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Hurricane Recovery Moving Forward with Task Force Navy Family
Story Number: NNS050926-07
Release Date: 9/26/2005 5:28:00 PM
By Lt. Enid Wilson, Task Force Navy Family Gulfport Detachment Public Affairs
GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Navy families affected by Hurricane Katrina have found recovery solutions in September with military assistance through Task Force Navy Family.
The Community Support Center (CSC) in Gulfport, Miss., has provided Navy personnel and their families with access to services in one central location.
Families have come in regularly to use phones and computers, get legal advice, register for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, call for Safe Haven orders, inquire about housing, fill out American Red Cross (ARC) financial applications, seek counseling and attend seminars.
Engineman 1st Class (SW) Johnny Glass of the 20th Seabee Readiness Group attended an ARC briefing Sept. 23 along with his two sons. Glass is one of more than 3,000 Navy personnel who have filled out an ARC financial application at the Construction Battalion Center (CBC) in Gulfport.
ARC financial assistance forms are filled out with the help of Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) staff members, who are required to verify identification and addresses.
“Checks usually arrive in a few days,” according to Donna Norman, a Disaster Relief Assistant with the CSC. The financial aid amount a family receives depends on the size of the family and their need. “People getting helped here are ecstatic they don’t have to wait in long lines in town.”
Glass expressed his appreciation of the Navy’s effort to make things easy for Gulf Coast residents. After returning to the area from Austin, Texas, he called the Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) in Norfolk as directed by volunteers at the CSC.
“I called them one time and got through right away.” Glass passed the phone to four or five others in his office, and all were taken care of through one phone call. Glass was grateful for the outstanding customer service, praising the Sailor on the other end of the phone who took care of them. “He was helpful and explained things to me thoroughly.”
When Glass and his children evacuated, they went to several locations. “I didn’t understand how the whole process worked, since I stayed in a hotel two of the nights and then with family. I was glad to know I was filling out the travel claim correctly.”
“The money went right into my bank,” Glass said. He was surprised at how easy it was and relieved not to be frustrated by one more thing after dealing with downed trees and a storm-damaged home.
The CSC has helped to coordinate two town hall meetings, with a third one for the Gulfport area scheduled for Sept. 27. Family support groups and command ombudsmen have also met at the CSC to get information about services and to spread the word about available assistance.
“Families are so displaced, we have to do an extensive outreach,” said FFSC Director, Margaret Scurfield, about the difficulty in reaching Navy families when many have relocated and are busy dealing with post-hurricane problems.
“Six of the 11 FFSC employees had major house issues but still come to work every day,” Scurfield said. “CSC staff members know firsthand how difficult and trying recovery can be, and are focused on helping Navy families get their lives back to normal.”
Navy family members who need additional information or assistance should call the Navy Personnel Command’s Emergency Coordination Center at (877) 414-5358, or visit www.navy.mil.
For the latest Navy news on hurricane relief efforts, visit www.news.navy.mil/local/hurricane/.
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