive, materials and supplies must be located.
"There's one lady we know of who needs $1,900 in supplies before we can get a mission group in," White said. "The labor is there, if we can fund the supplies."
In addition, volunteers are needed to research cases, determining if the individuals have received help, and if so, how much.
Office space has been donated for the group in Brewton, where there are 42 residences still in need of repair, and in Atmore, where 117 families need help. An additional 22 families are in Flomaton, where office space is still being sought. Almost 7,000 Escambia County residents have registered with FEMA for assistance.
The Escambia County School System has agreed to loan the group some computers, but additional computers are needed, White said.
In other business:
n The group agreed there was a need to form Unmet Needs Committees in Brewton, Flomaton and Atmore that would decide how available resources are used.
n Committee members Rickey Elliott, Vicki Fussel and Carolyn Jennings attended a regional long term recovery meeting last week and reported that a $25,000 grant is available in Escambia County for a community center damaged in the storm but not associated with a church or place of worship.
n The group also has applied for a grant from Johnson &Johnson.
n The group is submitting a grant application to the Lutheran Disaster Relief for funds to hire a director for its efforts.