NORWICH – The Chenango Area Recovery Team (CART) was organized in August after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggested it would be a useful tool to help get the community back on its feet in the aftermath of the June flood. Made up of local non-profit organizations, the group has formalized a system to recover from this disaster and to be in place in the event of future events.
“We have all of these agencies working together,” said CART director and Catholic Charities Crime Victim’s Advocate Derek Stratton. “It’s a great mix that continues to show up and help this cause.” Representatives from First Call for Help, Project Recovery, Mental Health, Catholic Charities, Opportunities for Chenango, The Place, Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, Department of Social Services and the United Way were instrumental in getting the group started.
“A disaster begins and ends in a community,” Stratton said, reiterating the phrase FEMA had stated so many times. “Therefore CART was created to help Chenango County flood victims with the unmet need that still exists after assistance from FEMA, SBA and New York State,” a CART press release states.
CART has trained six case managers from participating organizations to meet with flood victims and determine their unmet needs. So far, the case workers have seen over 40 cases, and calls continue to come in. Through the help of smaller committess within CART – like the Voluntary Organization Group, the Resource Committee, the Steering Committee and the Case Managers – the unmet needs of the community are being addressed. The Resource Committee has worked to develop and bring forth resources from the community, and the Steering Committee oversees the direction of the work being done.
Now CART has been given another duty: distributing the money received by the county as part of the governor’s Small Cities Grant. County residents who suffered damage as a result of the June flood could be eligible to receive up to $2,500 a piece. “Because CART’s process is set up already, we’re going to be distributing the funds on behalf of the county,” Stratton said. If individuals fit the criteria, they are instructed to fill out an application and see if they are eligible for grant money or other CART resources. “Since we already have a system set up, it makes sense for us to take care of both issues (CART registration and grant applications) at the same time,” said Stratton.
With the recent announcement of the Small Cities Grant, there has been a great influx in the number of cases that CART is seeing. “We plan on seeing many more people calling in. Over 1,500 people in Chenango County registered with FEMA, so we know there is a great need out there,” said Stratton.
CART encourages people who think they may be eligible for grant money to call soon and not wait. For more information on the Small Cities Grant money, call First Call for Help at 1-800-227-5353.