 The University of Minnesota Extension and North Dakota State University Extension Service have developed Recovery After Disaster, the family financial toolkit to assist in financial recovery from disaster. The toolkit is free and available at this website. In a perfect world we would be prepared for a disaster, but we know that this is not always the case. This video series has been developed to assist in the immediate need for financial recovery information following a disaster. The six videos in this series will identify important financial considerations for your disaster recovery. After a disaster, some communities may organize a long-term recovery committee. This committee is made up of community, government and faith-based agency representatives and community leaders who address the unmet needs of individuals and families, as well as the community as a whole following a disaster. The role of them is to work with the city, the county, the state, federal, everybody to know what's happening and how do we get it done, you know, what do we need to do. We could offer them almost anything they needed, the Unmet Needs Committee would provide medical, if they needed medical, paint, gas, almost anything you can think of. When a disaster happens, case managers are sometimes available to assist survivors. Recovery from disaster is difficult and complicated, and a case manager can guide you on this journey. While enlisting a case manager is not required, having one may be the only way to access some resources. The role of case management as a system is to be the backbone of recovery. We try to have a single entry point of registration so that people don't have to go to this agency and that agency and that agency, and actually re-victimize the victim. We pride ourselves in taking the victim and helping them to survive. Helping them to understand what resources they have is a huge part of that and how to make and do with those resources. Case managers will assess the survivor's needs caused by the disaster, develop a plan outlining the steps necessary for recovery, organize and coordinate available resources that match survivor needs, monitor recovery plan goal progress and client advocacy if necessary. The homeowner can't possibly know all of these different programs that are out there. They can't know that, you know, this community foundation has this program and there's project renewal over here and they have this program and, you know, it's like alphabet soup or that the block grant program will require this information. They just can't. This management is a critical piece for the, getting the resources that they can and they deserve. What we have used it is being able to qualify and receive some grants. It's equaled, I think, close to five, four, five thousand dollars. I think anyone who's in this situation can tell you every dollar, every dollar you don't have to borrow, is a good dollar. As we look at the sequence of disaster assistance graphic, note that assistance from voluntary organizations is listed first and last. Actually, assistance from a variety of volunteer groups may be available at different stages throughout recovery. Assistance may include volunteer labor along with donations of materials and financial assistance. You know, in a time of disaster, volunteer organizations really step up and fill the gaps. They meet some of the holes that survivors suddenly find themselves with. Volunteer organizations will provide food right off the bat. Your house goes under or your house is taken away with a tornado or some other disaster. Those basic necessities are so important. They will provide shelter in many cases, setting up emergency shelters. My front yard now, we're just past two years after the flood, just now got seated thanks to a local church who bought a hydroceder and was going around and doing work at different yards around town. It's little stuff like that that may seem little, but it's big. When you get your yard planted and you start to see grass come back, it starts to feel more like a house. Disaster survivors are also encouraged to utilize the connections of those close to them for assistance. This includes family, friends, co-workers and groups such as your place of worship, union or community club. The tool Find People Who Can Help, located in the toolkit, can help survivors think about people who can help, tasks people can do to help and skills and equipment required. We got a lot of help in our situation from family and friends, but mainly family. I tell people that I married really well. My wife has six brothers and a father who know contracting and they really played a key role in once the water receded coming back and starting the process of ripping the house apart and putting it back together. I didn't have to go through as much of the searching for contractors as maybe some of my neighbors had to. I heard some of their horror stories and it was not fun and I know they battled through that and my experience with it was much better that way. In the past few minutes, we have discussed the role disaster case managers and long-term recovery committees play in the recovery process. Disaster survivors are encouraged to access these resources if they are available to aid in the recovery process. Survivors are also encouraged to ask for and accept assistance from voluntary organizations, families and friends. It is important to recognize that your life will never be exactly the same as it was. Remember what you want your new reality to look like. Remember that connecting with others through a long-term recovery committee or other disaster assistance organizations can assist in the process of creating that new reality. We encourage you to view all of the financial recovery after disaster videos, the family financial toolkit and other materials at this website.