Published: April 18, 2009 10:51 am      

Inside Hamilton relief effort

Coordinating Hamilton County flood relief efforts at the Essential Services offices temporarily housed at the Ernest Courtoy Civic Center in Jasper are members of the State Emergency Management Team.

To enable the various entities to provide much-needed services for county residents, someone first had to secure a building, establish communication lines and provide access for the public to those standing ready to help. This duty fell on the shoulders of SERT.

Inside the Civic Center, stations have been set up to accommodate groups such as United Way, Red Cross, Division of Children and Families, WorkForce Florida and the Health Department. A wealth of information is available at these sites and officials say it is important that those affected by the flood stop by and take advantage of the available services.

Two excellent sources of information in dealing with flood disasters such as Hamilton County is now facing are: www.floodsmart.gov and www.floridadisaster.org.