The Race
By Caryn Wheeler Clay, Executive Director
With the Olympics set to begin this week, I couldn’t help but think back on the race our community has been running since September 8, 2020.
In the moments after the 2020 Almeda and South Obenchain fires began, community leaders began meeting to form a long-term recovery group. Long-term recovery Groups are a best practice post-disaster to support ongoing care and attention to recovery needs.
As the fires raged on, we were all reminded that this was not a sprint but a marathon. Our ability to pace ourselves for the long road ahead was a testament to our resilience and unity.
At this stage of recovery, we realize that the marathon is a relay race, with different people leading the charge at each moment.
In the first year, much of the race involved immediate needs. Getting people sheltered, fed, and identified was critical to understanding long-term needs. In the second year, partners continued working on core needs while using data to tell the story of what programs would be needed to recover individuals and households impacted by the fires. Going into year three, partners began preparing for the launch of these programs.
In this leg of the race, survivors are not just participants but leaders in their recovery. Community agencies and partners are here to serve as coaches and cheerleaders, supporting and empowering each individual along their unique journey.
The Jackson County Community Long-Term Recovery Group (JCC LTRG) has convened partners working on recovery to amplify the voices of survivors and the workforce supporting them. Because of this, our community has:
- Designed and delivered an unmet needs assessment that supported the development of ReOregon programs;
- Voted to provide funding that will support technical assistance, revolving loan funds, and grants to fire-impacted micro businesses; expected to launch later this year;
- Developed the nation’s first multi-jurisdictional disaster recovery plan that creates a clear roadmap to recovery, climate adaptation, and resilience in Southern Oregon;
- Created a first-of-its-kind social services after-action report to capture successes of and opportunities for strengthening our community’s ability to respond and recover from disaster; and,
- Provided more than $2.2 million in financial support to individual households for recovery
Recovery is still far from over, but the foundations for its realization are becoming increasingly concrete. Survivors’ paths to recovery are firmer. The JCC LTRG remains committed to building on the lessons of recovery to weave an equitable, inclusive, and responsive disaster services network through collaboration, convening, and advocacy.
If you or someone you know lost a home in the 2020 Almeda or South Obenchain fires, please reach out for support and resources available here.
