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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 • • 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.