Six Local Organizations Join WCLTRG Efforts for Tornado Survivors

DRESDEN (May 17) – Six Weakley County organizations have allied with Weakley County Long Term Recovery Group (WCLTRG) following the December 10, 2021, tornado. Dresden Church of Christ, Dresden First Baptist Church, Dresden Rotary Club, Greenfield Church of Christ, Lebanon Church of Christ and Weakley County Baptist Association have joined the effort and currently have $710,299 available to distribute for unmet needs.

A representative from each of the six organizations will attend allocation committee meetings for case manager presentations to determine how much funding is required to assist in each unmet need, which is determined through a blind application process. Each organization will hold their funds until it is time to pay contractors or vendors. United Way serves as the fiscal agent for the WCLTRG and will maintain records of all payments for the 10-year reporting period.

Before partnering with WCLTRG, these six organizations collectively distributed $200,920 in donations over the past five months to assist a total of 71 households. They have also distributed food, toiletries, clothing, appliances, and furniture in addition to the monetary assistance. “Today, our main goal is ensuring every survivor knows about the resources available to them. We encourage everyone in our community to share information about the Weakley County Long Term Recovery Group and the partnering organizations, so we can provide assistance to all who need it,” said Alisha Melton, WCLTRG Co-Chair.

WCLTRG has also been in contact with leadership at Inspiritus, a regional disaster relief organization operating since 1981 with a long-term recovery focus on home repairs and construction. Dependent upon grant funding, Inspiritus may in the future provide volunteers and building materials for unmet needs in Dresden under the direction of WCLTRG Volunteer Chair Karen Wilson and Construction Chair Tommy Wilson.

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has one fully-trained case manager actively working in Weakley County to assess survivors’ needs and plan to have three more by the end of May who will work with WCLTRG in the assessment process.

Thus far, 641 survivors have been identified with 156 household screenings conducted. Of those 156, it has been determined that 49 households cannot recover on their own, 66 are unsure if they can recover on their own and 41 have either already recovered or will recover on their own. Case managers have been unable to speak with 53 survivors due to unanswered calls or messages.

If you or someone you know has an unmet need as a result of the December 10, 2021, Dresden tornado and have not yet been in contact with WCLTRG or a case manager, please call 731-699-7913.