Committee forms to assist flood victims

A gathering of community leaders from Kempner, Lampasas and Lometa as well as representatives from several faith communities and service agencies in Lampasas County was held recently at First Presbyterian Church in Lampasas.

The purpose was to begin the process of establishing a Long- Term Recovery Committee to help with both public and individual recovery needs of Lampasas County after May floods.

Carmen Hess, volunteer agency liaison from the individual assistance program of FEMA, informed the group that the number of households in Lampasas County registered for aid is 12,000. She also said others are affected but for a variety of reasons they have not registered.

Christie Gilbreath, volunteer agency liaison from the State of Texas Individual Assistance Program, said many in the county are not eligible for federal aid due to the official timeframe established for emergency aid for those affected by flooding in Central Texas. However, communities with a Long-Term Recovery Committee will be able to tap into other resources that are available in order to provide for the needs of its residents.

Harvey Howell of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program of the PCUSA, said the best people to rebuild a community and to re-establish relationships are the community's residents themselves. Howell encouraged those gathered to immediately establish a steering committee responsible for adopting by-laws and nominating community members to serve as board members on the Long-Term Recovery Committee.

City Manager Michael Stoldt, Lampasas County Emergency Management Coordinator Angela Rainwater, Salvation Army Chair Sue Burgdorfer, Ray McCoy of the county Ministerial Alliance and First Presbyterian Minister Kelly Yeager-Chadwick volunteered to serve as the steering committee.

The group plans to meet Monday. Their goals are to meet the individual and public recovery needs caused by spring floods and to organize a collaborative effort of community agencies and volunteers in case of future disasters.