Encompass sets up flood relief fund
January 14, 2009
By Michael Rowe
For some people who are already struggling financially, the Jan. 7 flood in the Valley was particularly hard-hitting, and Encompass wants to help.
At a Monday, Jan. 12, Encompass Board Meeting, North Bend City Administrator and Encompass board member Duncan Wilson proposed establishing a special fund to help people affected by the flood. Donations for the Encompass Flood Relief Fund can now be made at any Bank of America branch in the state. A full 100 percent of the money donated will go back to families in need, and donations are tax-deductable.
Families in need can contact Encompass at 888-2777.
Encompass Communications Officer Clay Eals said that at least one organization has already contacted him about making a contribution to the flood relief fund, but more support from the public is needed.
“It is particularly difficult now, when something like a flood occurs in conjunction with the sour economic climate, when people are challenged without having a job and have something like a flood on top of that,” Eals said.
Many of the people hit hardest by the flood are renters who lived in apartments and trailers near the Snoqualmie River, said family support manager Kerry Beymer. Some of these people have already received help from Encompass programs.
Beymer said Encompass has been in contact with several families who have been completely or temporarily displaced by the storm.
Lost food is among the problems faced by low-income flood victims, after power outages cut off refrigerators and food spoiled. For people on fixed incomes, who might rely on food stamps, replacing lost food is an extra burden. Beymer said the state would issue additional food stamps for flood victims, which should help.
Some families have a hard time absorbing any extra costs. Even purchasing cleaning supplies can be a hardship. Encompass has already distributed 30 cleanup kits, which were provided by the Salvation Army. The cleanup kits contain bleach and other cleaning supplies to help people clean homes damaged by the flood. Eals said that the Encompass cleanup kits were gone in less than a day.
The city of Snoqualmie has also received cleanup kits and has distributed them to the community. Eals said that Encompass was supposed to receive additional cleanup kits.
Beymer said that renters who were displaced by the floods have a harder time than homeowners, who can receive Federal Emergency Management Agency loans or other federal assistance to pay for flood recovery. Renters cannot get this sort of aid. The displaced renters often find themselves at the mercy of their landlords, waiting to move back into apartments, homes and trailers after already paying rent for the month and having nowhere else to go. Some renters are staying in hotels and motels and using vouchers. Others have to couch-surf.
“We are encouraging people to donate money and also to come and let us know, or to call and tell us how we can help them,” Beymer said.
All of the money collected for flood relief goes to families impacted by the floods, according to Eals.
For more information about flood assistance visit the www.encompassnw.org, or call 425-888-2777.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 425-392-6434 Ext. 248.
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