LAKE COUNTY >> The American Red Cross recently announced that it will allocate more than $500,000 to help support Valley Fire recovery efforts.
According to Senior Disaster Program Manager Mike Conroy, the money’s distribution is still up for discussion but at 75 percent will go those that need the most assistance. The rest will pay the salary and operating expenses of a new recovery manager that has yet to be hired.
“What we are looking for is community members who still have unmet needs,” Conroy said. “This will go towards those who have lost their house and have no insurance.”
Included in the individual assistance would be help for building permits and other needs determined on a case-by-case basis. When asked about how this will be determined, he said it would likely be handled by Team Lake County’s (TLC) Case Management Committee.
“It’s really about trying to get that person whole again,” he added.
Currently, getting help from the Red Cross for further needs requires that victims lost their homes, have little to no insurance, and have been awarded a maximum grant from FEMA — a total of $32,900. By association with TLC, those requirements will change, but they haven’t been solidified.
To help with the determination, data must be gathered on the fire victims — a goal that both organizations want to complete next month. TLC Communications Chairman Erroll Marchais told the Record Bee that World Renew, a faith-based organization, will conduct a community assessment with fire victims to get a better picture of their needs.
Once completed, TLC and the Red Cross will use that information and the latter organization’s database to see what non-profit organization can best help survivors. According to Marchais, TLC wants 30 to 35 case managers helping with the process. Most will be volunteers but some will be staff, depending on funding.
“We are very excited about our national partners giving these funds to ramp up our case management process to get people back home as soon as possible,” he said.
TLC may also allocate other funding towards its home building project, which it has already begun with another organization.
Although some people have deemed the present assistance as inadequate on social media, there are others who don’t feel ill will towards the national non-profit.
One of those victims is Mike Stacy, who has been a resident of Cobb Mountain for nearly 30 years. Stacy said that the Red Cross gave him tools for cleanup and a $250 prepaid card after his home on Mesa Drive was reduced to rubble.
“They helped us,” he said, adding that the representatives were “nice and compassionate.”
His criticism is directed towards SBA and FEMA. He expressed displeasure towards their actions.
“The SBA is a crock, it’s all a bait-and-switch,” he said.
So far, most of the individual assistance given to fire victims has been handled by FEMA. At the last task force meeting on Dec. 15, the federal agency reported that approximately $3 million has been handed out for “other needs assistance” like medical, dental, and other miscellaneous costs.
Conroy said he hopes to have the money available by January.
