Unmet Needs Committee Meeting

The time to rebuild is now. Following the January tornado, many people in the Pine Belt were left with damaged homes, and some residents were unable to recover on their own.

That's where R3SM steps in.

"What we do is when people are affected by a disaster, we assist them if they do not have enough funding or resources to get them fully recovered," R3SM's chief operations officer, Mavis Creagh said. "By pulling resources together and also coordinating and assisting with the volunteer labor if it is appropriate."

The "Unmet Needs Committee" met at the Jackie D. Sherrill Community Center to hear cases about home repairs.

"People throughout the Pine Belt community and as far away as the coast came to review the cases," Creagh said. "We just want to be as fair as possible. We just want everybody to have a voice."

Through the hardships of a devasting tragedy R3SM, finds it satisfying that they can help people recover.

"The people who have been affected especially with this disaster... those are neighborhoods that I know and so I feel very compelled to assist the people," Creagh said. "Because, I want to see them get back into their homes. So, it is very personal for me."

Overall, there are 18 rebuilds approved with the potential for up to 30 new constructions total. Still an ongoing process, R3SM refuses to give up on its mission.

"Our goal is to get as many people back in their homes as possible. Thankfully, for the cases that have been presented they have been funded," Creagh said. "There is still a need because we have additional cases that need to be presented for additional funding."

The rebuilding process continues, one step at a time.