Relief efforts underway: Ozark County begins the hard work of disaster recovery
<p class="p1">A little more than a week after torrential rains and historic floods wreaked havoc on Ozark County, relief efforts are being organized, and flood survivors are taking the first steps toward recovering from the disaster. Officials urge residents who have suffered property damage but have not been visited by damage-assessment teams to report the damage by calling Ozark County Clerk Brian Wise (679-3516) because government assistance to the county may be dependent, in part, on damage-estimate reports. </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><strong>Assistance for flood survivors</strong></p><p class="p1">The Tecumseh Volunteer Fire Department’s firehouse on Highway 160 east of Lake Norfork has become a hub of resources for area flood survivors. TVFD chief Nathanael Winrod said Monday that food, bottled water, buckets and cleaning kits, shovels and rakes are available to flood survivors. The Salvation Army has brought in trailers where flood survivors can shower and do laundry, Winrod said. </p><p class="p1">The firehouse also has well-testing kits for those whose wells “aren’t flowing good water or who think there’s a chance their well might be polluted,” said Winrod. </p><p class="p1"> Volunteers are keeping the TVFD firehouse open this week from about 8:30 a.m. until about 6 p.m., Winrod said. Residents can call the firehouse at 284-7124 to confirm that it’s open.</p><p class="p1">The Ozark County Youth Center, operated by Gainesville’s First Baptist Church on Third Street, also has food, bottled water, cleaning supplies and also clothing for flood survivors. Pastor Adam Drumm said the youth center, which has been coordinating its efforts with the volunteers at the Tecumseh VFD firehouse, is open this week from 8 a.m. to noon and from 4 to 8 p.m. For more information, call the youth center at 679-0185. </p><p class="p1">The Ozark County Flood Relief Fund was launched last week at Century Bank of the Ozarks with a donation of $7,500 from the bank. Gainesville Lions Club added another $2,000, and the White River Valley Electric Cooperative matched the Lions Club donation. Last Friday CBO hosted a fundraiser lunch in its parking lot, serving 450-500 people who donated another $6,400 to the fund. Additional contributions to the fund have come from the proceeds of other recent fundraisers: Town & Country Supermarket’s customer appreciation day, Pontiac Cove Marina’s recent 12th annual Blessing of the Fleet and fish fry, the Ozark County Chamber of Commerce’s Homegrown and Homemade festival, and the individuals who have either dropped or mailed checks to the bank as well as contributing to the GoFundMe page.</p><p class="p1">Together with private donations, which are welcome, the fund now totals close to $20,000 that will be used for Ozark County residents who suffered damage in the flood. Those residents may fill out a simple, one-page application for help at any CBO branch. The application is circulated by email to members of the relief fund committee, and although the application says recipients will be notified within two weeks, in most cases, “help can be almost immediate,” said CBO spokesperson Kerrie Zubrod. Missy Workman Harlin, who’s helping with the fundraising effort said in a Facebook post, “Please keep the names of those families who need some help coming in. If you don’t want to ask for yourself, please ask for a neighbor.” </p><p class="p1">To donate to the fund, make checks payable to Ozark County Flood Relief Fund and drop off at any CBO branch or mail to P.O. Box 68, Gainesville, MO 65655. Call 417-679-3321 for more information.</p><p class="p1">Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief, along with the City of West Plains and First Baptist Church-West Plains have joined together to assist flood victims in the area. Homeowners in West Plains and surrounding communities, including Ozark, Howell, Texas, Douglas, Shannon and Oregon counties, can receive assistance in restoring their damaged properties. Assistance provided includes: structural damage assistance to homes, removal of downed trees, removal of ruined / damaged items, and reconstruction of affected portions of damaged homes. A temporary phone line has been set up for homeowners who need more information: 417-256-3120. </p><p class="p1">Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief is a division of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, an international relief organization that works as a cooperative, volunteer ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention and its affiliated churches. Their volunteers have been trained to respond to national disasters and assist victims with restoration.</p><p class="p1">A free training session on disaster loan applications will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the West Plains Civic Center at 110 St. Louis St. in West Plains. The training session, presented by the Small Business and Technology Development Center hosted by Missouri State University-West Plains, is partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration to host the session, which provides an overview of disaster loans, types of disaster loans, disaster loan use of proceeds and how to apply for a loan. It’s aimed at those who are currently in business or thinking about starting a business. Those interested can register at no cost at <a href="http://sbtdc.eventbrite.com/">http://sbtdc.eventbrite.com</a> or by calling 417-255-7966.</p><p class="p1">Farmers who need assistance replacing washed-away fencing or repairing other damage to their farms should call the Soil & Water Conservation office in Gainesville at 417-679-4876.</p><p class="p1">Convoy of Hope, the American Red Cross and other organizations have also been in the county offering help, and the Church of Christ in West Plains has also operated as an assistance centers.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><strong>Disaster-assistance meetings</strong></p><p class="p4">Multi-Agency Resource Center. The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), working with state, local, faith-based and volunteer agencies, will provide a “one-stop shop for recovery assistance” when it hosts a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) at Gainesville High School from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, in the Gainesville High School gym.</p><p class="p4">A news release from the Missouri Department of Public Safety says <span class="s1">SEMA partners in the MARCs include the </span>American Red Cross, Missouri Department of Social Services, Missouri Department of Mental Health, Missouri Department of Insurance, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Catholic Charities, Society of St. Vincent DePaul, The Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope.</p><p class="p4">Another MARC is also being offered from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today (May 10) at the West Plains Civic Center, according to the news release.</p><p class="p4">Flood survivors are also encouraged to dial 211 or visit <span class="s2">http://211helps.org</span> to utilize United Way 211 to connect with resources such as shelters, clothing and assistance with </p><p class="p1">cleaning and sanitizing homes impacted by flooding. The service is available throughout Missouri, including Ozark County. United Way 211 is free and confidential, according to the DPS news release.</p><p class="p2">Congressman Jason Smith was scheduled to meet Tuesday with residents impacted by the flood; the session, held at the TVFD firehouse, was held after press time Tuesday afternoon.</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4"><strong>Large crowd attends first assistance meeting </strong></p><p class="p5">The Tecumseh VFD firehouse also hosted the area’s first assistance meeting Friday, May 5. The meeting attracted a large crowd of people looking for answers and needing help. Many of those attending had lost their homes, and some had lost everything in the historic floods of April 29-30 when as much as 14 inches of rain fell in some parts of the county, transforming creeks and rivers into currents of raging destruction. </p><p class="p5">At the meeting, Ozark County Emergency Management Director Brett Meints and State Emergency Management Agency regional coordinator J.J. Travis answered questions and explained where residents could find help.</p><p class="p5">“We have the Salvation Army canteen here, providing hot meals,” Meints told the gathering. “Today, 137 meals were delivered, thanks to Bakersfield, Tecumseh and Dora firefighters who are taking hot food out to people who need it. We also have MRE-style meals for people to take home. We have bottled water, and more supplies are coming.” </p><p class="p5">Meints told the crowd about the well-testing kits that would be available at the firehouse and added that “the Ozark County and Howell County health departments have waived the $10 well-testing fee.” </p><p class="p5">Ozark County Health Department administrator Rhonda Suter added that tetanus shot fees have also been waived for those who have been affected by the flood.</p><p class="p5">Travis, the region coordinator for SEMA, is responsible for a nine-county area of southern Missouri, said she has been compiling information for the preliminary damage assessment, the first step in determining whether federal assistance should be requested by the governor. “Every one of my nine counties was affected by the flood,” she said. “I’ve been a very busy woman. This week, I talked to Brett many days, and we’ve gone out and toured Ozark County. I’ve asked him for preliminary numbers – how many homes in your county were affected? What type of damage – major, destroyed, moderate, minor?”</p><p class="p5">Travis explained that areas get a disaster declaration based on major damage and destroyed property, “and we have a lot of those,” she said. “I’ve also asked the county commissioners to provide me with a ballpark amount on road and bridge damage.”</p><p class="p5">Of the state’s 114 counties, about 50 were affected by the flood, Travis said. “So we’re gathering information from all these counties, and there’s a man at SEMA who writes the declaration for the governor. He wrote the declaration – actually finished it this morning – and it’s on its way for the governor to sign. Once the governor signs it, it goes to the president for signature.”</p><p class="p5">Travis said Friday night that it’s not yet been determined that Ozark County will get the presidentially declared disaster declaration. “While there is an extremely high possibility that we will get the declaration, I want you to manage your expectations just a little,” Travis added.</p><p class="p5">Once the president signs the declaration, if he does, anyone affected by the flood should apply for disaster assistance online by visiting <span class="s1">www.fema.gov</span> or by calling 1-800-621-3362, Travis said. She stressed that it’s very important that everyone suffering losses from the flood do this, even those who find it hard to ask for or accept help.</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p4"><strong>Lost and found items</strong></p><p class="p5">Area residents have set up Facebook pages hoping to help residents reconnect with some of their possessions lost in the flood. On Facebook, search for “Ozark County Flood lost and found” to see the pages that have been set up offering photos of some of the items that have been found.</p>
<p class="p1">A large group of flood survivors crowded into the Tecumseh Volunteer Fire Department firehouse Friday evening to meet with Ozark County Emergency Management Director Brett Meints and State Emergency Management Agency regional coordinator J.J. Travis. Congressman Jason Smith was also planning to be at TVFD after the <em>Times’</em> press deadline Tuesday to meet with area residents impacted by the April 29-30 floods.</p>
