Bridging the Gap for Harvey Recovery
The Disaster Leadership Team (the DLT) is a group of volunteer disaster leaders from across the country who have successfully led their own communities’ long-term recovery. Our team of volunteers have worked disasters that have included the Joplin tornado, the largest wildfires in California and Texas history, Hurricane Sandy, and other multiple large-scale fire and flooding events.
During the long, slow recovery process, the weight of a disaster survivor’s needs often weigh heavy on disaster leaders’ shoulders. This is where experienced Team members come in. We bridge the gap between what needs to be done to recover and the knowledge and experience necessary for recovery to happen. Team members provide one-on-one mentorship, training, and support to communities throughout their disaster recovery to speed up the recovery process and create sustainable long-term recovery organizations (LTROs).
An LTRO brings community leaders, businesses, nonprofits and faith-based organizations together to provide support for a community’s most vulnerable, individuals and families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to recover on their own. The LTRO coordinates financial donations and volunteers to assure that survivors are provided the assistance necessary to recover. The Team has helped 18 disaster-affected communities by establishing or supporting LTROs in Sevier County, Tennessee, Eureka, Kansas and 16 Harvey-affected counties in Texas.