Case managers guide hundreds of W.Va. flood survivors toward help

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A little more than one year since statewide flooding devastated West Virginia, about 1,000 residents have received help through a disaster case management program.

Of those, 264 have gotten on their feet enough to have their cases considered closed. And 689 cases remain open, with their needs still being met by charitable organizations.

With another year to go on a federal disaster case management grant, another 1,000 or so West Virginians are likely to ask for help, anticipated Jenny Gannaway, the director of West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. This month alone, 100 new individuals or families have registered.

“I’m just praying that nothing happens this year,” Gannaway said this past week. “No flooding, no extra damage, anything.”

Last November, state leaders announced that West Virginia had been granted a Disaster Case Management Program grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The funding allowed case managers to be hired to develop and carry out individual disaster recovery plans with goals for resources and services.

Essentially, the case managers assess what unmet needs flood survivors may have beyond what FEMA has provided directly.

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.

The Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities at the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is overseeing the case managers grant, in collaboration with the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The 22 case managers were hired, trained and ready to go out in the field by late January.

Roger Hanshaw

In the months since then, great progress has been made to help people with flood recovery, said state Delegate Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.

“There’s been tremendous progress made. There will  be a lot of people who will say no and complain. But at the community level at the level of the whole community things are going quite well still,” said Hanshaw, whose county was hard-hit by last summer’s flooding.

“There will be long-term needs in Clay County for many many years to come, but those who are going to return to normal in our community are quickly doing so.”

There are four case managers assigned to Kanawha County, four to Greenbrier, three in Clay, three in Nicholas, two in Roane, two in Webster, two in Fayette and two in Summers.

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The case managers meet with flood survivors, go over their current situations and try to help determine what recovery would be. They then come up with a concrete plan for how nonprofit relief agencies such as the United Methodist Church, Catholic Charities or Mennonite Disaster Service could cooperate to help people get back on their feet.

“We don’t quit until they’re back in a home that is safe secure and sanitary and all their flood-related needs are met,” Gannaway said.

Once a case is opened, it often takes about three months to accomplish enough to close it, Gannaway said. Often the needs are repairs to flooded homes or entirely new homes.

New people often register as they run out of their original FEMA money but are still in need of help.

“There’s a lot of people who still need help,” Gannaway said. “I think we’ll probably end up helping close to 2,000.”

As progress has been made, the pace has improved from desperate to steady.

“It’s more manageable now,” Gannaway said. “It’s just now getting to the point of calming down. You can stop and think about what you’re doing.”

She said anyone who still needs help may call 1-844-WVflood.

 





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