Sixty-seven people in Texas County have applied for federal aid related to recent flooding before a deadline passed on Monday.
The largest number of applicants — 18 family units — are included in the Licking zip code.
A series of meeting are under way in Texas County to assist with long-term recovery needs. The first meeting was July 18 in Houston. It was headed by Mike Pickerel and Mark Russell of FEMA. Paul Richardson was elected chairman and Renee Keaton as secretary of the Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee.
A second meeting occurred Aug. 1 at Licking’s Fox Community Center. Shay Lane of Catholic Charities discussed the need for a long term recovery program to address unmet needs. The largest FEMA grant available is $33,300, which is often inadequate. Catholic Charities is available to assist in community fund raising efforts, doing screening and casework for disaster aid applicants, assisting with grants and even maintaining a multi-agency warehouse in West Plains that stocks large amounts of needed items that can be distributed in the event of a disaster, she said.
She noted long-term recovery programs are the last stop for those requesting assistance after a disaster, but it is important to register before the deadline as recovery can take many years. Joplin’s closed after five years.
Persons interested in participating in a long-term recovery for Texas County are encouraged to attend a 6 p.m. Aug. 22 meeting at the Texas County Health Department training room at 950 N. U.S. 63 in Houston. Persons interested can contact Pastor Paul Richardson at pastorpaulrichardson@gmail.com or Renee Keaton at 573-674-2521 or lickingcity@hotmail.com.