FEMA long-term recovery workers meet with residents in Holt

Published: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 11:40 PM     Updated: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 11:41 PM

 By Izzy Gould | Tuscaloosa Bureau

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - HOLT -- Six people sat around a table covered completely by a blank sheet of paper.

A FEMA worker asked them to visualize their ideal community. She then asked them to pick up vibrantly colored magic markers, and to draw the words and pictures that symbolize the vital needs of Holt and the surrounding area.
In the next step toward rebuilding, a team of five working as part of FEMA's Long Term Community Recovery program met Tuesday night with about 100 community members at SOMA Body of Christ church. The program is a federal, state and local effort that enables disaster-affected communities to identify opportunities for a more effective recovery.
The two-hour meeting and workshop also served as an introductory session between the FEMA team, which will work in the community for the next eight-to-10 weeks while staying in a local hotel. Their purpose is to listen to community members, and to give them guidance toward planning the rebuilding of the Holt community.

Three points that were emphasized were identifying rebuilding opportunities, creating partnerships and maximizing resources.
"This is sort of the beginning point where you begin to understand what the visions are from the community," said John Boyle, an official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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