steering committee meeting -
12/03/2014

Tri-County LTR Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

December 3, 2014

(Unapproved)

The Steering Committee meeting of Tri-County Long Term Recovery was called to order at 9:06 a.m. by Chairman Jim Fassino. In attendance were Darius Alemzadeh, Terry Bibo, Ben Davidson, Capt. Katherine Clausell, Kevin Gramm, Trish O'Neal, Jennifer Orban, Lu Ori, Alyssa Pollock, Liz Pollack, Tom Pelger, Betsy Pratt, Mark Roberts, Tim and Barb Slagel, Jeff Turnbull, Kitty Yanko.

November minutes: Approved.

Chairman's report: As LTR prepares for dormancy and offers its findings to other communities, committee minutes will be critical, Fassino said. He urged all committees to send minutes to Bibo, and said he'd like Pollock to lead an ad hoc group.

Vice chairman: Orban said she would be glad to help by reaching out to Joplin, MO. She also has a flash drive containing many of the previous minutes, which may make a good start.

Spirit/emotional: O'Neal said the committee has not met recently, but has been working on Ëœdon't let one disaster become another' materials. She said they've finished a piece on domestic violence and are looking for funding to get the message out. Fassino said perusing social media indicates some returning residents had assumed they would feel better now, but don't. Turnbull said some people are calling in. O'Neal said the committee would hold its next meeting the first week in January; she will advise Bibo when the date is set.

Communications: Bibo thanked everyone, particularly the case workers, for going above and beyond the call of duty during the media onslaught prompted by the one-year anniversary of the tornadoes. Front-page stories involving LTR were written by the Chicago Tribune, Peoria Journal Star, Pekin Daily Times and Catholic Post. H. Wayne Wilson did a one-hour special on WTVP, as well as a Thanksgiving story featuring tornado survivors. Local television stations did stories, as did Chicago-based WLS and WGN. Denise Molina did a lengthy feature with multiple interviews on WCBU; Decatur's WSOY interviewed Orban. Reporters indicated they were pleased with the information available on myltr.org, which has been in a preliminary version for their convenience. Revamping the website for more general use, which will include materials needed to assemble œbest practices and prepare for dormancy, is the next goal. Committee members were urged to offer items for Facebook, which needs constant content updates.

Donations: Roberts said sending one last truckload to Gilford may mark the end of the Ëœlong national nightmare' of overabundant bottled water supplies provided by enthusiastic donors. He said recent media coverage prompted a local man to come in and help by writing a $20,000 check for LTR's use. After a question about reports for the McCormick grant at the November meeting, Roberts said the foundation called Ëœliterally the next day.' He has already provided information to them, and offered special thanks to Turnbull and Friendship House for their help.

Volunteer Management: Davidson said they had more workers than work at the Nov. 15 volunteer day, the last of the 2014 season. The volunteer effort will be dormant over the winter and reassess in the spring. He said they are pondering a way to match a sheet of jobs with a sheet of volunteers and Ëœeliminate the middle man,' but that idea is preliminary. Alemzadeh suggested they partner more with the construction management committee. Davidson said there have been some bad experiences with construction quality in the past; a deck had to be rebuilt. Turnbull noted there could be confidentiality questions, and difficulty enforcing rules.

Disaster Case Management: Pollock said there are 332 cases open and 679 closed for a total of 1011 cases; several can be closed with soil remediation funds. There are 41 unassigned cases. Pelger said that number continues to go down; Pollock predicted the number of cases presented will peak over the next couple of months. Of some concern, FEMA has asked some clients for money back. Like soil remediation, the extent of that potential problem is difficult to gauge.

Pets: Yanko said the Peoria Humane Society board of directors is very interested in pursuing acquisition of an emergency trailer. She will report back after the group's December board meeting. They may decide to help pay the $12,000 match for the16-foot-long trailer which would provide space and supplies for 65 or more pets. AKC would pay the other half; Tazewell EMA would keep it, since it could be used for disasters around the state.

Funder's Forum: Fassino said new organizations continue to join. Challenges to come include soil remediation, and rent, as insurance runs out. He said he has been pleased with both the case managers's work to discover needs and the funders' willingness to help meet needs.

Construction Management: No calls returned.

Finance:. Gramm said LTR has spent $163,498.31, leaving a balance of $389,045.04, with $914.27 in checking.

Morton LTR: Davidson said Denny Schlappi of New Castle Bible Church in Morton, head of the Morton Ministerial Association, has proposed aligning under LTR leadership. The group would like to prepare for future emergencies by dividing up duties. To do so, a one-page job description of what each job entails should be provided to all the Morton churches before a joint meeting in January or February. Turnbull said it could be a test case for Peoria churches. Alemzadeh wondered about including non-Christians. Fassino said the FEMA information could be a starting point for job descriptions. Orban said the LTR flowchart might help. Pelger and Pratt said it is important to figure out how this will fit in with Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Davidson said he will work on a date for the meeting.

Soil remediation: Davidson said if the major players commit to $1,000 per case, the smaller organizations might feel more comfortable committing funds. Pelger said not all families' needs are the same; an inconvenient expense for one is a huge burden for another. Davidson said it comes down to the funder, and Fassino added that's the same for all other needs. Roberts said he was more worried about soil remediation a few months ago; cost estimates have dropped from $15,000 or $20,000 per case to $4,000 or $5,000. Pollack said more soil cases will be coming; Fassino said more resources may come, as well. Capt. Clausell said the Salvation Army has committed funds to soil remediation and her goal is to maximize the reach. Ori said an aerial map of the tornado's path might help ascertain how many properties would be affected; Pollack said there are 500 building permits still out there. Fassino said the unknown needs are the œ800-pound gorilla in the room and Turnbull said the community should be told. Alemzadeh said the computer data can be used to project some of the non-soil needs; Roberts said then it should be done because that would be good information to know; Fassino said some of the facts don't exist. Various caps or flat amounts were proposed; the executive committee will discuss with Communications and get back to the Funder's Forum.

Steering Committee Meeting: Will be 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 at the LTR Center.

Community Long Term Recovery meeting: Will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the LTR Center.

Other business: None.

The meeting adjourned at 10 a.m.