County flood relief groups say they need more help from above

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Leaders of the long term flood recovery groups from Clay and Nicholas counties say they haven’t been getting the help and supplies they need from above.

“We have a mess here in Nicholas County. I have over 40 homes that don’t have heat,” said Melissa Adkins, chairwoman of the Greater Nicholas County Long Term Flood Recovery Committee.

Her counterpart in Clay County, Rhonda McDonald, who has only been in her position a couple of weeks, is already experiencing frustration: “Now that I’m learning the truth, I’m just mad. You have so many people in need.”

Their frustrations have intensified as cold weather has set in and they’ve seen the continuing needs of flood victims around them. They worry the flood victims in their communities, many of whom were among the counties’ most vulnerable anyway, won’t get the housing and heating they need to get through cold winter.

Adkins sent a letter early this week to Karen Bowling, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Resources: “Even if we had 40 heating systems shipped to us today, we would be weeks or even months away from getting them all installed.  We still have lots of winter yet to come. My greatest fear is that heat will come too late for someone.”

The good news is, they have been squeaking loudly enough to get attention.

There were at least two meetings this week at the state Capitol between the leaders of the local flood relief organizations and state officials like Gen. James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard and state Homeland Security Director Jimmy Gianato, plus West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, which is the umbrella group for all the nonprofit agencies trying to help.

There was another meeting this morning meant to start healing a split between two volunteer organizations in Clay County, including the long term flood recovery committee there.

“You can always do more when you’ve got a good team,” said John Ballengee, president of United Way of Central West Virginia. “We’re going to work really hard to get the teams together and shake off the past and get moving forward.”

Bitter feelings from local flood recovery efforts seem to have sprung up for a few reasons:

The flood in June struck thousands of West Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens. Those who are helping them get back on their feet are largely volunteers, and they feel very passionately about the work they are doing. Most of those involved have been thrust into an overwhelming situation without a lot of crisis or communications training.

And there are multiple organizations involved, ranging from the local flood recovery groups, to state and national nonprofits to the National Guard and state Homeland Security. They all have the goal of helping flood victims, but they have different cultures and rules — enough for communications and cooperation cracks to develop and fester.

Also read: Tomblin announces case management grant to help W.Va. flood victims

“The biggest issue is the volume of need. And number two the supply of skilled people to meet that need,” Ballengee said. “If your hot water tank breaks, you start mopping up the water and call the plumber. If you multiply that times 9,013 that’s how many people registered with FEMA. All of a sudden the plumbers become very scarce, and their workload goes through the roof. You don’t address issues as quickly as you would like to because you don’t have the workforce to get it done. The damage is just overwhelming.”

The specific thing that set off the Nicholas and Clay county flood recovery leaders this week was that they found out that Rogers Earl, Jr., CEO of Valley Supply had volunteered in July to provide resources such as insulation, electrical supplies and complete heating systems. Adkins of Nicholas County complained in the letter to DHHR and in a telephone interview that she hadn’t heard of that potential resource until early this month.

“There is simply no excuse for this malfeasance.  People’s lives are at stake,” Adkins wrote in her letter to DHHR.

McDonald of Clay County was also steamed: “I have met the same roadblocks and obstacles that they have. We’re acquiring our own donations. There’s too many people in this county in dire straits who depend on us. Don’t think I’m going to stop helping people just because you want to play God.”

The particular object of their ire is Jenny Gannaway, the state chairwoman for Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: “Had Ms. Gannaway taken advantage of this donation when it was first made available in July, my friends and neighbors would have heat,” Adkins wrote to DHHR.

Gannaway says she desperately wants to help flood victims too. But she said she needs to abide by rules set by her organization at the national level as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The rules provide confidence that there’s no duplication or fraud — and encourage more participation and donations, Gannaway said.

“I really didn’t understand that there was an issue, and I was real shocked to hear that there was,” said Gannaway, who is a contract worker for the volunteer network. “My main goal is to take care of people. We have a lot of families that do need help.”

In the case of the potential donation by Valley Supply, Gannaway said she turned over the handling of those HVAC systems to the National Guard because the systems are large, expensive and needed to be properly sheltered until they could be installed.

“That was more than what we thought volunteers should be handling,” Gannaway said. “They have to be stored in a safe place. Let’s let the Guard take the lead on this and we’ll support the Guard with whatever needs to be supported.”

Gannaway said the groups involved in the flood recovery effort take part in a weekly Monday evening conference call. During those calls, she said, the local flood recovery groups are asked to detail any needs they have. She said those calls have been taking place for the past two and a half months.

“We ask them to give us a list of what their needs are so we can meet their needs,” Gannaway said. “We’re not a state or federal agency. We are only here to fill the gap the state or federal agencies cannot do. We don’t control what the state or the federal government has. We’re just voluntary agencies that can help fill some gaps.”

Ballengee agreed that the issue with the Valley Supply donation was not as simple as turning over HVAC systems to people who need them. He said they’re required to be installed in specific ways to help Valley Supply avoid any potential liability — and to ensure they function properly. Those who want to help also have to find ways to pay for installation by trained, qualified workers.

Ballengee likened the process to the process of buying a house. The process can seem long and bureaucratic, but it’s necessary, he said.

“If I have a good relationship with my banker, why can’t I say I want to buy a house, you know I’ll pay for it,”Ballengee said. “I have to fill out an application, pay stubs, appraisal, survey, home inspection, title search. If all of those things work exceptionally well then I get to buy a house. I can’t just walk in and say I need a house so give me some money.”

He said volunteer organizations at the national level want to see a process that ensures their donations and efforts are used well.

“The thing we really need to focus on as a recovering state is there are a whole lot of people in the country who want to help. They want to help in the right ways and they don’t want to waste their help,” Ballengee said.

“The key thing to understand is the criteria, for example, for national VOAD members. If that criteria is met they just go over and above with assistance. If the criteria is not met they might not be as aggressive with their help. They would have concerns about duplications of benefits, abusing the system. What we’re trying to do as a state is maintain quick response but also credibility with national VOAD members so  when we reach out they’ll say ‘Tell us what you need.'”

In an emailed response after this story was first published, Adkins of Nicholas County said she remains frustrated by the delay and a lack of communication, but not by rules meant to be safeguards.

“We are not frustrated that there is a process to get these units. I understand the need for secure storage, tracking, and installation by qualified individuals. We are frustrated that they didn’t bother to even  to begin formulating  the process until November 4th. And here it is November 23, almost 5 months since WV VOAD was aware of the donation,  and we still don’t know what that process is. The units are not sitting in storage in a National Guard warehouse. They haven’t even been ordered. Our list has been turned over to Valley Supply directly.