COAL CITY – Donations continue to come into the Community Foundation of Grundy County relief fund for victims of the June 22 EF3 tornado that struck Coal City, Braidwood and unincorporated Grundy County.
But when and how the $255,000 – and counting – is dispersed still is being considered.
“It’s the first time going through a disaster this size, with fewer resources [than the tornado that struck Diamond in 2013], and the elaborate case management system,” Community Foundation Executive Director Julie Buck said.
The June tornado resulted in four times as much damage as the November 2013 tornado in Diamond, but the fund has accumulated about half the donations the Diamond tornado did, Buck said.
“In the end, we can assure that all money will go out to tornado relief in some form. We just don’t know how yet,” she said.
A news release issued Monday by the Community Foundation encouraged those affected by the tornado who have not registered for case management services with the American Red Cross or Catholic Charities to do so. Only residents who register will be eligible to draw upon the resources being distributed.
“The main push here is to make sure tornado families are registered so data can be collected,” Buck said. “Everyone needs to be assigned a case manager, even if it’s just to check in or talk things through.”
To date, 366 households have begun their case management file and are registered to be eligible for assistance, Community Foundation Program Director Devan Gagliardo said. More than 800 properties were damaged by the tornado.
The Long-Term Relief Committee, a local group focused on tornado recovery, is cooperating with case management to identify unmet needs in the community and determine the means of distributing the contributions to those in need, according to the release. The committee focuses its efforts in six areas – crises counseling, volunteer coordination, construction coordination, community assessment, finance and donations, and case management.
Due to the efforts of communities and the aid provision partners who participated with programs such as the Multi-Agency Resource Center, more than $140,000 already has been distributed by agencies to help fill short-term needs.
Separate from the foundation's assistance fund, agencies such as the Tzu Chi Foundation donated Visa gift cards, and The Salvation Army and Catholic Charities provided victims with cash, rent assistance and car repairs, to name a few, Galiardo said.
Insurance needs to be settled first
Buck said a key issue is insurance problems need to be settled before the severity of needs can be determined. It’s not as simple as Diamond in 2013, when everyone received the same amount of money from the donated funds, she said.
Buck said 90 percent of residents affected by the tornado are insured, but it’s not fair to distribute the money to those uninsured. Final decisions will come down to specific needs.
Coal City Village Administrator Matt Fritz said many needs are not identified in the short term so the committee is trying to make sure it doesn’t deplete the fund because some needs don’t present themselves until later.
Fritz said village officials are concerned about residents, as they’ve noticed patience wearing thin while new issues arise that may not always be monetary. Fritz encourages those affected to be mindful of the mental and emotional recovery just as much as the potential of receiving donations.
“We know people are dealing with so many issues,” Fritz said. “It’s a high level of stress when trying to move on while shouldering the burden.”
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KNOW MORE
To register for case management and receive resources:
• If the first letter of your last name begins with A to D, call 815-942-6389 (We Care of Grundy County).
• If the first letter of your last name begins with E to R, call 309-357-9391 (Salvation Army).
• If the first letter of your last name begins with S to Z, call 815-774-4663, ext. 3165 (Catholic Charities).
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ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
• Crises counseling services are available at Coal City United Methodist Church, 6805 E. McArdle Road, Coal City, with Pastor Brad Shumaker.
• Supplies are still being distributed at Help 4 Hope, 1630 S. Broadway St., Coal City. The Tornado Call Center remains open and available for questions at 815-518-3047.
• Information regarding available assistance continues to be distributed through the Grundy County COAD Facebook page as well as other involved agencies and governments.
