11/20/2019

Ohio Disaster Response & Recovery Situation Update – Memorial Day 2019 Tornadoes

LSS has assisted 56 households (202 people) and has coordinated 81 volunteers who have contributed nearly 2,200 hours of service (a value of $56,000). Since September, LSS coordinated the repair of 3 tornado damaged homes, chainsaw work/debris removal at 9 properties, tarped 5 homes, and assisted in organizing and coordinating 2 community-wide clean-up days that engaged over 400 volunteers.

LSS also continues to play a lead role in supporting the development and operation of the Miami Valley Long Term Recovery Group (MVLTRG). The MVLTRG serves as the centralized point of recovery activities in response to the Memorial Day tornado outbreak. The group is comprised of over 25 notfor-profit and faith-based organizations in collaboration with local, state, and federal government partners and serves the entire Miami Valley Region.

To date, LSS has organized and/or led community workshops for over 100 participants on topics such as Disaster Case Management in Long-Term Disaster Recovery, Construction Coordination in LongTerm Recovery, and Emotional and Spiritual Care. If your church and/or community group is interested in learning more about long-term recovery or in joining the MVLTRG, please contact John Pyron (937.540.2507 or jpyron@lssnetworkofhope.org) or plan to attend the next MVLTRG meeting on 9 am on December 2nd at The Dayton Foundation (1401 S. Main Street, Suite 100, Dayton, OH 45479).

The intake system for disaster case management in the Miami Valley continues to function and currently has over 200 households in queue to partner with a disaster case manager. Anyone in the Miami Valley that needs tornado recovery assistance should dial 2-1-1 or (937) 225-3000. The MVLTRG anticipates working with approximately 500 households during long-term recovery and that 300-400 homes will require construction repair in the next 1-3 years (see page 4 for additional data). This effort will require significant and long-term engagement from local and national volunteer groups. The MVLTRG is currently developing its volunteer hospitality and coordination protocols as well as its construction estimation and coordination protocols and anticipates being ready to accept repair and rebuild groups in March 2020.

As we move from disaster response activities (debris removal, roof tarping, chainsaw work, etc.) to long-term recovery operations (home repair and rebuilding and resilience building), volunteer opportunities require much more in-depth coordination in order to be successful. While we have already engaged some groups, please be patient as we develop our coordination mechanisms. As many have said in the past, “long-term recovery is a marathon, not a sprint” and successful coordination takes time and strategic planning to develop. Volunteer opportunities will continue to be posted on the MVLTRG website – www.MVStrong.org – and the MVLTRG is in the process of working to engage a volunteer coordinator to ensure a streamlined and successful volunteer experience.

To support LSS’s on-going disaster recovery coordination work, please visit the LSS Disaster Services website and click the orange “donate” button in the top right corner of the page.