Last year, Juliet and Scott Weldin showed ABC News anchor David Muir their demolished house and the tree they clung to while awaiting rescue after the July 4 flood.
This year, on June 22, Juliet Weldin spoke at Kerr County’s Commissioners Court with Scott Weldin and several members of the Guadalupe River Resource Community standing around her. The group asked the county to provide a centralized list of resources, a hotline for flood survivors without internet access and extended rental assistance for those not back in a home. Their petition is on change.org under the title Kerr County Residents United for Continued Flood Recovery.
“I don’t think they heard us,” Juliet Weldin said. “When you are a victim of a disaster, and you’ve lost everything, all you have left is your pride. And being on the receiving end and knocking on doors seems like begging.”
Though the Weldins and the approximately 30 members of the GRRC have case managers through The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, Juliet Weldin said they were unaware of the Kerr Together Disaster Recovery Center at 98 Coronado Drive.
Other flood survivors experiencing frustration working with their disaster case managers have reported to The Kerrville Daily Times that they are also unaware of the center.
A case worker with the Hunt Preservation Society also reported that some flood survivors are just now asking for assistance.
The day after her Commissioners Court appearance, Juliet Weldin was invited to a Kerr Together board meeting, where she said she tried to convey the frustrations of her group. Juliet Weldin said her house is being rebuilt by Samaritan’s Purse because the income limit with the Community Foundation was $77,000.
Juliet Weldin said that she is a registered nurse and she will keep asking questions when she meets a roadblock. But other survivors with fewer resources are struggling.
“The people that help us a lot are the faith-based resources,” Juliet Weldin said. “They’re empathetic; they understand; they show you love and welcome and try to find a reason to help you instead of being like others who try to find a reason not to help you.”
Another common challenge is language barriers, whether it’s not understanding the acronyms used by caseworkers, such as DCM for disaster case manager, or an actual language barrier of being a Spanish speaker. Juliet Weldin said that Catholic Charities has been helpful to Spanish speakers.
“So that’s why we gathered all their concerns,” she said. “They need someone to reach out to them.”
She said the GRRC went to the Commissioners Court because the struggling survivors are not just in Kerrville, but also in Center Point, Ingram and Hunt.
The group has met twice and will continue meeting to help each other.
Petition organizer Lizette Lopez, 832-823-8646, speaks Spanish and can answer questions about the GRRC.
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