Last Updated: Wednesday July 20th at 7:30 pm
What we KNow
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July 20, 2016
A few updates tonight: Recommendations for individuals working with volunteers: We've received recommendations regarding the use of volunteers by individuals. A safety briefing is recommended. These vary by task, but there are some volunteers who have received training and are able to train others. The Ashland County Health Department has some supplies (such as gloves) and instructions for safe cleaning practices. It's recommended that individuals keep a sign in and sign out sheet for volunteers, as documentation for potential reimbursement. It's also recommended that individuals ask volunteers to complete a liability waiver form (templates available on the Wisconsin Emergency Management and FEMA websites.) A place to send donations for Ashland County: The county has established the Ashland County Disaster Relief Fund and is accepting donations at Northern State Bank branches in Mellen, Glidden, Butternut and Ashland. This fund will be used for long term unmet recovery needs. We are seeking clarification whether the funds are intended for individuals or municipalities, and what the application criteria will be, and will share information when we receive it. Well Water Test Kits and Red Cross Flood Cleanup Kits are available through Ashland County Health and Human Services. A new loan program for townships has been established by the county, which will offer up to $200,000 per township. This will help to alleviate some of the issues presented by the fact that FEMA and Wisconsin Disaster Relief are reimbursement funds, and townships are facing many needs right now which they cannot cover with their current fund balances. A thank you to all of you from Mayor Deb Lewis: "I am hearing many thanks from around the region for the efforts being made by this community. My profound thanks to you for the good work you are doing!" Help needed in the City of Ashland: Many individuals with major flooding need help getting destroyed stuff to the dump on Saturday. This is a really important step for our community's public health and well being. If you are able to help with a truck or van, please contact Wendy Kloiber at wendykloiber@gmail.com or PM her on Facebook. Please check individual community pages for updated needs lists, locations and times! And stay cool and hydrated tomorrow, friends. ___________________________________________________ July 18, 2016 Lots of updates today. Thank you to everyone who is making time to share needs and share resources. City of Ashland: City Clerk Kim Westman has reached out to this volunteer group for help for some Ashland residents who need assistance with getting destroyed stuff to the Free Dump Day coming up on Saturday the 23rd. If you have a truck and can assist, contact Wendy Kloiber at wendykloiber@gmail.com or PM her on Facebook with your contact information. Marengo/Sanborn/Highbridge: Kara Neveaux has taken on the role of Supplies Coordinator for this region. She can be reached at 715 682-0254, and she's also rocking it on the Chequamegon Bay Flood Relief Volunteers Facebook page. See the Marengo/Sanborn/Highbridge page for more contacts, donation drop off and pick up locations, times, and needs. We are aware of a few homeowners with substantial cleanup needs in Sanborn and Marengo and are working to set up cleaning help on an individual basis. Chris Corrigan will share more soon. Bad River: The Bad River Command Center is managing volunteer operations. Their cleanup volunteer needs are extensive. We'll share more as we learn. Mellen: We are in touch with some folks and are working on a contact person. Countywide: The Red Cross has been invited into Bad River (the Red Cross goes where it is invited) and has set up a MultiAgency Resource Center at the Bad River Community Center 72772 Elm Street, Odanah, WI. It will be open July 19th, from 1 pm to 8 pm and July 20th from 9 am to 1 pm. Services available include housing information, bulk items, clean up kits, comfort kits, water, recovery information and more. For additional information contact 715-563-6188. Volunteers from other areas are reaching out to see how they can help, and we are working to connect them to local officials and a priorities list of needs. Thus far we haven't needed to do a major phonebanking/recruitment of volunteers as most things we've been asked for help with are localized or specific. Thanks to everyone for being responsive on Facebook to our quick-turnaround requests! If you signed up on the spreadsheet, stay tuned; we'll be reaching out when people are ready for you! A note to you all from Kim Westman: "Thanks to all who are willing to give their assistance to people in need. It is greatly appreciated." July 16th, 2016 "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." - Mr. Rogers Huge thanks to the hundreds of you who have signed up on the Chequamegon Bay Flood Relief Volunteers Facebook page. We've created this site to make it easier to find information and answers to frequently asked questions. Here are some things we've learned in the past few days: Local officials are working hard to assess damage and file reports that will become the basis of requests for FEMA and Wisconsin disaster relief aid. There are many needs for volunteer and financial assistance. It's crucial that volunteers respond to identified needs, so that the help being offered is helpful. As information developed after the flood, the Bad River community articulated clear needs that volunteers were able to respond to quickly. In the southern part of the county, needs are beginning to emerge and responses are being to flow. Needs in the Bad River community are now being addressed through the Bad River Flood Command Center. We will amplify requests made by the Command Center and help to meet them. In order to work with volunteers safely and avoid liability, municipalities must provide a training program that meets FEMA standards. The Bad River community has set up a train-the-trainer training and will soon be able to train volunteers. We are waiting for word that Ashland County is ready to offer training as well. Here are our plans for the next two days:
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Here is a link to Northern Wisconsin Flooding Updates and Incident Reports:
Here is a link to the most up to date information on road closures etc from the WI DOT:
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Elle Abeles-Allison
(715) 209-4141, wizbatella@gmail.com Chris Corrigan (248) 807-1614, ccorrigan@sdak12.net Jacob Gigler (773) 954-2956, jacobagc@gmail.com Wendy Kloiber (715) 209-8044, wendykloiber@gmail.com |
