The American Land Title Association (ALTA) Good Deeds Foundation, the registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded by ALTA, has announced it is awarding a $6,000 emergency grant to the South Delta Disaster Recovery Fund, created by the Community Foundation of Washington County (CFWC).
Communities in western and central Mississippi were devastated on March 24 by two tornadoes that ripped through homes, businesses and farmland, killing more than 20 people.
Accredited with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, the CFWC is assisting with long-term disaster recovery needs in the Washington and neighboring Sharkey, Issaquena and Humphreys counties. While immediate relief efforts have concentrated on volunteers and supplies, long-term recovery can include repairing homes that were damaged or providing new homes in situations where homes were completely destroyed.
According to the CFWC, it “stands in the gap [between insurance coverage and government assistance] to help those in the greatest need fully recover from disasters like these.”
The Foundation Board awarded the emergency grant to aid Mississippi victims with any needs following the tornadoes.
“Mississippi towns ravaged by the March 24 tornadoes were reduced to rubble,” said ALTA CEO Diane Tomb. “Many residents will have a difficult time finding local affordable housing unaffected by the storm. This emergency grant from the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation will help provide relief to victims who are struggling to have even their most basic need for shelter met.”
“Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones or no longer have a place to call home,” said Foundation Board Chair Mary O’Donnell, president and CEO of Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. in Maitland, Fla. “Long-term recovery is a journey. Because of the ALTA members’ support of the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation, we are able to help Mississippi residents in their first steps on what is likely to be one of the most challenging experiences of their lives.”