AKRON, Ohio — If a strong storm caused damage or a fire hit your home, would you know where to turn to get assistance? It’s a question the Akron Better Business Bureau thought it could help you with and decided to invite other important groups into its new “Rebuild with Trust” program.
“Hey, what can we do for our local communities? What do people need to be aware of? What are some things that people haven’t even thought of to plan ahead for?” Said Devan Weckerly Lambert, who is the Director of Marketing at the Akron BBB.
The three-month project culminated in “Rebuild with Trust,” a one-stop, multi-page, printed guide for being prepared, identifying resources, and recovering from disasters.
Akron Police participated. "Most often times, when we deal with people, they’re going through one of the worst days of their life,” said Lt. Michael Murphy. “So, it’s important for us to be there to guide them through that and help them walk through that process because they may not have been through that before.”
The Akron BBB got others into the fold to help people. “(For victims) there is some level of being distraught and just trying to find a good safety net to rely on,” said Joseph St. John, who is the associate EMA director in Summit County. “And we try to fill in a lot of those gaps."
“By having those streamlined sort of people in the community, those kinds of key points of contact to reach out to and to make those referrals,” said Acting-CEO of Victims Assistance, Rebecca Cool. “They need someone to help them to kind of navigate those basic needs in the aftermath.”
Seeing what the victims are going through is one reason Akron Fire got into the mix. “It kind of resonates with you. So, to be able to leave them in a better place giving them advice, offering resources…that is what our goal is,” said District Chief Sierjie Lash.
The Akron BBB offers guidance on dealing with contractors, filing insurance claims and handling requests for charitable donations.
You can find it all online through the BBB site or request copies from any of the program partners.
