COAD enters long-term recovery phase

Nov. 14--ALBANY -- Community Organizations Active in Disaster brought together various organizations to help the southwest Georgia area recover from Hurricane Michael's storm damage. COAD spokeswoman Sherrell Byrd said recovery is going "pretty smoothly."

"I think it's had a few hiccups in terms of the debris pickup and the weather that we've had," Byrd said. "For the most part, we learned a lot from the January (2017) storms that enabled us to be able to serve people's needs and pretty much anticipate the needs a lot faster. We were a little more organized and ready to go in terms of corralling the same organizations that we worked with in the past to mobilize them into action this time around."

What's new with disaster recovery

-- COAD is hosting a Community Cleanup Day on Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and is seeking corporate volunteers to assist with disaster relief efforts. Phoebe Putney Health System and SunTrust Bank have already confirmed their commitments. Corporations, organizations and community groups interested in participating can call (229) 364-7113 or email [email protected].

"They're going to partner with the organization Samaritan's Purse to receive training," Byrd said. "Every volunteer will go through their debris cleanup training and, after they're trained, they will go out into the community. We have a list of approximately 1,200 homes (in Albany) that are still in need of assistance with debris cleanup. They'll be dispatched to those different homes from about 7 o'clock that morning, and they'll be working as long as 5 that afternoon."

Byrd added that COAD might do the Cleanup Day again in December if the volunteers put a dent in the pickup requests.

-- COAD has now transitioned into long-term recovery status and will begin providing assistance for unmet needs. COAD defines unmet needs as individuals whose needs have not been met by homeowners insurance or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Eligibility for aid is on a case-by-case basis. Case management will begin on or around Dec. 3. Those who wish to be considered can complete an online application at Arrcoad.com or call Albany Relief and Recovery at (229) 288-2669 or United Way by dialing 211.

Byrd explained that the organization was previously operating in acute recovery, where resources go to addressing basic needs such as shelter, food, access to clean water, electricity and removing obstructive debris immediately following a natural disaster. Long-term recovery is when people have power and can return to work.

"(Long-term recovery is) when we start addressing needs like taking care of people who may have roof or housing needs that their insurance companies can't cover, helping people with securing food if needed, securing water if needed, having debris still cleaned up in their homes to get the city looking back the way it was," Byrd said.

Byrd mentioned that the long-term recovery phase might take a year to complete the process and vet every case in the community.

-- Albany Disaster Recovery Center will offer recovery assistance, tree and debris removal, counseling and community resources for disaster victims. The hours of operation are 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1-7 p.m. on Sunday. Representatives from FEMA, Small Business Administration, Aspire Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Services and others are available to assist at the following locations:

-- Isabella Complex -- 300 Cason St.

-- Albany Technical College's Kirkland Building -- 1704 South Slappey Blvd.

-- Lee County -- 935 U.S. Highway 19 South in Leesburg

-- Citizens can now use an online form to apply for FEMA disaster recovery assistance at any DRC location with FEMA agents. The application can be found at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1 (800) 621-3362.

Food

Asked how long people could expect the food distribution locations to be open, Byrd responded,"Right now, the food pantries that are still serving are the ones that are typically open all the time in our community. That won't change. ... They're back to their normal operations until we're simply sending people to them."

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