Eastland County Citizens,

As we approach the third month of the Eastland County Complex Wildfire Disaster of March 2022, it may be helpful to give a report of the progress and process of recovery for those in the County that were affected by the fire storms. Rebuilding is a difficult situation to navigate as you get back to some level of normal in your lives.

As you may know, there is a long-term recovery committee called the County of Eastland Disaster Assistance Network. This committee was created with the intention to provide effective communication between donors and people needing assistance. To that end, United Rescue Alliance (URA) has been appointed as the case managing agency for individuals. URA is a disaster relief organization that assists communities with the recovery process. URA assisted with the initial response in partnership with the Big Country VOAD, Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the Community Foundation of Abilene. Hopefully, this media release will provide information on the phases of recovery and URA’s role in this process.

In a disaster, there are different stages of response and recovery which determine the type of assistance needed. Up until a few weeks ago, our community was in the immediate response stage. To meet the response needs, agencies have provided immediate financial assistance when needed for items such as groceries, gas, and hotel stays. Since the community is entering the recovery process, the needs are shifting to long-term rebuilding. URA has begun the case management process and is currently reviewing requests for assistance. There has been a large number of requests and URA is working diligently to ensure that each request is reviewed to determine the best course of action to assist the family in their recovery process. In some cases, that may mean financial assistance or referrals to other agencies who have available resources.

This is the best way to ensure that needs are being addressed for assistance and resources. I have been assured that United Rescue Alliance and partnering agencies are receiving your requests. The case management process however, does take time and the URA team is assisting families. As of today, URA has been able to directly assist over 51 families. Detailed information from URA has been provided to my office and this data is included in today’s media release and it shows the financial assistance that has been provided up until this point.

Finally, URA asks that to communicate current needs or to inquire about financial assistance, please follow the process below:

• Gather any documents demonstrating your need for assistance.
  • These can be invoices, contractor bids, or bills.
• Send an email to info@unitedrescuealliance.org with the following information
  • Your first and last name
  • A brief summary of your current situation
  • Financial documents expressing your need
• If you wish to speak to a member of the URA team, please call 325-310-4883. If they are unavailable to take your call, please leave a voicemail with your name and information so they can return your call.
• Please allow at least 3-4 business days for URA to review and process your inquiry.

Thank you for your patience and perseverance as this disaster recovery moves along. Thank you to all who have joined to help with this process.

Respectfully submitted,

Rex Fields

Eastland County Judge