To
help disaster survivors in communities across America rebound from one of the
worst tornado seasons on record, followed by record flooding from heavy rains, tropical
storms and hurricanes, AmeriCares is awarding a total of $500,000 in disaster
recovery grants. The first three grants have been allocated to help families in
upstate NY, rural SD, and Joplin, MO.
$90,000 to help NY school districts
recover from tropical storm-related flooding
A $90,000 grant has been awarded to a group of
school districts in upstate New York struggling in the aftermath of tropical
storms Irene and Lee. The grant enables the Cobleskill-Richmondville,
Middleburgh and Schoharie school districts to hire a shared counselor/social
worker to help students deal with the severe emotional impact of the storms. In
Schoharie Village alone, flood damage has left 80 percent of the buildings condemned—including many students’ homes and the businesses where their parents worked. Months
after the storm, many students and their families in all three districts remain
displaced from their homes, living with friends and relatives or in temporary housing.
“The sheer force of the floodwaters ripped homes off
their foundations,” said AmeriCares relief worker Garrett Ingoglia, who
recently visited the area to assess the damage. “It will take months before some
of the boarded-up businesses can re-open and years before some students can
return to their homes.”
The school
officials have observed noticeable changes in their students stemming from the
terrifying experience of the actual disaster and the stresses of coping with the
aftermath. To help their students and the community overcome the traumatic
events, the project will assist teachers in identifying signs of distress among
students and addressing the disaster in their classrooms as appropriate; enable
affected children to receive psychological counseling; and connect families to
government and non-profit social services and resources to rebuild their
lives.
$29,000 to help flood survivors in
rural South Dakota
A $29,000 grant has been awarded to
a social services organization in South Dakota to provide outreach and case
management services to people displaced by Missouri River flooding. The
organization will reach out to 1,000 families in more rural areas of the
flood-stricken state to provide case management and referral services, mental
health counseling, and help in applying for FEMA and other assistance.
$40,000 to help a women’s
clinic in tornado-ravaged Joplin, MO
Photo courtesy of Capital Region BOCES
AmeriCares is assisting school children in upstate New York, where communities are shuttered due to flood damage.
A
women’s clinic in Joplin, MO, hard hit by tornadoes this past spring, received
a $40,000 grant. The tornado damage caused many of the primary care providers
in town to close, resulting in a surge in demand for the women’s clinic. At the
same time, many residents of Joplin lost their jobs—and their only source of
insurance—in the disaster. The
AmeriCares funding will allow the clinic to meet the increased demand for care,
and it will assist families who need financial help in accessing specialized
diagnostic services.
On
August 31, AmeriCares launched a $500,000 U.S. Disaster Recovery Initiative to
aid survivors in communities throughout the U.S. The grants, ranging from $10,000 to
$100,000 are being awarded for health-related recovery projects with an
emphasis on medical care for the uninsured, mental health and
psychosocial support services, as well as preparedness for future disasters. The remaining grant funds are being awarded and
announced on a rolling basis.
