Coalition to help with Dolly damage
BROWNSVILLE - Rio Grande Valley residents still looking for ways to repair damage caused by Hurricane Dolly could soon have a coalition of help.
Disaster recovery agencies will soon form the region's first Voluntary Organization Active in Disasters.
Representatives from federal agencies and nonprofit organizations will meet next week to discuss the formation of the VOAD coalition, which would allow organizations to better respond to disasters like Hurricane Dolly, said Joan Lewin, voluntary agency liaison for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Such organizations are already in place throughout the Unites States, she said. A coalition among Valley relief and recovery organizations would coordinate immediate emergency relief after a disaster and allow agencies to spread the word about available services.
Another similar coalition of nonprofit groups and federal agencies has formed in the last week. The Long-term Recovery Organization includes most of the same organizations that would make up a VOAD but aims to address long-term needs, said Sister Norma Pimental, who works for Catholic Social Services in the lower Rio Grande Valley.
Formed by churches of various denominations, United Way and the Valley's food bank, among other agencies, the organization intends to help the most disadvantaged, such as those who have been denied FEMA assistance, lack insurance or don't qualify for other types of aid.
Representatives held their first meeting Tuesday and discussed how they would provide housing repair assistance and services for health and spiritual needs.
"We will do as much as we are able to do with the resources we have," Pimental said.
While the coalition forms, another assistance agency is trying to publicize the services they offer to keep people from "slipping through the cracks."
The Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid provides free legal services to low-income and disadvantaged clients. Staff attorneys are available, usually in the afternoons, at nearly all FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers opened since the hurricane hit on July 23. The attorneys help residents through the application process and through the appeals process, if they have been denied.
Letting people know they are here to help, however, has been tough, Communications Director Cynthia M. Martinez said.
"Outreach has been one of the greatest challenges about serving the Rio Grande Valley," Martinez said. "We're trying to make sure people know that though this is a difficult time, there are plenty of resources available for them."
Awareness of the legal aid organization's services is especially important because residents may not realize they have legal problems while they try to meet their most basic needs, such as food and shelter, staff attorney Linley Boone said.
Boone, who refers to herself as "hurricane central," has seen legal trouble arise for clients when landlords refuse to repair homes or when insurance companies fail to pay claims. Some clients need to replace legal documents, such as birth certificates and immigration records, lost in flooded homes.
The weeks following a disaster are also a ripe time for predatory lenders and "fly-by-night" contractors to scam homeowners, Boone said.
"They do shoddy work or take your money and you never see them again," she said. "We want people to be careful."
TO GET HELP
For help from Texas Rio Grande Valley Aid, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income and disadvantaged clients, call the Disaster Hotline at 1-866-757-1570.
