COMMITTEE HELPS NEEDY FAMILIES AROUND THE AREA

Federal and state disaster offices long ago closed up shop locally, but last summer's flooding continues to plague some victims.

A new committee has formed to help those families still struggling to get back on solid ground months after a disaster seems to be over.

Called the Cape Girardeau Regional Unmet Needs Committee, the group brings together representatives from service agencies to determine what help might be available for families when initial sources of assistance dry up.

"Once (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) pulls out and the Red Cross closes up, people feel they're on their own," said Ron MacCubbin, director of emergency services with the local Red Cross.

"There is money available earmarked for different needs and other discretionary funds available," he explained.

But sometimes it's tough for one person or one agency to know how to access those funds.

Each month, representatives of the participating agencies meet and discuss particular families and their needs.

"There may be three or four agencies that sign on to a case to provide different services," MacCubbin said. "The goal is to get people back as close as possible to pre-disaster conditions."

For example, MacCubbin said, a Perryville area family's home and farm were virtually wiped out last summer.

"They were out of work because their farmland was under water," he explained.

One agency helped fund building supplies, another offered skilled carpentry labor. "They rebuilt their entire house."

Another agency offered help with living expenses.

"We kept that family afloat while they were out of work," MacCubbin said. "Now they are back at home and back to work."

The committee works along similar lines as Cape Girardeau's Community Caring Council, said Gil Degenhardt, with the FISH organization. The Community Caring Council meets to determine services available for families and children with needs.

The Unmet Needs committee is specifically designed for disaster victims. Degenhardt said they will not overlap services.

Each agency continues to operate within their own guidelines for giving money or grants. "There is a lot of networking among the agencies," Degenhardt said.

The committee is serving Missouri's Bootheel and Alexander and Pulaski counties in Illinois.

MacCubbin said one of the first steps in the process is verifying that a family actually is a disaster victim. "We also check with FEMA and the American Red Cross to see how much assistance they have already received and then check about their personal assets and how they can participate in their own recovery," he said.

Similar Unmet Needs committees are operating throughout the state and nation. The first started after Hurricane Andrew in Florida.

While families today are still working to get back on their feet from last summer's flooding, MacCubbin believes the Unmet Needs committee will continue permanently.

"This area is so disaster prone, I think we should keep the committee in place so when the next disaster happens we can spring into action."

Families who may have unmet needs should contact a social service agency in their area to see if the Unmet Needs committee can be of assistance.