Not all tornado survivors sign up for FEMA assistance
There are pockets of tornado damaged homes where people are reluctant to engage with
The damaged homes are typically older and often owned by absentee landlords or remain in the name of a deceased relative, all factors that add "a number of complexities" making recovery more of a challenge even if working through
"For some of those individuals they are very proud of where they're at and they don't want to leave and they don't want the government in their business and they don't necessarily want a handout," said Cronmiller, whose nonprofit already runs some home programs and has pivoted to also offer tornado recovery housing assistance.
"If I don't need it ... I don't ask for it," Vaughn said.
He also declined help when volunteers came around to clean up his
"If I needed their help, I would have asked them," Vaughn said. "But there were more people who needed help."
As of Monday, 4,027 individuals or households had registered with
After accounting for the local damage and comparing it to past disasters,
A few may be afraid of the government, Kucenski told area nonprofit groups working to organize long-term tornado recovery efforts.
"They don't want to come to
Area officials are also encouraging survivors, including those who believe they are insured, to register by the
"I think the critical thing over the next few weeks is we've got to make sure everyone that has had any kind of damage is registered with them. Even if they are insured," said
A complex set of damage thresholds, or "impact criteria," determines eligibility for individual federal assistance and low-interest loans. A key element is how much storm damage is covered by insurance and how much is uninsured, according to
Eugene and
Both 86 and with myriad health problems, the
"We have not had it good," Pearl said.
Going online to sign up is not an option for them, she said.
"I don't know nothing about computers," she said. "I wouldn't even know how to turn one."
Having friends or family members drive older survivors to an area disaster recovery center is one option to get expanded services that can include crisis counseling, said
Cronmiller said some in the community were victims of the storms but don't want to raise the interest of immigration authorities.
"They are terrified, even if they have the proper legal documents," she said. "They have these inherent fears that something is going to come up and show that they should be deported somehow. So they don't want to be anywhere on the radar of the federal government."
"I think a lot of people are still grieving. They just have a hard time putting one foot in front of the other," Dodge said. "This is a big deal. They have to find their paperwork, and they are probably not even living in the house ... They're just overwhelmed."
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