March 31 will be the one-year anniversary of the tornadoes that ripped through Pulaski, Lonoke and Cross counties.
In response, Catholic Charities of Arkansas has partnered with the Disaster Services Corporation (DSC) of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – USA. Cathy Garcia, regional program manager overseeing disaster case management services in Arkansas, said, “There are still a lot of unmet needs, particularly with survivors needing their homes rebuilt or repaired.”
Yasmin Basilio is the DSC case manager for Pulaski and Lonoke counties. Her office is in The McDonald Center at St. John Center in Little Rock. Terah Redman is the disaster case manager for Cross County, with her office at the Wynne Tornado Distribution Center.
Basilio said they know there are tornado survivors who have yet to ask for help. She and Redman encourage anyone with unmet needs from that specific storm to contact them at Pulaski-CrossARTornado@svdpdisaster.org or by calling the disaster services hotline at (800) 668-0683.
The disaster case managers said survivors can expect to be interviewed and asked to complete an intake form. The information they obtain and verify is shared confidentially at monthly long-term recovery care meetings in Little Rock and Wynne. Various nonprofits and churches, including Catholic Charities of Arkansas, collaborate at these meetings to respond to the unmet needs.
According to Basilio, “Each survivor has a recovery plan created for them that includes goals based on what they identify as their unmet needs.”
