Four months after the tornadoes of March 19th, 2018, the Etowah County Long Term Recovery Committee is still working hard to return its county to a better sense of normalcy. The estimated cost of the Southside–Riddles Bend Tornado is just over 1.3 million dollars. Rainbow City removed 26,588 cubic yards of debris, while the City of Southside removed 33,788 cubic yards. The committee meets every two weeks to discuss the county’s ongoing recovery process.
“We are so fortunate to have wonderful partners in Etowah County who assist in the Long Term Recovery of those affected by the March storms. It was encouraging to see, at today’s meeting, everyone going the extra mile to identify those citizens who still have unmet needs and coordinating partner agencies and others to assist in those situations.” – (07/17/18) Josh Tanner, Etowah County Long Term Recovery committee member
TEAM Rubicon recently traveled to Etowah County to assist March 19th Tornado survivors. Team Rubicon is a volunteer organization comprised of military veterans. The organization unites the skills and experiences of veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy disaster relief teams.
To learn more about who TEAM Rubicon is watch this video https://youtu.be/JvYLUjf2v6M
Recovery in the Alabama communities affected by the tornadoes and storms of March 19-20 has topped $6.65 million in federal disaster assistance.
- Through July 8, FEMA Individual Assistance grants to Alabama survivors in the designated counties of Calhoun, Cullman and Etowah have surpassed $696,000. These Individual Assistance grants are for housing repair, personal property and other expenses.
- Over 640 damaged properties have been inspected within Calhoun, Cullman and Etowah counties, the three counties designated as eligible for Individual Assistance.
- More than $511,000 has been approved for housing assistance, including short-term rental assistance and home repair costs.
- More than $185,200 has been approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions.
- Additionally, more than $4.25 million in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofit organizations has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
– FEMA
The Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency is dedicated to providing assistance to those within the county who continue to feel the effects of the March 19th Tornadoes. If you have questions about the Long Term Recovery process, or if you are still in need of assistance, please email us at EMA@CityOfGadsden.com, or click https://gecema.com/contact/.