Recovery efforts are still ongoing in Wilkinson County after the August 2016 flooding thanks to volunteers from around the U.S. A Community Based Recovery Committee (CBRC) in Wilkinson County was established in September of this year to coordinate and provide building materials for repairing damaged homes as well as collecting donated essentials (canned goods, water, toiletries, etc.).
The CBRC’s Chairman, Liz McGraw, is passionate about and dedicated to this community and i...ts recovery. McGraw along with the Committee aim to have 10 homes completed by January 2017. The tireless recovery efforts ongoing in Wilkinson County would not be possible without volunteers such as the CBRC, local citizens, volunteer organizations like Americorps, and various denominations of Church congregations from all over Mississippi and even nationwide.
Every donation counts for this community. If you would like to donate or volunteer, please contact the CBRC Chairman, Liz McGraw, at 601-431-9151.
More about the CBRC:
In September of this year, MEMA along with Gov. Phil Bryant and U.S. Representative Gregg Harper awarded a $250,000 post-disaster grant to Wilkinson County to assist residents with repairing homes damaged by flooding. This assistance is being provided by MEMA to the non-profit Community Based Recovery Committee (CBRC) in Wilkinson County with remaining funds from the Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) awarded to Mississippi by FEMA following Hurricane Katrina. The requirement of the original AHPP grant is that the funds must be used for on-going housing needs as a result of the disaster.
Wilkinson County, through the CBRC, has used 100% of the funds from this grant for affordable home ownership, materials and supplies to repair flood-damaged homes, and rental assistance for low and moderate-income people with on-going housing needs.
"Prior to this initiative, there was never a source of funding to buy building materials for residents who did not qualify for federal assistance," said MEMA Executive Director Lee Smithson. "I am extremely proud of my staff for thinking of a creative solution to help those affected by this disaster."
