HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-08-31, Page 3•
Stat • Wednesday, August 31, 2011
• •
e
toM recover Town gathers to share and care
i > PAGE i
t►cterirh respond appropri
t. said to the crowded. arena
without question."
lie town is physically moving
t, cleanup efforts, Dave Over -
the County of Huron noted
,titin be given to tlw well being
ividtial. To that end, re.present-
tn nt:triv of the social services
to residents outlined who they
vie they %yerr set up and what
10 toi residents_
(.re.• mo're moving than Shelley
HI tin Servit'es.'
many who lost their Mottles,
trerlgtll and determination was
hot of inspirational as she
i k to help those dealing. with
losses. It was a tearful address,
) t e poignant by her own loss,
ass ige was clear.
)nit) support is very important,"
'Allow yourself the privelege of
til and grieve vourlosses .
t.'('e'tved a standing ovation, and.
-els from the townspeople for
t' .
v e' demonstrated the powei' i'}t
said Et Schooley of the
itt'd Cross. "ihe Red Cross has
Ing all incoming inquiries from
'4)til!11ltnitit's and conducting
``-,t'ssinetlts toi Othrt social
a .ltit I'i'arce of the Salvation
ft1(.1 ich, said they have been
t ween .1 00- 1,500 people
it- Knights of Columbus Centre.
t'null. Donations of clothing
()%s Canada and the : United
'I' tilled their storage sheds.
11 riot turn anyone away," he
t lits will he taken care of."
to 1)1' obtained at Victoria Pub-
trr)tl1 12 •1 p.nt. daily.
itch, c»tr 01 tour speakers from
tl
Incident Management Teatn,
Ned reactions to the tornado
termath are "normal within
situations.`
w u has dont' an amazing job of
""'ther," he said. "Since I have
i .have not heard one single
irged residents to get back into
talk about their feelings, recon-
c.i h other and to listen to one
bile, hydro and gas reconrle'c
at 95 and 65 per cent respec-
(:hief Building Officials have
ing constantly, making sure it
downtown residents and store
gather only their most impor-
g i ngs.
.rrry McCabe outlined the
isaster Relief Assistance Pro-
)rnrnittee of six people, cepa-
the town, appointed to handle
trig monies to the town. The
n ner .and solicitors are also
steering committee to reduce
fit of red tape for those who
'build in the heritage down -
Community
meeting was a
positive experience
Dave Sykes
Goderich Signal -Star
Itwas a big hug for the
community.
It was just in time and the\
came by the hundreds.
A community meeting and sup-
port forum at the Memorial Arena
Saturday morning brought out cit-
izens to aninformation session
designed to update residents on
the status of infrastructure and the
services available to assist with
basic needs of food, shelter and
well being.
Mere were many questions that
people wanted answers to, five
days after. an 1'3 tornado ripped
apart the town and people's
homes and lives.
There was also'a reconnection,
not only with community, hut also
with community members, people
who have been too busy to inter-
act and Connect.
"It was so good to see a lot of
familiar faces again," R o y.
'tratighdri,.whose Park Street
hcirti(' was damaged by the tor
tato said. "Everybody's been busy�
doing work. This is wonderful:
Another resident who had just
buried her mother on Friday cane
to get sone information. "It's all
new to rte,' she said.
"'They did a great job, it helped
set people at ease" another 'resi
dent said.
For Rev. Allan Livingstone of St.
Georges Anglican Church the.
meeting was "a good community
builder that provided useful
information"
It was good and heartfelt," resi-
dent Katrina Bos, whose Picton
Street home sustained considera-
ble damage, said. Her Fast Street
Station business venture was
Dave Sykes Godench Stgriat-Star
About 1,000 people attended a town -wide meeting at the Goderich Memorial Arena Saturday morning to learn
about what happened, the next steps in the recovery process and how to begin the healing process.
untouched by the storm.
"It's the people aspect of all of
this that is so important," Tom Jas-
per said after the meeting.
Appointed to the communitycom-
mittee that will administer the dis-
aster relief fund, Jasper knows that
the job ahead will be an arduous.
incl demanding demanding one. But h
termed the community gathering
a "wonderful event"
With cuts and bruises on his
body after being trapped and freed
by neighbours from his St. Patrick
Street home, Jim Frayne and fam-
ily attended the public meeting.
His daughter Catherine sported
this newest in T -shin apparel pro-
claiming
ro-claiming her love .for Goderich.
With disaster experience
through Emergency Management
Ontario, Steve Beatty has wit-
nessed firsthand how communi-
ties rally and respond in the face of
adversity. His experience in
Goderich has been enlightening.
"This community is amazing
and I can't believe how it has
•
Dave Sykes Godench Signal -Star
Over 40 volunteer members of Victim Services units from six counties in
the area were on hand to assist at the public information at the Goderich
Memorial Arena Saturday morning. Before the crowds arrived, Huron
Executive director Shelley Dorey brought the group up to speed on the
status of services provided to tornado victims.
responded and rallied," he said.
"People stayed after the meeting
and there was hugs and genuine
concern expressed for each of her."
"It was a positive meeting," town
•
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CAO Larry McCabe said.
The news wasn't positive for
everyone, however, as hydro and
gas are still out of the reach of
about 40 homeowners.
Committee chosen for funding distribution
QMI Agency
A committee has been formed
to handle all incoming monies for
disaster relief in Goderich. At a
special council meeting held.
Thursday, August 25, the following
six members were approved for
the Ontario Disaster Relief
Committee:
Duncan Jewel - chosen for
political/labour experience
Tom Jasper chosen for strong
comms r nity involvement and BIA
member
Jane Dawson - years of experi-
ence with town recreation board
and fundraising
Peter Shepherd - FHA and com-
munity involvement
Mary Beth Alexander - chosen
for communications and presen-
tations skills
Doran Love -- former bank man-
ager at Scotlabank
One more name may be added
to the list, however, the committee
as -is meets for the first time
Tuesday, August 30 at town hall.
The Minister. of Municipal Affairs
will also be in attendance to set
the guidelines for the new
committee.
Any funds coming in for relief,
excluding the initial $5 million,.
will be dealt with by the commit-
tee. The job wi l l be a difficult one,
as Treasurer Judy Kay noted: "If
the emails and phone calls we are
getting are any indication, they
will have their work cut out for
them."
The job involves receiving fund-
ing applications, reviewing insur-
ance coverage, the owner's needs
and their building assessments.
The committee will have to reg-
ister as a charitable organization,
organize all funding activities and
distribute claims forms.
Mayor Deb Shewfelt said there
are already sizable donations Just
waiting to come into town, and
the setup of this committee is the
first step to being able to accept
them.