Long-term recovery open house
Methow Valley Long Term Recovery (MVLTR) is holding an open house on Oct. 16 to explain the recovery process and goals and to get input from the community. “This is a grassroots movement and we want everyone who wants to be involved to understand the process,” said Adrianne Moore, an MVLTR steering committee member.
There will be a short presentation and opportunities for people to provide feedback. The 10 or so subcommittees — focusing on everything from housing to the environment to communications — will have separate tables so people can meet with the groups that most interest them.
This will be the first of several public meetings. People can provide ideas or volunteer to help.
If you are unable to attend and want to give input or volunteer, contact Hank Cramer, executive director of Methow Valley Long Term Recovery, at the MVLTR office at 997-0335, (509) 429-2848 or methowltr@gmail.com.
The open house is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp. There will be refreshments and coffee.
Recovery resource fair
The Long Term Recovery Group for the county is holding a recovery resource fair on Saturday (Oct. 11) in Pateros for people affected by the Carlton Complex Fire.
Agencies and service providers such as the Red Cross and local disaster-case managers will be available to assist with recovery planning. There will also be medical checks, registration for services during the winter, and information on housing.
The fair, sponsored by Okanogan County Community Action Council (OCCAC), is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pateros Mall.
For more information, contact Lael Duncan at OCCAC at laeld@occac.com or (509) 422-4041.
Low-interest disaster loans
Loan officers from the Small Business Administration (SBA) will be at the MVLTR office in Twisp through Oct. 16 to take applications for low-interest disaster loans.
Loans are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate or personal property. Loans are also available to businesses and nonprofits for damaged property or loss of income connected with a disaster.
The loans tend to have easier criteria for qualification than a traditional bank loan, said Cramer.
The outreach center is at 209 Third Ave. (the offices of Methow Valley Long-Term Recovery and satellite office space for The Cove) Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
People can still apply online at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela after the SBA loan officers leave the valley. For assistance with online applications, contact Cramer at 997-0335, (509) 429-2848 or methowltr@gmail.com.
For more information or application forms, call SBA’s customer service center at (800) 659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster.
The filing deadline for loans for property damage is Nov. 28, 2014. The deadline for economic-injury applications (i.e., loss of revenue) is June 29, 2015.
