|
| |
Sharing
information to protect and support children and youth in the aftermath of
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria
|
| |
|
Sharing information to protect and support children and youth
in the
aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The Children’s Defense Fund – Texas and Children’s Defense Fund – Southern Regional Office are
committed to raising awareness about the challenges facing children, connecting
children and families to resources that help to meet their needs, and working
with partners to coordinate broad support to improve the well-being of
children. The Children’s Defense Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit child advocacy
organization that works relentlessly to ensure a level playing field for all
children.
This
newsletter is published to help families and communities in Texas, Louisiana, Florida,
Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands recovering from Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane
Irma, and Hurricane Maria protect and support children and youth. Please,
share this information widely and let us know of additional resources.
If
you have questions, wish to share articles, or have suggestions email us
at Harvey@childrensdefense.org.
Thank you for remembering the most vulnerable among us as recovery begins.
|
|
© Photo - NBC News
|
NEW
RESOURCES AND ARTICLES OF INTERST FOR COMMUNITIES:
Tips
and Books to Help Kids Recover from the Hurricanes by
Psychology Today.
LeadingAge and National Church Residences launched a “Hurricane
Services for Seniors Hotline” to triage and help match people needing assistance,
particularly older adults and people with disabilities. Call 844-259-4747, Monday – Friday, 8 am -
5 pm ET.
Hurricanes
can be “a disaster on top of a disaster” for people of color and people living
in poverty. This
CNN article captures discrepancies in the recovery efforts post
Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria.
Read and share Disaster Recovery Updates from the National Law Income Housing Coalition
Find
information about efforts to restore affordable housing after natural and
man-made disasters.
|
|
|
Hurricane Harvey Resources
|
|
© Photo - Tim Fadek, CNN
|
TEXAS FEMA ANNOUNCEMENT
Don’t Wait to Clean Debris. FEMA
instructs households to clean up debris and not wait for FEMA home inspectors
or flood insurance inspectors. More than 87,000 flood insurance claims have
been filed with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Even though
FEMA has deployed more than 2,000 inspectors, it may take up to 30 days for an
inspector to reach someone’s home.
|
|
© Photo - CNN
|
Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services: Resources/How to Help:
https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/About_DFPS/News/2017/2017_09_01-Help_For_Harvey.asp
Free
help line: Optum
is offering a free emotional-support
help line to impacted individuals. The toll-free number, 866-342-6892, will be open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, for as long as necessary. The service is free of charge
and open to anyone. Callers may also receive referrals to community resources.
Along with the toll-free help line, emotional-support resources and information
are available online at www.liveandworkwell.com.
Back-To-School
Starting
Monday, the
last seven schools of the Houston Independent School District will reopen for
students. All seven schools will provide
transportation and free meals.
Additional
resources:
|
|
© Photo - Carlos Giusti
|
More
places to donate:
|
|
|
Hurricane Irma Resources
|
|
© Photo - Jessica Rinaldi, Boston Globe
|
USDA FOOD ASSISTANCE
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that households who may not normally be eligible under the
regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food
stamps) rules may qualify for D-SNAP -- if their income is under the
disaster limits and they have qualifying disaster-related expenses. D-SNAP
eligible households in the affected areas will receive two months of benefits,
equivalent to the maximum amount of benefits normally issued to a SNAP
household of their size. Find more about Florida’s D-SNAP program.
IN GEORGIA FEMA TEAM ARE CANVASSING
Teams made up of FEMA disaster specialists are
working in Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh counties to give residents
an opportunity to register for disaster assistance. They are also working to
identify and address immediate and emerging needs.
FLORIDA DIVISION OF EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
The Florida Division of Emergency Assistance reported more than 500 FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance
Teams (DSAT) are currently active across all 48 Individual Assistance (IA)
declared counties. They have visited more than 6,460 homes, interacted with
more than 5,600 survivors and registered more than 3,200 survivors for IA.
DSATs visit disproportionately impacted communities to offer individuals
in-person, case specific assistance and guidance for registering for IA and
accessing available resources.
LOCAL
HEROES
Shout
out to Trinity Church Miami, our Children's Defense
Fund Freedom Schools® program partner, for its contributions to the post
hurricane recovery. Over
the last two weeks, its volunteers, many of whom are CDF Freedom Schools servant leader interns, assisted more than 10,000
people in the Miami-Dade County area.
|
|
© Photo - Linda Freeman Trinity Church Miami
|
More
places to donate:
- Donate to the Hurricane
Irma Community Recovery Fund.
- Give through Global
Giving
to help affected in the Caribbean. After ensuring emergency response is
covered, this fund will shift to longer term reconstruction.
- Support
women living in temporary shelters by donating to Support the Girls.
Miami
Dade County
Visit
recovery
website
to find the latest information (FEMA assistance, transit, tolls, animal
services…) about recovery and cleanup efforts in the Miami-Dade County
|
|
|
Hurricane Maria Resources
|
|
© Photo - Hector Retamal, AFP, Getty
|
Hurricane
Maria has
devastated Puerto Rico and its residents of whom more
than 700,000 are children. In this Vox article find out more
about the disaster and post-hurricane recovery.
FEMA
The
main page for up-to-date
resources and information on the federal response to Hurricane Maria.
HOW TO
HELP:
The
Hispanic Federation is designating 100 percent of its Hurricane Relief Fund to
recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. To donate via text, compose a new text
message for number 41444. Type UNIDOS (space) YOUR AMOUNT (space) and YOUR
NAME. (For example: Unidos 100 John Doe) Then press "send" and click
on the link to complete your donation. To donate in person, visit any Popular
Community Bank branch (account name: Hurricane Relief Effort; checking account
number: 6810893500).
HUD ISSUED A SITUATION REPORT
In the Virgin Islands prior to Hurricane Maria, HUD indicated that
displaced public housing families receiving tenant protection vouchers from the
Virgin Islands Housing Authority (VIHA) would need to be able to work with
housing authority staff for in-person program briefings. Prior to Hurricane
Maria hitting Puerto Rico, HUD was considering relocating families to shelters
in San Juan. It is unclear now where these families can be relocated.
Additionally, VIHA has not successfully contacted the approximately 1,300
existing voucher families in their program, but will continue their efforts.
Given funding restrictions, VIHA cannot use public housing funds to assist
existing voucher holders with relocation if these families need to move either
on or off the island.
|
|
© Photo - Linda Freeman, Trinity Church Miami
|
|
|
|
|
