Published: November 21, 2008 09:37 pm         

$6M grant to help disaster efforts in Valley

TERRE HAUTE — The Wabash Valley Long-Term Disaster Recovery Coalition and United Way of the Wabash Valley have received a grant of $6 million from the 2008 Indiana Natural Disaster Fund to help support recovery work from the storms and floods in February and June. Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties were five of the 19 counties with funded projects.

The total of the grants in this round of funding is $14.8 million.

The grants come from the 2008 IND Fund, which was established in June with a $45 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to the Indiana Association of United Ways. The United Way or community foundation in each county proposed funding for projects ranging from helping individuals rebuild homes to reconstructing or repairing public facilities.

“Indiana’s recovery efforts have been extraordinary in the way people have responded to the needs of local citizens and communities,” said Roger Frick, Indiana Association of United Ways president. “An estimated 5,000 volunteers have been engaged in flood recovery work across the state since March.”

The Wabash Valley Long-Term Disaster Recovery Coalition with United Way of the Wabash Valley will use the $6 million to aid families with unmet needs. Troy Fears, executive director of the United Way, said, “It is exciting to see our five-county area come together to meet the needs of families in our communities. We look forward to aid in rebuilding the lives of those affected by the floods.”

Factors determining grant awards include local needs, available resources, the scale and type of the damage, local demographics and other funding commitments. Applications are based on the recommendations of local United Ways or community foundations, which work with other local groups to set priorities for the funds.

Round 1 grants from the IND Fund were made during the summer. They provided for immediate-assistance needs and supported the creation of an infrastructure of support groups to organize and carry out the recovery work.

More than $3 million was awarded for that work in 35 counties. Round 2 comprises four additional application cycles. Proposals for projects in the hardest-hit counties were invited for the first cycle. Proposals for additional projects in these counties and projects in other counties with disaster declarations will be covered in the three remaining cycles.