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THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
WHO SUFFERED FROM THE STORM,
THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE
WE'RE FINDING THAT MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE INITALLY CONTACTED
EITHER THROUGH FEMA OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
HAVE CONSIDERED THEMSELVES SOMEHOW UNWORTHY OF HELP
SO MANY PEOPLE WHO KEEP FEELING THAT
OTHER PEOPLE NEED THINGS MORE THAN THEY DO
THE PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS SAID “WELL HELP MY NEIGHBOR,
THEY'RE IN WORSE SHAPE THAN I AM.”
THEY REALLY NEEDED HELP AND THEY KEPT SAYING
“NO THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO NEED THINGS MORE THAN US”
BUT AT THIS POINT IN THE RECOVERY, WE'RE DISCOVERING THAT
THERE MAY BE SOME PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT THEN,
AND THEN DISCOVERED AFTERWARD THAT THEY'RE NEEDS WERE
GREATER THAN THEY HAD ANTICIPATED
AND THAT'S WHERE THE LTRC CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
AND ALREADY HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE
WE'RE A GROUP OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
THAT HAVE ALL COME TOGETHER TO MEET THIS NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
EVERYBODY FROM THE RED CROSS, SALVATION ARMY, CATHOLIC CHARITIES,
A LOT OF OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY ALL WORKING TOGETHER,
COLLABORATING ON HELPING JOPLIN RECOVER FROM THIS TORNADO,
AND THIS COLLABORATION IS CALLED THE LONG-TERM RECOVERY COMMITTEE, THE LTRC FOR SHORT.
MY HOUSE WAS AT TWENTY-FOURTH AND VIRGINIA, AND AS SOON AS THE NOISE STOPPED,
I STOOD UP, AND I THE HOUSE WAS GONE I WAS STANDING IN AN EMPTY ROOM.
THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT WAS “IT'S GONE IT'S ALL GONE.”
I WENT DOWN TO THE SALVATION ARMY, AND THAT'S WHEN I WAS ASSIGNED A CASE MANAGER.
SHE WORKED REALLY HARD AT TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE THAT WOULD HELP ME REBUILD MY HOME,
AND I HAD NO INTENTION OF REBUILDING OUT THERE UNTIL I FOUND OUT THAT OPPORTUNITY EXISTED.
THEY HAD A CEREMONIAL GROUND-BREAKING THE OTHER DAY;
I RECEIVED ONE OF THE CONVOY OF HOPE GLOBAL GREEN HOMES.
THEY'RE GOING TO REBUILD IT ON MY LOT.
I LIVED ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF TWENTY-FIFTH AND PENNSYLVANIA,
AND I KNEW BY THE LOOK ON MY DAD'S FACE THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG,
BUT NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS DID I THINK EVEN GOING DOWN THE STAIRS THAT NIGHT
THAT AN F-5 WAS GOING TO ROLL RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS.
THEY'VE DONE EVERYTHING FROM GAS CARDS, FINDING UTILITY ASSISTANCE,
ANYTHING WE COULD POSSIBLY NEED,
IF THEY DON'T HAVE IT THEY FIND IT.
YOU KNOW HOW YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, AND THEY DO TRIAGE SO THEY CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON?
AND THEY ALSO JUST LOOK AT THE SUM TOTAL THING, AND A REALLY GOOD PHYSICIAN WILL ASK
SO BESIDES THE SYMPTOMATIC STUFF, WHAT'S GOIN' ON.
YOU KNOW, IS IT THE STRESS, OR IS IT A HISTORY OF ILLNESS?
SO, CASE MANAGERS THROUGH THE LTRC DO THAT TRIAGE RIGHT, LIKE INTO WHAT YOU SEE AT A DOCTOR'S OFFICE.
THEY LOOK AT THE WHOLE PERSON, AND THEN THEY LOOK AT WHAT RESOURCES THAT PERSON HAS ALREADY,
AND THEN WHAT SUPPORT SYSTEMS DO THEY HAVE OR NOT HAVE
AND SO, ONCE THEY IDENTIFY THOSE UNMET NEEDS, THEN WE SEND THAT OUT TO A TEAM OF
CHURCES AND OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO SAY “WHO CAN HELP FULFILL THAT NEED?”
NOBODY NEEDS TO FEEL ISOLATED.
IF YOU'RE TWENTY PEOPLE LIVING IN A HOUSE THAT WAS MEANT FOR TWO, YOU NEED TO BE SEEING OUR CASE MANAGERS AND TALKING ABOUT YOUR HOUSING SITUATION,
IF YOU'RE SICK AND DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GET MEDICAL HELP, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THAT,
AND SO I LIKE IT BECAUSE IT'S A ONE-STOP SHOP THROUGH LTRC. YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUN AROUND
TOWN TO TWENTY DIFFERENT PLACES. YOU COME TO ONE PLACE AND GET THE HELP THAT YOU NEED.
IT'S THE BEST WE CAN OFFER FOR PEOPLE.
ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE WITH TRANSPORTATION?
ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR JOB OR NOT BEING ABLE TO GET A JOB?
ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE FINDING FOOD FOR YOUR FAMILY?
ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A PLACE TO SLEEP?
IF YOU HAVE UNMET NEEDS, PLEASE CALL THE NUMBER AND BEGIN TO GET INTO THE PROCESS WITH US ONCE AGAIN.
THERE'S HELP AVAILABLE FOR ANYBODY THAT NEEDS ASSISTANCE, NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF ASSISTANCE THAT YOU NEED.
I WAS NEVER THE TYPE TO ASK FOR HELP. I ALWAYS TRIED TO MAKE IT ON MY OWN.
THERE ARE SO MANY RESOURCES OUT THERE, PLEASE DON'T HESITATIE IN ASKING FOR HELP.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO CALL DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
DON'T EVER BE ASHAMED TO ASK FOR HELP THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR,
AND THE LONG-TERM RECOVERY COMMITTEE WANTS TO BE YOUR RESOURCE.