A message from the Middlesex County Long Term Recovery Group
Community Thanksgiving dinner will be served at the following locations in Middlesex County.
An Update from the NCIL Emergency Preparedness and Response Subcommittee
Christy Dunaway, Chair
As reported in our last update, the lack of appropriate and accessible services and the violation of civil rights in shelters, disaster recovery centers and post-disaster offerings, such as emergency funding and housing, has been a cause for concern among advocates. The issue has been discussed frequently at local, state and national levels. In 2010, as a result of considerable advocacy efforts from many within the disability community, NCIL entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This MOU allows NCIL and our representatives access to Disaster Recovery Centers operated by FEMA. Access by CILs and other disability-related entities to the DRCs is vital in ensuring quality outcomes. DRC staff members are not as familiar with disability and functional needs or limitations as CIL staff are. We have played an important role in individual lives through our intervention at DRCs.
The Christie Administration today announced the launch of a new program to help seniors and individuals with disabilities whose primary homes were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The Home Repair and Advocacy program, funded by an $8.2 million federal Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), is administered by the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) through Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Eligible households could receive up to $5,000.
