Madison county to launch new long-term disaster recovery community

The Madison County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved launching a long-term disaster recovery committee in their monthly meeting on Monday. The new committee, composed of local citizens, businesses and faith-based groups, would step in to help families recover from disasters.

Meredith Lee from The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency presented to the board, asking them to approve the project and nominate two people from each district to serve on the committee.

“We never know when a natural disaster is going to happen, and when it happens, there’s so many people who are uninsured or have no insurance,” Lee said.

Natural Disasters in MS:https://data.clarionledger.com/rolling-storm-damage-report/

The agency has set up 45 long-term disaster recovery committees in the state so far.

The long-term disaster recovery committee would intervene only if disasters are not declared by The Federal Emergency Management Agency. Though the legislature approved up to $250,000 for non-declared disasters for building materials, the county would still need people to help rebuild homes.

Besides providing a room for the long-term recovery committee meetings, there would be no cost to Madison county.

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"We have more non-declared disasters than we do anything," Lee said. "If it's not declared, [citizens] are left to try and figure out how they are going to get help, and then you get citizens that either lose their homes or have to move out of this county."