A flood relief fund has been established to help Jackson County residents recover, as many move from cleanup into the longer process of rebuilding.
Jackson County Judge/Executive Paul Hays said earlier this week that flash flooding washed out several county bridges. On Tuesday, he said crews were working through the heat to make temporary repairs.
“We're telling our employees and our workers that are assisting us to make sure you drink a lot of water, make sure you take breaks periodically, get in the shade, cool down a little bit,” he said earlier in the week.
By Thursday, Hays said crews had completed repairs on the final two bridges, marking a significant step in restoring access across the county.
“The bridge that we're standing on right now was impassable,” Hays said from the middle of the bridge on Gay Cemetery Road. “It was completely washed out and was dangerous to even get around, and now that this bridge has been replaced within 5 days by a temporary bridge that is functional and safe.”
Although county bridges have been repaired, officials and community organizers said residents face a much longer recovery as they work to repair private property and replace what was lost.
“We've had a variety of things that have happened from people's driveways getting washed out, we've had vehicles that have just been destroyed or washed down into the river,” Brian Murray, public relations manager at PRTC said.
“There's more damage and people reporting damage each day,” shared Kathy Spurlock from the Jackson County Off Roaders Association.
“With FEMA only covering the dwelling, that's only going to be a fraction of what people have lost,” added Murray.
To help address unmet needs, Murray and Spurlock helped set up a Jackson County flood relief fund with encouragement from Jackson County Emergency Management Director Jamie Strong.
“It was evident quickly that there were going to be people that didn't have either any insurance, didn't have enough insurance, or they were not going to be qualified for any type of assistance,” Murray said. “We saw that these people were going to be in the gap and they were going to be left behind as far as any help they could possibly get. That's why we're doing this fundraising.”
The number of properties with reported damage continues to rise, reaching 75 as of Thursday afternoon. Organizers said the damage and needs vary from property to property.
“The needs are changing, certainly weekly and sometimes even daily,” said Murray. “That's why we're doing this GoFundMe and these two special accounts because we can take that money and meet specific needs that people have in specific situations.”
The two special accounts Murray referenced are at Jackson County Bank and Citizens Bank. Donations can be made directly to the Jackson County Flood Relief account through either bank.
Contributions can also be made through the GoFundMe page, which can be found through the following link;
https://gofund.me/b91d4057c
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here