CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has announced the state has been awarded a $5 million Disaster Case Management Program grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The funds are meant to allow for case managers to be placed in each county affected by the June flooding. The case managers will develop and carry out individual disaster recovery plans with goals for resources and services.
“Dedicated case management work will play a significant role moving forward as individuals in our communities continue to heal, rebuild and recover,” Tomblin stated in a news release about the grant.
Unmet needs may include basic immediate emergency needs such as food, clothing, shelter or first aid, as well as long-term needs such as financial, physical or emotional well-being.
Also read: County flood relief groups say they need more help from above
Case managers are one of the greatest needs recovering counties have, said State Sen. Greg Boso, a Republican who represents Nicholas County, one of the hardest-hit counties in the June 23 flooding. He noted that case managers are already working in some of the flood-struck counties, but it’s not really enough
“One of the greatest needs is for volunteers with administrative skills who can serve these communities as case managers who can get involved, meet with people and do the coordinating efforts necessary to get the resources, whether manpower or materials to the place they need them to be to get them installed and get them taken care of,” Boso said in a telephone interview.
“They’re able to coordinate the groups coming in and the supplies available with the needs of individuals in their homes. I’m not sure how many case managers we have working in Clay County. I understand we have three in Nicholas County. Nicholas County realizes they have about a thousand cases and three case workers. People are finding it difficult to step up and meet those needs.”
The Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities at the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources will oversee the case managers grant, in collaboration with the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“The individualized nature of this case management program will enable us to offer the exact support still needed by West Virginians impacted by this flooding,” stated Karen Bowling, cabinet secretary for the state DHHR.
The casework process will include an assessment of the survivor’s verified disaster-caused unmet needs; development of a goal-oriented plan that outlines the steps necessary to achieve recovery; organization and coordination of information on available resources that match the disaster-caused need; and monitoring of progress toward reaching the recovery plan goals.
State Homeland Security Director Jimmy Gianato stated that his organization, FEMA, DHHR and West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster have been working diligently to land the case managers grant.
“Through this grant, we will work to ensure our citizens receive the help they need and there is no duplication of benefits, which will maximize these funds even further,’ Gianato said.