The long-term recovery agency in Hattiesburg, Miss., R3SM, is still getting some of its people in place, but officials with the organization say it is ready to take on the huge job of leading three of the four counties hit by the Jan. 21 tornado back from destruction.
Sheila Varnado, who retired as the agency’s executive director in 2014, has come back as volunteer chief executive officer. She said R3SM, or Recover, Rebuild, Restore Southeast Mississippi, has a long history of helping the community after a disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina or the 2013 tornado.
“We are one of the few communities in the state of Mississippi who have an existing long-term recovery organization,” she said. “There were many that were created after Katrina, but they did not stay in place.
“It’s fortunate for Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties that we did stay in place, and so we have the expertise and we’re not having to relearn or redo any of the things we already know how to do. So, yes, we’re absolutely ready.”
Varnado is working closely with chief operating officer Mavis Creagh, who is in charge of the day-to-day running of the office and making sure case management is in place. R3SM will be working with funds of more than $500,000 by the time donations from the Greater PineBelt Community Foundation and aid from FEMA come in.
Theresa Erickson, executive director of the community foundation, said R3SM won’t get that money in one lump sum. It will be distributed on a case-by-case basis as each homeowner is approved by R3SM for aid.
“Those cases come up to us, and it’s going to happen as the cases get approved,” she said. “They don’t get the whole $500,000. We give them the outgoing money to go out and get the materials to rebuild the homes as the cases are approved.”
Erickson said she has been in daily contact with Varnado and is confident R3SM can handle the job at hand, which includes dealing with faith-based and community organizations, government entities and as many as 755 homeowners with inadequate insurance and nearly 1,400 without any insurance at all.
Varnado said she saw the scope of the job was immense, which is why she decided to return to R3SM.
“When the tornado hit, I realized the amount of devastation was going to be a big undertaking for the community,” she said. “I had the skills that would be needed.
“I wanted to come back and assist in whatever way I could, knowing that Mavis was going to be hit and taking some of that off her plate. She is making sure the work is continuing to flow. I am the spokesperson, talking to people and going after resources.”
Creagh is a paid staffer. There is also an unpaid volunteer coordinator from United Methodist Committee on Relief. She is organizing volunteers from out-of-town faith organizations who will help rebuild houses. United Methodist Committee on Relief also provides two paid and four volunteer case managers, and it’s getting ready to hire three more people for those positions. Catholic Charities is also providing five paid case managers.
There is a construction manager who is on contract. Then there are about 50 community volunteers who sit on the unmet needs committee. They hear the cases and decide who gets funds and volunteers for rebuilding. There are also another several dozen volunteers doing everything from answering the phone to accounting.
“Everything is coming at you fast,” Varnado said. “Everybody is calling you. MEMA’s calling you. FEMA’s calling you. The mayors of cities are calling you.
“You do what you have to do. You have to enjoy doing this.”
Steve Casteel, president of R3SM’s board, said the people working at R3SM are the best ones for the job.
“There’s really not another place that has the facilities to handle the volume they do,” he said. “They’ve got it down to an art and make sure people have a good experience and want to come back.”
Casteel said R3SM officials and workers will stay with the recovery effort for the long haul.
“For every day you have in relief, you multiply that by 10 in long-term recovery,” he said. “So you’re looking at one to two years of long-term recovery.
“Long-term recovery takes so much time – the waiting process – jumping through hoops in the right sequence, garnering resources for everyone we can.”
Casteel said officials at R3SM work with a lot of organizations to bring together help for many people.
“The work they do is more coordination,” he said. “They’re working with FEMA, MEMA, qualifying people for the unmet needs committee. Who has the resources to meet the needs of this person? How do we cobble together the monies to help this person?
“It’s a lot of damage and a lot of underserved people.”
Despite the large amount of damage and the number of underserved people, Varnado said R3SM is prepared to handle it.
“With the assistance and collaboration of partners and the community,” she qualified. “We have the expertise and the know-how to recover from a disaster, but we have the people who link arms with us.
“None of us have the kind of money to hire all the people to do the entire job. All of us have to work together to make it work. Yes, we are up to the task. We are ready to do what we have to do.”
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