Government agencies can unite to help people, and they can come together to do so quite quickly.
Residents of the Robert Noriega Mobile Home Park in Brawley can attest to that fact. Eighty-eight residents from 23 families who reside in the mobile home park were displaced from their homes by a swarm of earthquakes that pounded the Imperial Valley in general and Brawley in particular in August of last year.
While it is common practice in these times to be dismissive of the help offered by government agencies, particularly when government agencies are forced to work together, it is such coordinated assistance that helped the Brawley residents get through the disaster as well as possible. And this week the displaced families are returning to their homes, with 10 mobile homes replaced and four rehabilitated.
Twenty-two federal, state and local agencies worked together to help the families. The displaced families were given 90 days of vouchers for motels and meals at a total cost of $183,620. When construction costs on the family homes are added to the total, the amount spent to help the families was $836,436.
Part of the money used in helping the families came from funds remaining from a $1.5 million community development block grant from 2010 award to Imperial County for a community service program. County officials asked for approval from the state for the money to be spent on lodging and food vouchers, and approval was quickly granted.
Without the help of the CDBG funds, the county, and the displaced residents, likely would have had to wait for 60 to 90 days to even get approval for earthquake emergency funds.
Ronald Reagan once said the nine most frightening words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
While that might still be true in some cases with some people we doubt the residents of the Robert Noriega Mobile Home Park feel that way in the least bit today.
THE ISSUE:
Displaced Brawley residents
WE SAY:
Agencies come together to help.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
Send us your thoughts on this topic to www.ivpressonline.com/letterstotheeditor
To join the discussion and add your comments to this story, please click here to be directed to Facebook.
Residents of the Robert Noriega Mobile Home Park in Brawley can attest to that fact. Eighty-eight residents from 23 families who reside in the mobile home park were displaced from their homes by a swarm of earthquakes that pounded the Imperial Valley in general and Brawley in particular in August of last year.
While it is common practice in these times to be dismissive of the help offered by government agencies, particularly when government agencies are forced to work together, it is such coordinated assistance that helped the Brawley residents get through the disaster as well as possible. And this week the displaced families are returning to their homes, with 10 mobile homes replaced and four rehabilitated.
Twenty-two federal, state and local agencies worked together to help the families. The displaced families were given 90 days of vouchers for motels and meals at a total cost of $183,620. When construction costs on the family homes are added to the total, the amount spent to help the families was $836,436.
Part of the money used in helping the families came from funds remaining from a $1.5 million community development block grant from 2010 award to Imperial County for a community service program. County officials asked for approval from the state for the money to be spent on lodging and food vouchers, and approval was quickly granted.
Without the help of the CDBG funds, the county, and the displaced residents, likely would have had to wait for 60 to 90 days to even get approval for earthquake emergency funds.
Ronald Reagan once said the nine most frightening words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
While that might still be true in some cases with some people we doubt the residents of the Robert Noriega Mobile Home Park feel that way in the least bit today.
THE ISSUE:
Displaced Brawley residents
WE SAY:
Agencies come together to help.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
Send us your thoughts on this topic to www.ivpressonline.com/letterstotheeditor
To join the discussion and add your comments to this story, please click here to be directed to Facebook.
