CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s flood relief effort is putting out one more call for people who need help.
West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster is conducting a series of outreach events this month to ensure that anyone eligible for housing and bridge replacement through RISE West Virginia is enrolled.
“What we wanted to do is our due diligence and one more time do some outreaches so anyone who could have fallen through the cracks they have an opportunity to meet with us and get in the program,” VOAD Director Jenny Gannaway said in a telephone interview.
Applicants need to have been affected by the 2016 flood that devastated Kanawha, Roane, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Nicholas, Fayette, Summers, Pocahontas, Webster, Monroe or Greenbrier counties.
Although a significant amount of time has passed since the flood, Gannaway says there might still be people out there eligible for help.
“Possibly, in the beginning, when they had the outreach, there could have been some people turned away and verbally told, ‘Well I don’t think you’re qualified for the program,'” Gannaway said.
Delegate Dean Jeffries, a chairman of the state Legislature’s standing flood committee, agreed that there should be another attempt to make sure people are aware help is available.
“I think it’s a great idea because as of just a few weeks ago, I had some names that I submitted to VOAD that had contacted me that were accepted back into the program,” said Jeffries, R-Kanawha.
Jeffries said some people have just fallen through the cracks until now.
“I’m not sure for what reason they were overlooked or if they were overlooked — if it was people maybe who just lost faith in the program and dropped everything . It appears, though, that there are still people out there who are qualifying and are getting help.”
RISE West Virginia has provided 108 homes so far to West Virginians affected by the 2016 flood, according to the latest update.
There are 381 active cases remaining under RISE right now.
Of those, 244 require total reconstruction, 44 require some form of rehabilitation actions, 85 require new mobile home replacement, and 8 cases are awaiting initial project type and undergoing the damage assessment process.
Besides the rejuvenated outreach, VOAD continues to assess cases that had been previously closed out or deemed ineligible through the old case management system.
Through this past Friday, 650 cases have been reviewed with an additional 50 cases left to assess. VOAD has identified and reopened more than 60 cases that were deemed ineligible for the program, ensuring that all affected families are put forth on a path toward recovery.
A related program to replace bridges that lead to homes also is undergoing an effort to find more people who might be eligible.
“The bridge program is very important because of the mitigation that happens. So the next time it floods it’s not washing away the bridge and blocking homes,” Gannaway said.
“We definitely want to get those bridges built and make communities safer during a high water incident.”
The upcoming outreach effort includes a series of events.
January 21: Town Hall of Clendenin, 103 1st Street; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
January 22: City National Bank of Rainelle, 1218 Main Street, Rainelle; 10 a.m.to noon and White Sulphur Springs City Hall, 589 West Main Street; 2 to 4 p.m.
January 23: Risen Lord Catholic Church, 67 Wallback Road, Maysel; 9:30 a.m. to noon.
January 24: Richwood Public Library, 8 White Avenue, Richwood; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Gannaway urges anyone who has unmet needs as a result of the June 2016 storm to visit one of the outreach centers and speak with an eligibility specialist or call (304) 553-0927 for more information.
“We really want to encourage families that if they were affected by the ’16 flood, come and get us, give us a call, Gannaway said.
The effort is trying to reach people through public notices and flyers.
“We have sent those out to a lot of the local churches, which will be handing them out at church, we’re doing a legal ad in the newspapers in Kanawha and Beckley. A lot of our teams are just putting flyers in paper boxes and things. Any way we can make sure people get this information, we have people out on the ground getting it done.”