Rita Restoration page 2

	The American Red Cross had dozens of volunteers on the ground and running from the very early days. They ran chain saws and did a lot of clearing of brush and debris from right-of-ways and cleared trees from houses. The ARC was responsible for all of the activities of the Texas Baptist Men. The ARC set up a point of distribution in the area supplying necessities of life such as toiletries and cleaning supplies. The ARC also set up a center at First United Methodist Church in Newton. During their 30 day tenure in October they performed a number of duties. They did case work, made home visits, passed out supplies, and issued 1000 debit cards to people with great needs. The church gave out some debit cards, gas vouchers, and prescription vouchers. One woman upon receiving a voucher for gasoline cried to get something that seems so basic to our society, but there were countless scores of people unable to do anything for themselves. They had nothing. The ARC lived at the church without electricity for 15 days, without running water for 5 days, and without shower facilities for 2.5 weeks. They suffered with us. Because of the great devastation, Deweyville took a lot longer to clear the hurdles of the early recovery period and get basic services working again. The outlying areas of the county were without electricity for over a month, and these people did not have running water either because they are on well water. With great local leadership coordinating with federal and non-profit agencies such as FEMA and the American Red Cross, much was accomplished in rebuilding of infrastructure and obtaining near normal supplies of food, gasoline and other basic necessities.


	The First Red Cross group at the church arrived in such a hurry that some things had to be makeshift. However, that did not slow down the "A" Team for one minute!





	Reflecting on the turmoil and work at our church facility during this time, I think it was probably the highest utilization that the building realized in years. It was the first time that parking was a problem!


	At the beginning of the recovery period, our facility was setup up as a shelter for those who had severe damage to their homes. Unfortunately, we were not well equipped for intermediate term residency. We had no generator, and therefore, no electricity. We had no water until the rest of the area had water restored. Even after water was restored, we have no facilities for bathing. We want to be able to provide better facilities, if needed, in the future.


	As I recall, it was over 100 degrees this day, so you see the Red Cross person doing intake in the shade outside.






	Note the Red Cross sign on the building in the background. This is still early in the recovery period when the "A" team was present.




	Right after the first Red Cross team was pulled out, we had a shopping spree with the foods that were left in our fellowship hall.
	Shortly after the first group was abruptly recalled, a second group of Red Cross volunteers came to the church. This group was well equipped with medical personnel, mental health workers, case workers, and intake experts. This group was able to issue the debit cards to the people of Newton.

	Our medical facility with our doctor and one of the nurses






	Yes, the Red Cross actually did issue over 1000 debit cards in Newton


	The Red Cross operated a Point of Distribution (POD) at the church





	After group 2 came, there was a rotation of personnel as people came and left. As the Red Cross was preparing to leave at the end of October, the church presented them with a going away cake. They were also our guests at a Newton Football Game.




	There were other organizations and agencies present during this period of recovery

	Rev. Richard Prather from the Longview District, White Oak United Methodist Church brought supplies for us to give out to those with the greatest needs.


	Rev. Harold Coburn and laypersons from Waskom First United Methodist Church accompanied Richard with a large trailer full of foodstuffs that were used to feed the emergency workers at the cafeteria


	Rev. Russell Watkins from Holy Trinity in Houston drove a van full of supplies for the people of Newton


	The quiet ones! The Salvation Army was present for an extended period of time providing food for the community.


	Catholic Charities came all of the way from Beaumont and set up operations in the United Methodist Church. They issued a substantial number of debit cards to those most in need.


	FEMA set up a station in front of the Pickett Fence Restaurant. Some people in Newton eventually got some aid from FEMA and some did not. The Station was not very efficient. There were quite a few FEMA people on the site working with the EOC. They were as helpful as they could be! It was during this time that our local government leadership made us so very proud. Our County Judge, The Honorable Truman Dougharty, the City Manager, Donnie Meek, the County Sheriff, Joe Walker, and the Newton City Police Chief, Ricky Simmons all did incredible jobs in securing resources and working feverishly to get Newton up and running. The entire County and City staff did a yeoman's job of going above and beyond the call of duty! Every day in the morning and in the evening the EOC met with numerous agencies and organizations to plan and implement local recovery programs.


	One of the many EOC meetings

	Intermediate Recovery Newton County is a very poor county. Unemployment has been double digits for many years. Hundreds of people live in substandard housing, and some smaller communities look like third world countries that are seen in the news media. The poor of Newton County people suffered the most, and continue to suffer from loss of income, resources, lack of medical care, and housing. Towards the end of October it seemed obvious to many of us that the rebuilding of housing would be the next step in recovery. We established a grass roots organization called Citizens Organized for Rita Recovery or CORR. We had no idea how we were going to even begin the impossible task much less how to complete it. Two things happened that help the pieces fall together. First, the Mennonite Disaster Service had been in the area doing tree removal from houses. They first appeared in Newton in Mid October and stayed until the end of April.













	Discussions with the Mennonite Disaster Service revealed that they also had considerable construction skills and resources, and that they would be available the first of the year to supply skilled labor for rebuilding. About that same time we received a $29,576 grant from the Governor’s office. We put this money together with free and highly skilled labor from the Mennonites and began the rebuilding process. CORR organized a group of case workers who were paid through a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The CORR office has utilized training from FEMA to develop an 8 page intake form to ascertain the needs of people and their available resources. Some of the supplies purchased have been from FEMA money that the people received. Case work is important in trying to meet peoples’ needs and in determining who needs help the most. The people we serve have next to nothing in assets, very limited income, are disabled, elderly and are primarily minorities. Several faith based organizations including Church World Service have contributed funds amounting to several thousand dollars. Volunteer church groups have come to assist with the building effort. The Indianapolis based Habit for Humanity group came to Newton and built a brand new house for a family in Sand Jack, a rural community.

	The fascinating part of various projects has been the number of people who have been attracted to the action in Newton County. The National Director of UMCOR, Tom Hazelwood, paid us a visit to see what we are doing. During the construction of the habitat home a number of dignitaries and organizations such as FEMA, Governor Perry’s office, and the American Red Cross came by to observe. Some dignitaries even came to work. The following shot was not posed! Many people in Newton County feel abandoned by the rest of the country. It is always a morale booster to know that someone in our representative government cares about the people and not just about the ballot box.

	United States Representative, Kevin Brady, helps out at the Habitat House build. Link to Habitat house project.
	With the modest funding that we have received from the state grant and faith based organizations we have completed or will shortly complete 29 homes. The reason we have been able to accomplish so much with so little money is the availability of free labor, especially the free and skilled labor of the Mennonite Disaster Service. The Mennonite Disaster Service has completed 148 projects that include tree and debris removal as well as 39 different home construction projects. Faith based organizations that have sent work teams have completed another six residential projects. We have also begun the reconstruction of the Mark and Lydia Bean Youth Center. The Youth Center is an ongoing project to transform the old Kerr High School property into a community center. Kerr High School was the Black high school during the era of segregation and is now located in a very poor area of town. Some of these projects are listed as hyperlinks on the right hand side at the top of this page and also on page 1 of Rita Restoration. The website for the Mennonite Disaster Service is http://www.mds.mennonite.net

	The Future for Newton County
	The first phase of emergency relief is in progress in Newton County. Many emergency and urgent repairs have been accomplished thanks to the assistance of various government agencies and faith based organizations, especially the Mennonite Disaster Service. However, there are still many people without the resources to obtain adequate housing, and many of the repairs accomplished only satisfied the initial goal of stopping water from coming in the homes and causing more damage. These homes still need other repairs. There are still many houses with FEMA Blue tarps on the roof and with significant interior damages caused by leaking roofs. According to the FEMA Consolidated Report on DR 1606 Texas Hurricane Rita, the unmet needs for Newton County are estimated to be $2,697,559. This estimate is arrived at by taking the estimated inspected damage and subtracting from it the FEMA award. This number is very conservative. Our own experience proves that many people who received FEMA funding only received enough to buy some or all the materials. They did not receive anything to pay for labor. Also, many people were turned down completely because of “pre-existing conditions. Those that did receive some money from FEMA are not skilled enough to know what to do. One of our clients hired a contractor who skipped out on her taking $2000 of her money with him. People need both money and assistance in rebuilding their homes. Another way of estimating the amount of money needed to finish rebuilding homes in the area is to consider the number of homes left to rehabilitate. The same FEMA report quoted above says that 6,338 people registered for help from FEMA. That is very close to ½ the population of Newton County. 236 of those received either $5,200 or $10,500 money for repairs or for replacement. That leaves approximately 6000 who did not receive any money or less than $5,200. A conservative estimate would be to assume that 80% of those 6000 homeowners have been able to take care of their own needs or will be able to do so. That leaves about 1200 homes in need of repair or complete replacement. Assuming an average of $10,000 per home for materials, that amounts to about 12 million dollars for material alone. Unfortunately, the volunteer help is tapering off. The Mennonite Disaster Service left in April. Fewer churches are lined up to come and help. It is necessary to shift to paid workers. There is no other alternative. Since $12 Million would only buy materials, labor costs will essentially double that figure to $ 24 Million. None of this analysis takes into account the impact of Rita on the economy. Businesses have closed permanently because to the destruction of property. People were without work for an extended period of time, and some still are without work directly as a result of Rita. Business property throughout the county is damaged or destroyed. No agency is helping these businesses rebuild. People have developed medical problems and some have died as a result of the stress. Almost everybody has been traumatized to some extent. Because of the stress, many people are unable to help themselves or help each other. Our area churches are doing what they can to help as is the local government. However, it is obvious that the present condition of the county can not be resolved without massive intervention and help from outside the county. Current Pleas for Assistance The greatest need is for the funds to be able to implement the programs and projects necessary to accomplish the rebuilding efforts. Pictures on the TV of people struggling in the flood waters of New Orleans brought America to her feet and opened pocketbooks around the world. We were fortunate not to have severe flooding like New Orleans did. However, the devastation from wind and falling trees was horrific and the Rita Restoration effort continues.
	Go Back to Page 1 of Rita Restoration
	There are projects in Newton Country waiting for some volunteer group that is willing to do the necessary work. Are you a member of a group that is willing to put your faith into action? Email us or call Pastor Joe at 409-379-3481. Also, monetary donations may be made for this work. 100% of money donated goes to help people in need. There are no administrative charges. Checks may be made out to First United Methodist Church (or simply FUMC) Rita Restoration Fund. Mailing address is FUMC, 308 High Street, Newton, TX. 75966