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Tri-County Long Term Recovery was a not-for-profit organization which coordinated assistance for people who were affected by major disasters.

Rebuilding lives takes time. Our goal was to make things as easy as possible for the people who needed help and the people who wanted to help them.

LTR got going after record floods drenched Central Illinois in the spring of 2013. Supported by the American Red Cross, FEMA and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, concerned individuals and organizations learned lessons from the response to Hurricane Sandy and the Joplin, MO tornadoes.

Primarily, we learned that coordination is key and duplication is avoidable.

A freestanding group was formed to connect multiple resources with solid information. This new LTR was to operate only during the aftermath of a major crisis. Theory became reality just a few months later when mammoth tornadoes struck Tazewell County on November 17, 2013. Thankfully, only three people were killed, but more than 1,000 homes were destroyed and hundreds of families were without shelter.

The next morning, representatives of dozens of organizations met to discuss what could be done. Tri-County LTR offered one framework to match the massive losses with the outpouring of assistance. Committees worked to coordinate everything from volunteers and financial requests to pet care.

As an example, once government and insurance resources have been tapped, LTR took any unmet needs to its monthly Funder's Forum. Clients knew their identities were confidential and their circumstances would be treated with respect. Donors knew cases had been reviewed and their contributions would be used wisely.

With the help of a $500,000 grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Tri-County LTR was able to open an office in July 2014. It was a place where case workers and clients could meet in private and the various committees could meet during the lengthy recovery process. More than a year after the tornadoes, needs continued to be uncovered.

The majority of the cases were handled by mid-2015. LTR closed its office in November and the handful of remaining cases were completed in the summer of 2016.