July 19, 2018 | Rockport Pilot
The Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group (CBDRG) has received a $1.17 million grant from Samaritan’s Purse to completely rebuild 15 homes in Rockport, Fulton, Aransas Pass, Gregory, Port Aransas, and Woodsboro. This includes demolition of the damaged residence and full reconstruction of the home from the ground up.
“The funding from Samaritan’s Purse for these homes will help us continue to form strategic partnerships with other volunteer organizations and skilled labor professionals who share our values,” and CBDRG Executive Director Warren Phipps. “Samaritan’s Purse came to the Coastal Bend as part of the immediate response to Hurricane Harvey and is continuing its generous assistance in long term recovery. It is through these collaborative partnerships we will be able to timely build safe, resilient homes that are up to code and insurable by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association.”
CBDRG is a collaborative network comprised of non-profit, faith-based, and government organizations working as long-term recovery partners to assist the community with disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey. It has principally been involved in disaster case management and providing major permanent repairs, new manufactured home replacement, and complete rebuild of homes for low-income, vulnerable homeowners whose homes were severely damaged by the storm.
With the help of CBDRG and other organizations, Samaritan’s Purse plans to rebuild or repair more than 450 homes for those who are unable to do the work on their own (widows, elderly, uninsured, and others with special needs).
“Hurricane Harvey destroyed thousands of homes in Texas, and many families are still enduring the loss and heartbreak the storm brought nearly a year ago,” said Samaritan’s Purse Vice President of North American Ministries Luther Harrison. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the CBDRG to help more families get back into their homes as quickly as possible.”
About Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse is an international Christian relief organization that has helped more than 40,000 families in 37 U.S. states following natural disasters. In the months after Hurricane Harvey, more than 10,000 Samaritan’s Purse volunteers helped some 3,000 families recover from the unprecedented flooding in Texas. Home rebuild and repair teams are currently based in Rockport and Pearland, with material assistance and manufactured home replacement occurring across the state. The organization’s goal is to help up to 1,000 families get back into their homes.
For more information on how to help or to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse, go to spvolunteer.org.
About CBDRG
The Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group (CBDRG) is a volunteer-based coalition created to address the unmet needs of Coastal Bend area residents affected by disaster. The CBDRG is a State/FEMA recognized long-term recovery organization, and is registered with the State of Texas as a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation as authorized by the IRS. Established in 2015, the CBDRG was formed to continuously coordinate long-term disaster recovery within the 11-county region of the Texas Coastal Bend (Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, San Patricio, and Refugio).
Volunteer Groups and individuals can sign up to join our efforts at our website www.coastalbenddrg.org or email coastalbenddrg@gmail.com.