Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Podcast & Photo Gallery: Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery — An Interview with Christine Butterfield

November 9, 2011 - American Planning Association - Recovery News
Christine Butterfield is the director of community development for the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was hit by a record-breaking flood in June 2008. She speaks here about the extensive planning effort to rebuild a city in which more than 10,000 people were evacuated from areas along the Cedar River, historic neighborhoods were inundated, and thousands of residents lost their homes or saw them badly damaged.
At the APA National Planning Conference in Boston in April 2011, she and her staff saw the city’s heroic efforts recognized with an APA National Planning Excellence Award for Best Practices in Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Planning, shared with Sasaki Associates, Inc., for the city’s new River Corridor Development Plan.

Vote nears on new codes for buildings

By Jason Morton, Staff Writer, Tuscaloosanews.com
Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 3:30 a.m

TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa City Council on Tuesday made a final round of tweaks to a proposed set of new building and design codes for commercial areas in the tornado recovery zone.
The changes were made in anticipation of next week’s vote by the City Council to formally introduce the new rules and begin the legally required advertising period.  ...

John McConnell, director of city planning, said the intent of the codes, as influenced by the Tuscaloosa Forward task force and community input, was to create and establish urban and retail areas that are also suitable for walking.  ...
For more information, or to review the proposed code changes and zoning maps, go to http://tuscaloosaforward.com/recovery-planning/zoning.

FULL ARTICLE

Joplin: A city rising from the rubble

By Eric Adler, Laura Bauer and Mike McGraw, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Dec. 18--JOPLIN, Mo.--Winter creeps closer. Mark Rohr rises for another 13-hour day of work along "the destruction zone."  Some call it "the dig site," "the war zone," "the scar."  More hopeful residents like Rohr, Joplin's city manager, reject all those names as too negative, inasmuch as they fail to recognize what he sees as the speedy and near miraculous clearing of mountains of debris, the businesses returning, the steady thwack of nail guns rebuilding homes....

Last month, Congress approved some $400 million in community development block grants that Missouri can apply for to help rebuild parts of Joplin and flood-ravaged towns. Exactly how much Joplin might get remains unknown.  Insurers, meantime, have already paid out more than $1 billion in claims, with losses estimated at close to $2 billion.

"We would all love to be seven months into this and say everything is rebuilt and we're all done," Rob O'Brian, president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said in a measured assessment. "But no one expected this to be a six- or seven-month recovery process. Realistically, we know this is going to be a several-year process.... I would say, by and large, we are even ahead of schedule."

As the year that will define Joplin for decades comes to a close, the city's landscape is already transformed....

Attitude aside, the tornado also heaved up a wave of problems that many acknowledge will take more than bricks, mortar and a can-do spirit to stem.

Exactly what the rebuilt city -- population some 50,000 before the tornado -- will or should look like continues to be debated.

In November, the city's Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, a panel of some 100 residents, community and city leaders -- offered the City Council a menu of recommendations.

The thinking is that the black cloud that tossed homes, schools, businesses and some 15,000 cars into twisted heaps might also offer a silver-lining opportunity -- urban planning by tornado, just as tiny Greensburg, Kan., was reborn as an environmentally friendly town after being wiped from the map.

The recommendations from the team, known as CART, ranged from bike lanes in all areas of new construction to storm shelters in new schools. It included a mixed-use pilot neighborhood that might serve as a model for future urban core construction: energy-efficient homes with underground utilities on a block where retail mixes with residential.
"I don't think we do justice to the lives that were lost, the people who were injured in the storm, if we don't do our part to build back better than what we had before," said Joplin School Superintendent C.J. Huff, a CART member. "If you don't take this opportunity to build back better and stronger, then we weren't the community I thought we were when I decided to come here."

But there lies a tension:
While planning for the future, city leaders also know they must deal with the here and now, striving to rebuild the city as quickly as possible and return to normal knowing "normal" will have to be redefined.

If displaced residents don't return -- and no one knows how many will -- city and school coffers are certain to suffer.

"I have no doubt we're going to lose families," said Huff, who is nonetheless hopeful. "I know we're going to gain some families in the years to come."

Sixty percent of the district's budget comes from property taxes....
FULL ARTICLE

Friday, December 16, 2011

Waterbury holds second forum on plan for rebuilding post-Irene on Dec. 15

by Press Release | December 13, 2011
COMMUNITY INVITED TO JOIN LONG-TERM FLOOD RECOVERY BRAINSTORMING SESSION THURSDAY NIGHT AT TBPS
PUBLIC MEETING INCLUDES THE PREMIERE OF A VIDEO ABOUT WATERBURY IN THE AFTERMATH OF TROPICAL STORM IRENE
The process to plan for Waterbury’s long-term recovery from Tropical Storm Irene’s destruction got underway recently and continues with another brainstorming session at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Thatcher Brook Primary School gym. The Waterbury Long-Term Community Recovery Committee partnering with the state of Vermont and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will host a workshop where they hope many Waterbury-area residents will attend to help share ideas for rebuilding the community.
More...

Monday, December 5, 2011

Quick Response Helps Put Alabama on the Road to Recovery

By: Jim McKay and Marty Pastula on November 28, 2011, Emergencymgmt.com
On April 27, Robert Bentley’s 100th day in office as governor of Alabama, more than 50 tornadoes slammed the state, killing 243 people, severely damaging or destroying more than 15,000 homes and causing property damage estimated at between $2 billion and $5 billion. It was the deadliest tornado day since the 1925 Tri-State tornadoes and one of the costliest natural disasters in history.

Bentley earned praise for his leadership and decisive nature in response to the storms.Emergency Management magazine sat down with Bentley in August to discuss the state’s response to the tornadoes and the ongoing recovery efforts.

...How do you facilitate the recovery of the business community?
The [U.S. Small Business Administration] came in and set up in every area to help with small business loans. We also did some things to facilitate that with some of our manufacturing jobs. For instance, up at Hackleburg, where an EF5 tornado totally destroyed the town, we worked with the Wrangler plant there to not only save the 150 jobs in that small town, but because of the incentives and the package that we put together, we talked them into expanding to 200 jobs. That was one industry that we felt we had to save because if we did not save Wrangler, then Hackleburg would have disappeared. 

Tuscaloosa had 1,000 businesses that were destroyed and 7,500 jobs were lost. But many of those have already started reopening and after their long-term plan for the city takes place, then those will be rebuilt and most of them had insurance. We did see a spike in our unemployment [in July], and I expect it to a go a little higher [in September]. 

It has been estimated that we will have about 50,000, at least temporary, jobs because of this rebuilding effort, and if that takes place it will bring our unemployment rate — which is at 9.9 percent — down to probably 7 percent. A lot of those are temporary jobs, but longtime permanent jobs will increase because there is stimulation in the economy with all the rebuilding taking place.

More...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NY Dept of State Makes Long Term Community Recovery Strategy Grants available

The following is excerpted from the NY State web-site announcing this grant to aid communities in developing and implementing strategies for Long Term Community Recovery:  
http://www.dos.ny.gov/communityprojects/rfa-11-cstl-10/index.html

1.10 Background
Planning for recovery takes time, leadership, resources, and support from community stakeholders. This grant program will augment current efforts to help communities with the most damage and least capacity to develop strategies for long-term recovery.
The resultant long-term recovery strategy will ensure rebuilding that strengthens community vitality, maximizes use of available funds, and reduces future flood related damages. In the wake of the disaster, many of the affected communities have received federal and state assistance, and untold hours of volunteer services to help meet basic shelter, humanitarian and cleanup needs. As communities move beyond the immediate recovery phase of a disaster, long-term community recovery planning can help focus their efforts by establishing a vision for how they will rebuild and reduce their vulnerability to future disasters.


1.20 Funding Availability

The Long-Term Community Recovery (LTCR) Strategy Grant is a competitive grant program to aid a community in developing a strategy for long-term community recovery of the storm-struck area identified in the application. The Department of State (DOS) will make approximately twelve grants of up to $50,000. DOS reserves the right to make additional awards if funds are available. There will be up to two grant rounds based on funding availability.
Round 1 Application Due DateJanuary 12, 2012 by 4:00 pm
Round 2 Application Due DateMarch 1, 2012 by 4:00 pm

CONTACT INFORMATION
General Program Information & Inquiries
Peter Walsh
NYS Department of State
Communities and Waterfronts
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue, Suite 1015
Albany, New York 12231
Coastal@dos.state.ny.us
(518) 474-6000
Proposal SubmissionLuAnn Hart, Contract Administration Unit
Attention: RFA 11-CSTL-10
NYS Department of State Bureau of Fiscal Management
One Commerce Plaza, Suite 1110
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231

Documents

Descrpition of program and Request for Applictions:   LTCR RFA (pdf)
LTCR Strategy Application Form (msword)

Governor Cuomo's Storm Task Force Holds Summit to Assess Recovery Efforts

PRESSS RELEASE, STATE OF NY, Nov 28, 2011
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's Upstate Storm and Recovery Task Force today held a summit to assess the state's ongoing recovery efforts in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The meeting was held in the Town of Windham and included state agency commissioners, local elected officials, community representatives, and was chaired by Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy.
...
Main Street Fund

Up to $3 million has been made available through the New York State Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund to provide money to Main Street businesses in some of the hardest hit areas. This funding is available to be requested by counties on behalf of businesses and building owners to help revitalize local economies. Eligible entities will be able to apply for assistance to, among other things; rehabilitate buildings for commercial and main street residential use, repair and replace permanent fixtures and equipment, as well as for inventory and working capital.

The first round of these awards has been determined with Greene, Schoharie, and Delaware counties each receiving $500,000. The initial funds will go to businesses and building owners in the following municipalities: Greene County: Prattsville, Hunter, Windham, and Catskill; Schoharie County: Middleburgh and Schoharie; Delaware County: Margaretville, Fleischmanns and Sidney. Applications are still being accepted for subsequent rounds of grants in all affected counties, including the three with awards announced today, and awards are expected to be distributed in the near future.
...
Department of State's Long-Term Community Recovery Program

The Long Term Community Recovery Program will help towns and villages with technical expertise as they develop recovery strategies and design rebuilding projects to reestablish vibrant communities that are less vulnerable to future flooding. The program will provide financial assistance, up to $50,000 per grant, on a competitive basis. The grants will provide money to hire technical experts, consultants, and fund comprehensive strategic planning for the rebuilding of housing, economic, infrastructure and environmental projects. Applications may be submitted by affected municipalities or by counties or not-for-profits on their behalf. The total amount of grant funds presently available for this program is $789,896. The round 1 application deadline is January 12, 2012 at 4:00 p.m., and the round 2 deadline is March 1, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Town may move fire, police departments

November 23rd, 2011, by Mike Eldred, Deerfield Valley News
WILMINTON, VT  Could Wilmington’s flooding disaster become an opportunity to improve town services? Selectboard members began exploring options for municipal and emergency services this week, as part of their post-Irene long-range planning process.

On Friday afternoon, board members held their first discussion on a report produced by their long-range planning committee. Among the topics the committee explored were several options for relocating the municipal offices, the Wilmington Police Department, and the Wilmington Fire Department.

Some of the ideas the board identified for further study include redevelopment or renovation of the current town garage site on Beaver Street as a combined police/fire department building, renovating the current town hall with all municipal offices and records upstairs and meeting or retail space on the first floor, and leasing facilities.

The board also discussed whether it would be possible to build any new facilities. Board member Meg Streeter questioned the wisdom of trying to build new facilities, noting that the new town highway department garage, which is currently under construction, was initially proposed nearly 17 years ago.

“We could never afford it,” added selectboard chair Tom Consolino. “Time is a factor,” said town manager Paul Myers.

But board members agreed that relocating the town’s emergency services out of the flood zone was preferable to the alternative – putting them back in the buildings that flooded in August.

Myers said the police department’s location at town hall was less than optimal. “Their cruisers are parked out on Main Street, there’s limited area to hold someone pending processing, and limited office space. They like this (former Rite Aid) space better than the town office space.”

“The committee felt that going back into that space wasn’t a good idea,” said economic development consultant Bill Colvin, who served on the committee. But Colvin noted that the committee felt the town should avoid a solution that would include a bond vote.

Remainder of article...

The Greening of Greensburg

Posted: 11/21/11 01:31 PM ET, Vicky Collins, Huffington Post
Very early in the morning on May 5, 2007 I got a call from NBC News to hurry from Denver to Greensburg, Kansas. There had been a huge tornado and the town was devastated. Go! Go! When I pulled into the town six hours later I was stunned to see wreckage so complete that even the bark had been pulled off the trees. These skeleton sentinals stood over a community of people who were lost and dazed. The EF-5 tornado had 205 mile per hour sustained winds. Almost the entire town was in ruins. It was apocalyptic.
...
Almost five years later I returned to Greensburg, and what I saw was as stunning as that first post-disaster morning. The town is cleaned up and there are beautiful new buildings. The school, the hospital, City Hall and the John Deere dealership are all built back to the highest environmental standard called LEED Platinum. There is a pretty little Main Street with shops and even a business incubator sponsored by Sun Chips. People are living in new eco-friendly homes and are saving up to 2/3 on their utility bills. And there are wind turbines everywhere powering the community. Imagine using the same wind that destroyed you to help resurrect yourself!

Remainder of article...

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Residents get chance to plan redevelopment

Posted: November 27, Timesleader.com
Residents get chance to plan redevelopment
SHICKSHINNY – Borough residents might be wondering just who those people in polo shirts wandering through their community are and why they’re passing out fliers.
     They are the members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Long Term Community Recovery Team, and they’re here to help the town make a comeback, said team leader Shea Christilaw.
     The LTCR team, comprised of municipal planners, is spending the next three months in the borough to help the community shape a new direction as residents and businesses work to recover from Sept. 9 flooding that ravaged nearly all of the town’s homes and all but one of its 28 businesses.
     Shickshinny and Athens, Bradford County, are the only two Pennsylvania communities marked by FEMA to receive long-term recovery assistance following a five-point plan called Heart-and-Soul Community Planning.
“It’s finding out what makes Shickshinny special and using those things and places … to plan for the future,” Christilaw said.
     “We don’t want to lose what gives Shickshinny its character. We want to make sure those special places are preserved and those values are carried through even in the face of change, because things are going to change,” she explained at a recent “story circle” meeting at First United Methodist Church.
     Christilaw said the team will help create a long-term recovery plan.
Many voices
     The process should include everyone: council, business owners and residents. A committee of community members – residents, business owners, senior citizens, students – and a few Luzerne County representatives will help steer the process, she said.
     The Rev. Terry Hughes, pastor of First United Methodist and a steering committee member, said the process is an opportunity “to paint the picture of Shickshinny the way you envision it.”
     “One person says I think Shickshinny should look like this, another person says it should look like that. When you put all of them together, what are the things that are in common? These are the things that we need for Shickshinny for it to feel like home,” Hughes said.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/Residents_get_chance_to_plan_redevelopment_11-27-2011.html#ixzz1exBqTvHk

Caption: Shickshinny Mayor Beverly Moore addresses the town’s Long Term Community Recovery Steering Committee in the basement of First United Methodist Church during its first meeting.

Shickshinny on the mend

Posted: November 27
Shickshinny on the mend  
Residents’ spirits high in flooded river town
SHICKSHINNY,PA – Why come back? How many times can you start over?

They’re reasonable questions to ask residents and business owners in a small town with limited resources that has been flooded out numerous times over the last 40 years, the most devastating event this past September.
Clarence Lewis wants to live in a town made special by its sense of community.
“You can’t go to Philadelphia, you can’t go to Allentown, you can’t go to Wilkes-Barre as we know it and sit down in the coffee shop and talk to the baker or the people who own it and say, ‘We want a doughnut named Flood Mud.’ … And the next thing you know, everybody is coming in asking for those things. It’s the (sense of) family that’s coming out,” Lewis said.
Pizza shop owner Jim Houseknecht likes that the town is small and safe, yet busy enough to support his livelihood.



The answers are a little different for everyone, but they follow a common theme – a strong thread that seems to weave through this river town community, reinforcing it to withstand a disaster that inflicted millions of dollars in damage to nearly all of the town’s 430 housing units and all but one of its 28 businesses and might otherwise have torn it apart.
The mayor of the borough of 838 residents seems to have a good grasp on what makes the town special and worth saving as well as why so many of her constituents wish to remain and are determined to see it thrive once again.
“We could have a fire that devastates the town. We could have sinkholes open up. For the love of God, we had an earthquake. You have to deal with it. There is no absolute safe place. So why would you not be where you feel you’re the happiest?” Mayor Beverly Moore said in a recent interview.
“I love this town. Everybody here knows just about everybody else. You know the people in the stores. It’s a great little place. It’s like a little secret. Just the traffic alone here could support our businesses,” she said.

Learning from history

The recent flood? She labels it an inconvenience.
“We’ve been through flooding before. Did we have a good flood plan? Absolutely. Did this last flood screw it up for me? Yup.
“But we go out as soon as we hear from (the emergency management agency), everybody starts moving their stuff, we don’t have anything hysterical going on. They all know they have to move it. You know at that point the chances are you’re going to have to replace your flooring, some of your walls,” Moore said.
She said it wouldn’t be feasible to raise up every home and business eight feet so they’re out of the flood zone. “And at the same time, I don’t think my town should become a ghost town because of it.”
Moore said Shickshinny will prepare a flood plan based on the most recent flooding that likely will address an even higher crest than the record 42.6 feet the Susquehanna River reached on Sept. 9.
...

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/Shickshinny_on_the_mend_11-27-2011.html#ixzz1ex5BtDtr

Friday, November 25, 2011

Long-term plans for Holt focusing on improvement

 
Like their neighbors in the city, Holt and surrounding homes are putting together a long-term recovery plan to help put their community back together after a tornado devastated parts of it more than three months ago.
But unlike those in the city of Tuscaloosa, people in the Holt area don’t live in a municipality with powers over land use and zoning. The long-term plan for Holt will be different than Tuscaloosa, but its blueprint could be as important outside the city as inside.
“It’s a great step forward, because Holt has the opportunity to be better because of this,” said the Rev. Shaun Faulkner of the long-term plan.
Faulkner, who grew up in Holt, is a pastor at Soma Of Christ Church in the Holt area. His house off Holt-­Peterson Road was destroyed in the April 27 tornado. In the two meetings he’s attended, Faulkner said people are excited and passionate about what they hope the Holt area looks like once it begins to rebuild.
“The greater Holt community coming together and having one voice is a good thing,” he said.
The Tuscaloosa County Commission requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s long term community recovery program work with the Holt community in devising the plan. FEMA offers the service to cities, towns and unincorporated communities hit by a catastrophic disaster at no cost to the community.

Alabama LTCR Community Planning and Capacity Building Task Force Meets

The mission of the Community Planning and Capacity Building task force is to support and help build recovery capacities and community planning resources of the state and local governments.   More on the CPCB task force: http://adeca.alabama.gov/C2/CPCB/default.aspx
See more on Alabama's overall Long Term Community Recovery Efforts: http://adeca.alabama.gov/ltcr/default.aspx .   
In April 2011, many Alabama communties were impacted by severe storms that produced multiple tornadoes. To help these communities recover, Gov. Robert Bentley signed Executive Order No. 18 on June 13 which named the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to be the coordinating agency under the direction of the Governor’s Office for long term recovery efforts.

Press Release, Sept 15, 2011, Public Grant Writing Workshop to Focus on Long-Term Community Recovery
Two public grant writing workshops are being offered to Alabama residents, specifically those affected by the April 27 tornadoes. The workshops are being presented by the offices of Gov. Robert Bentley, Sen. Jeff Sessions and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

On Sept. 19, Jessica Dent of ADECA will present "A Primer on Grant Writing" to give basic information about grants and various aspects of the application process. It will introduce community-planning tools to assist in writing for highly-competitive grants that can help fund community development, economic development, educational improvement and more.
http://adeca.alabama.gov/C9/Resources/Document%20Library/Grant%20writing%20workshop%20news%20release.pdf

About 200 residents turn out for long-range tornado recovery meeting in Cordova (slideshow)

CORDOVA COMMUNITY PLANNING MEETING

Published: Friday, July 15, 2011, 7:27 PM     Updated: Friday, July 15, 2011, 11:20 PM
CORDOVA, Alabama -- About 200 Cordova residents turned out Friday night for a community cookout and the launch of a long-range planning effort aimed at charting a road to recovery for the tornado-battered Walker County town.
Two powerful tornadoes, one striking in the morning and one in the evening, devastated the downtown business district and surrounding residential neighborhoods on April 27.
Dana Odom and husband Larry owned a building in the historic downtown and turned out to listen to and participate in the recovery plan.
"We wanted to hear what was going on," she said.
The evening was organized by the Alabama Department of Community of Economic and Community Affairs and included representatives from Auburn University and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It was held at Cordova High School.

Slideshow:  http://photos.al.com/4461/gallery/cordova_holds_community_planning_meeting/index.html
Video summary of the meeting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChEc6aTrSjE
More of the article...
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/07/about_100_residents_turn_out_f.html

Birmingham City Council members get close look at Pratt City 6 months later, sees major task ahead

Published: Wednesday, November 09, 2011, 1:03 PM     Updated: Wednesday, November 09, 2011, 1:48 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Birmingham City Council President Roderick Royal and council members Maxine Parker and Steven Hoyt toured the Pratt City area of western Birmingham Tuesday to assess progress more than six months after the April 27 tornadoes decimated much of the area.

Council members said they wanted to see the area themselves following a letter from a resident complaining of a slow rebuilding initiative.
"I don't find it surprising what we saw because I see it on a daily basis," said Royal, whose district includes Pratt City.
Royal said the city's efforts must be accelerated.
"I believe we probably need to redouble our efforts with the delivery of basic city services, but it's important here to follow the leadership that's being provided," he said.
A team of volunteers from the American Institute of Architects has held forums to sketch ideas for rebuilding the area. The team will evaluate all aspects including commercial, residential and infrastructure needs. However, council members touring the scarred and underpopulated neighborhoods said that process will be long and expensive.
Meanwhile, the city must ratchet up its own efforts, Hoyt said.
More...
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/11/birmingham_city_council_member_5.html

Tuscaloosa schools, city to conduct survey to guide rebuilding efforts

Published: Thursday, November 10, 2011,
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The Tuscaloosa City School System is working with the City of Tuscaloosa in a survey of families that were affected by the April 27 tornado.

Responses to the survey will be used to help guide the city's rebuilding efforts, according to Lesley Bruinton, spokeswoman for the Tuscaloosa City School System.
More...
http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2011/11/tuscaloosa_schools_city_to_con.html

Tuscaloosa to hold community meetings for input on rebuilding plans

Published: Thursday, November 17, 2011, 12:09 PM
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The city of Tuscaloosa announced that it is hosting four community meetings to hear citizens' ideas about detailed plans for recovery from the April 27 tornado.
Tuscaloosa Forward Plan
The come-and-go meetings will focus on infrastructure projects described in the Tuscaloosa Forward strategic rebuilding plan will be held Nov. 28 through Dec. 1 from 4 to 7 p.m.

City officials and consultants from engineering firm Almon Associates will provide information and discuss proposed projects with citizens.

more...
http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2011/11/tuscaloosa_to_hold_community_m.html

Return to Phil Campbell

Stan Ingold (2011-08-12)

PHIL CAMPBELL, ALABAMA (APR - Alabama Public Radio ) - School is getting underway across Alabama. For most kids, it's a matter of registering and buying school supplies. However, in the Northwest Alabama town of Phil Campbell, it's a different story. Following April's tornadoes, there is no high school to return to. City leaders are playing "beat the clock" to find classroom space before the opening bell rings on Monday. Alabama Public Radio's Stan Ingold returned to Phil Campbell and found a work still in progress © Copyright 2011, APR - Alabama Public Radio

LISTEN TO THE REPORT

Borough will get long-term assistance

November 7th, By Matt Hughes mhughes@timesleader.com

Shickshinny, hard-hit by September flooding, picked for special FEMA program.

Shickshinny Borough is one of two communities in Pennsylvania marked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to receive long-term assistance in recovering from the September flood.

According to FEMA, nearly all of Shickshinny’s 430 housing units and businesses are located in a flood plain and were flooded in September. Of the 28 businesses operating before the flood, two are currently open.
Borough Secretary Melissa Weber said the Borough Council planning committee met with FEMA officials last week and learned the borough had been selected for the program. FEMA officials will attend Wednesday’s council meeting to discuss help available to the borough through the program.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Gibson meets with FEMA officials

11/22/11 -
PRATTSVILLE, N.Y. -- Congressman Chris Gibson meets with FEMA officials in Prattsville to discuss recovery efforts, funding and the status of FEMA trailers.
Congressman Gibson says officials are working on new initiatives to help residents get back on their feet, including emergency conservation, water shed restoration, economic development and eligibility for community development block grant.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Six Months After Joplin Tornado, Recovery Efforts Continue

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Six months after the May 22 EF-5 tornado destroyed a large section of the city of Joplin, Jasper and Newton counties have received an estimated $174 million in federal assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through various programs, according to federal recovery officials...


...A robust Long Term Recovery Committee is present, with more than 50 agencies providing long term recovery assistance to help with disaster survivors unmet needs.  Disaster case management services are being provided through a collaborative effort among the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and Salvation Army.  Aggregately, more than 1,000 cases have been assisted with services such as rental and utility assistance, transportation, household items, food and clothing.  In addition, Mennonite Disaster Services, United Methodists Disaster Response team, and Convoy of Hope have provided demolition assistance to owners of more than 500 residential structures in Jasper and Newton counties. Voluntary organizations’ assessments for survivor unmet needs are estimated at $4.6 million. The state of Missouri has applied for a $5.7 million disaster case management grant for unmet needs.


Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR): FEMA ESF-14 specialists assisted with the formation of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (CART) which encouraged citizen participation in planning and rebuilding Joplin. The CART is composed of city officials, business leaders, community leaders and residents. Through the summer, CART hosted several public meetings to gather citizen input. From those sessions, they distilled the information, developing recovery and rebuilding priorities. On Oct. 13-14, FEMA LTCR arranged a design charrette sponsored by the American Institute of Architects. More than 60 architects, landscape architects and planners volunteered their time to create drawings, diagrams and realistic renderings of many potential projects that could be catalysts for recovery. On Nov. 7, CART presented their report to Joplin City Council. CART will continue to work with the City in developing specific projects

Friday, November 11, 2011

Prattsville town meeting jump starts community rebuilding

PRATTSVILLE - Economic development, housing, and community services, everything in the tiny Northern Catskill Mountain community of Prattsville was open for discussion on Friday night.

Prattsville residents glimpse a flood recovery action plan

11/7/11
PRATTSVILLE - The people of Prattsville have reached a significant crossroads. Sunday night members of that community took giant strides in a new direction.
Ever since Prattsville was decimated by unimaginable flood waters in late August, many residents had been teetering before pulling up stakes and moving out or else staying put and rebuilding. Sunday night, there was plenty of passion and enthusiasm as the community chose the latter.

NY team assesses disaster recovery

New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy was in Prattsville yesterday on behalf of Governor Cuomo’s Upstate Storm and Recovery Task Force, asking town supervisor Kory O’Hara to prioritize the three main issues facing his community in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Public Participation Creates Recovery Projects

Public Participation Creates Recovery Projects 

Hundreds Attend Long-Term Recovery Meetings in Minot and Burlington
Release Date: October 6,
BISMARCK, N.D. -- More affordable housing and further shopping options, downtown redevelopment and additional green spaces, a revitalized zoo and better communications with Canada on water issues, were among the hundreds of ideas that emerged from three community open houses held Sept. 19-24 in Minot and Burlington.

More than 500 area residents attended meetings, during which they had an opportunity to quiz long-term recovery experts, view display boards on various long-term recovery topics and write comments or suggestions on yellow sticky notes about how they would like their communities to look and feel five to 15 years from now and beyond.

More than 2,300 suggestions were posted, many with multiple ideas and comments. FEMA’s Long-Term Recovery Team is currently sorting through those comments – as well as multiple interviews carried out in Minot and Ward County since July – to identify potential long-term community recovery projects.

All unedited comments are posted at three different websites: http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.minotnd.org/, http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=www.rallyminot.com and http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.facebook.com/minotnorthdakota.

Smithville, Missipppi, Long Term Community Recovery Plan

The Smithville LTCR Recovery: http://www.smithvillems.org/docs/Smithville-Recovery-Plan08-12-11.pdf

From Smithville's website,   http://www.smithvillems.org/


Located on Hwy 25 between Amory and Fulton, Smithville was the fastest growing community in Monroe County in 2010. Fantastic schools, friendly residents, and great opportunity for business growth have contributed to this.

From our beginnings in the early 1800′s as a trading post until today, Smithville residents maintain a plucky pioneer spirit. Now, as we face rebuilding our town, this “can’t get us down” attitude will come in handy.

Smithville is moving forward. Using the devastation of the EF5 tornado as a “springboard” to the future, we are in the beginning stages of coming back.

We look forward with anticipation to the days and years ahead. Come visit us! Stay a while! We think you’ll like us. We truly offer big opportunities with home town charm.
         —Mayor Gregg Kennedy

Town consulting with developers for future businesses

SMITHVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - Smithville is inviting developers to look at what options are available for potential businesses to come in following the April 27 tornado.

One of those developers met with town officials Wednesday.

"Smithville is a town that I picked out as being an area of high interest here because they're in the process of rebuilding," says A.G. Helton, CEO of Action Properties LLC. "I think they have good things coming down the road and think this could be a great place for opportunity."

In addition to having the mom and pop businesses that have been here in Smithville for a long time, town leaders are optimistic other businesses will open to help with the local tax base.

"We're moving forward with rebuilding our town," adds Gregg Kennedy, mayor of Smithville. "To rebuild our sales tax base, things are going to happen, but it's not going to be overnight. We don't want to forget our mom and pop stores, neither our locally owned businesses. We want to see that they thrive also."

Another step in the recovery will take place on Thursday in Amory at the Monroe County Government Complex in Amory from 5:30 p-m to 7:30 p-m.

That's when students from Mississippi State University will present their ideas pertaining to downtown, town hall and the Highway 25 project.

We Survived the Storm and We're Going to Come Back

The mayors of Cordova and Sipsey said their citizens have come a long way since April 27 during an East Walker County Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday.

Sipsey Mayor Anita Sanders said the tornado destroyed between 40 and 60 homes in her town, but new ones are going up every day now.

The Restore Sipsey Co-op, a partnership between several churches and organizations, is working on several projects for uninsured residents.

Sanders said the results of the vision meeting that was held recently will be announced Thursday night. The meeting was one step in the long-term recovery process.

Sanders praised her community for coming together in a time of need and expressed hope for a brighter future in Sipsey.

“We survived the storm and we’re going to come back,” Sanders said.

Mayor Jack Scott of Cordova had a similar message.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Scott said.

Scott pointed out that two tornadoes hit his city on April 27. Approximately 150 homes were damaged, of which about 75 were total losses.

He said rebuilding the Piggly Wiggly is still a priority. City officials are trying to acquire land for a new location because the former site is in the middle of a flood plain.

Scott said it is also important to save the small town atmosphere of the downtown area, although he said the building themselves will eventually have to be demolished.

Scott said municipal offices and the senior center have now been relocated to the old National Guard Armory building, which he said the city was fortunate to have at its disposal.

Scott added that the recovery process has been a group effort.

“A good leader surrounds himself with good people. That’s what I’ve done,” Scott said.

Scott then recognized Beth Stukes, chairwoman of Cordova’s Long Term Recovery Committee.

Stukes said Cordova began planning for the future several months earlier than some other communities that were devastated on April 27.

Stukes said city officials have worked with numerous partners to develop a draft that can be used as a road map for rebuilding.

However, she said the plan won’t become a reality overnight.

“Recovery doesn’t happen in a month or a year, three or five or possibly 10 years. It is a long-term process,” Stukes said.

Both mayors admitted that finances are going to be a hurdle in the months to come.

For example, Sanders said that although sales tax from a Dollar General in the area has boosted the town’s revenues, it can’t be used to hire a new full-time police officer or fund new programs for senior citizens until recovery is complete.

“Rebuilding after a tornado costs the citizens a lot, but the town pays a pretty penny too,” Sanders said.
Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle - ‘We survived the storm and we’re going to come back’

Huntsville-based agency among five organizations receiving federal grants

Published: Friday, September 02, 2011, 11:11 AM    
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration is presenting grants of $100,000 each to five Alabama agencies -- including Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments in Huntsville -- to help communities recover from the April 27 tornadoes and storms.
Gov. Robert Bentley said the grants will give local officials additional planning and technical assistance as they work to rebuild community facilities and restore their economies.
The TARCOG grant is to be used to develop an economic recovery and resiliency plan for long-term growth through coordination of resources, prioritization of rebuilding efforts and regional collaboration.
Other $100,000 grants are going to:
• The North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments of Decatur to create a strategic recovery and resiliency plan.
• The West Alabama Regional Commission of Northport to assist local leadership and economic development professionals in hard-hit areas like Tuscaloosa with business and industry recovery.
• The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham to develop a disaster response and preparedness plan that focuses on protecting infrastructure and businesses and enabling local governments to provide assistance to their citizens.
• Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments of Muscle Shoals to support the development of a disaster recovery plan for the towns of Hackleburg and Phil Campbell.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Burlington Recovery Meeting

Hundreds of people poured in to a Recovery and Planning open house earlier this week in Minot to write down their suggestions for the future.

Now tonight it's Burlington's turn
  VIDEO
All people from the area are invited to come and visit with officials from the different Federal agencies that are at the Burlington Elementary School tonight.

The format is the same, different areas of the community are provided and all you have to do is write down your ideas.

(Tim Gelston, FEMA ESF-14) "It's incredibly important. These plans are truly the communities plans. ESF-14 comes and assists the community in developing their plan. It's never about the Federal government doing planning for the community. It's always about us supporting the community and their planning efforts."

Tonight's open house is at Burlington Elementary and goes until 8pm.

The final Informational gathering open house is back in Minot this Saturday from 10am to 3pm at Jim Hill Middle School.

Open House hosted by the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team in Joplin

Joplin, MO, August 16, 2011 -- The Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, which works with ESF-14 Long-term Recovery, hosts a second community meeting f...

Joplin, MO, August 16, 2011 -- The Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, which works with ESF-14 Long-term Recovery, hosts a second community meeting for community members to vote and make recommendation for prioritizing recovery projects. The EF-5 tornado on May 22, 2011 tore a path through Joplin seven miles long and half a mile wide. FEMA is in the city to provide assistance to the disaster survivors. Photo by: Elissa Jun/FEMA

Minoters offer flood recovery input

September 20, 2011
By KIM FUNDINGSLAND - Staff Writer (kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News
Minoters took advantage of Monday night's opportunity to offer their suggestions for the future of the city. There was a large turnout at the Community Recovery Open House at Jim Hill Middle School.
Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel welcomed hundreds of written comments that will be used to determine the direction of long-range planning as the city works to recover from massive flooding that ripped through the heart of Minot earlier this year.
"This evening is about the citizens of Minot coming out and talking about their long-term recovery ideas," explained Timothy Gelston, FEMA. "We are seeking comments on topics relating in some way to various facets of the community."
Citizens concerned about flood recovery were given several "post-it" notes upon arrival to what is referred to as an Emergency Support Function 14 session. Attendees were encouraged to write their concerns or visions for the future of the city and attach the notes to an appropriate poster board in the cafeteria area at Jim Hill.
Many of the written comments expressed concern about the lack of answers regarding the whereabouts and extent of future flood control projects within the city. Several homeowners commented that they have been waiting much too long to hear about future flood control plans that will help them determine whether they should rebuild or move out of flooded areas. The lack of housing, particularly affordable housing, also appeared to be one of the hot topics of the evening.
"There's a wide range of projects we can identify in an evening like this," said Gelston. "These kinds of events really focus attention."
Another ESF-14 input session is scheduled for Burlington Elementary School Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. A third meeting, one for all citizens of Ward County, is set for Jim Hill Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone who did not attend one of the earlier meetings is invited to submit their comments during the Saturday session.
All of the comments received at the three meetings will be scrutinized by FEMA officials for the purpose of identifying what citizens consider the most important visions for the future. Some of the ideas will be carried forward to a series of meetings which will be held in October. At those meetings citizens will be asked to choose from a list of suggestions for the long-term future of the city and determine an order of priority.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Alabama tornadoes: Cities turn toward ways to rebuild

By Robin DeMonia -- The Birmingham News 
Published: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 5:03 AM, 

It's a path of destruction now -- a tragic trail left when a giant tornado cut across the city of Tuscaloosa, killing dozens of people, destroying businesses and ripping neighborhoods to shreds.
But someday, it could be a valuable asset -- a greenway stretching through the heart of the city that connects Tuscaloosa communities, provides a corridor for pedestrians and bicyclists, and serves as a perpetual memorial of the terrible tornado that struck three months ago today.
The "path of remembrance and revitalization" is just one of the visions that emerged from a task force that studied rebuilding Tuscaloosa. The first draft of Tuscaloosa Forward's ambitious plan incorporates everything from walkable village centers and green spaces, to prettified streetscapes and community storm shelters.
"I believe we owe it to those who died on April 27, those who are still missing and those who lost so much to rebuild this city in a way that honors them," Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said. "We'd be doing them a disservice if we were satisfied with the status quo."
TORNADO 3 MONTHS LATER
EnlargeOn the 3 month anniversary of the April 27th tornado outbreak , the City of Cullman is preparing for a major rebuild in the downtown area hardest hit by the EF4 tornado that ripped through town. Mayor Max Townson and local Cotton States insurance agent Lee Powell look to the future. Lee Powell jumps down from where his insurance business once stood to where the new garage is to be built. He plans to expand in size and live upstairs from his business. He plans to start rebuilding next month. (The Birmingham News/Joe Songer)Three months after the April 27th tornadoes gallery(7 photos)
Tuscaloosa's evolving plan is further along than most cities. But three months after the April 27 storms, communities large and small across the state are at least beginning to plot a path forward.
In Cullman, a downtown rebuilding plan that stresses historic restoration, loft dwelling and German-American architecture is expected to be presented soon to the City Council. In Cordova, residents are brainstorming with a range of experts to crystallize what they want their devastated town to become. In Pratt City and other Birmingham neighborhoods, a national design team from the American Institute of Architects will soon begin working with residents to develop a master plan for the future.
Birmingham architect Bruce Herrington, co-chairman of the steering committee for the AIA Design Assistance Team, said the work will encompass the whole Pratt community and will cover such elements as streets, sidewalks, public facilities, commercial development and parks.
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