United Way of Southwest Virginia announces expansion of Buchanan County Long Term Recovery Group

ABINGDON, Va. (WDBJ) - The Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) that was formed to help Hurley residents repair and rebuild following the floods of last August will expand to help people along the Dismal River in Buchanan County after the flooding last month.

“We discussed it with the membership of the LTRG, which includes county officials and residents,” said Travis Staton, president and CEO of United Way of Southwest Virginia, which serves as fiscal agent for the group. “The general consensus was, we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel with an entirely new group. Instead, we’re adding members from the areas affected by this year’s flooding.”

The group says they have helped coordinate funding and volunteer labor as residents have worked through the process of dealing with not only the damage to their homes, but also the sometimes-complicated work of dealing with local, state and federal government entities.

They say LTRG will still ensure every donor dollar raised by United Way of Southwest Virginia and administered through the LTRG will go toward repair and rebuild jobs for residents affected by the flood.

“Everyone should understand that the LTRG will be working with two distinct funds now, one for Hurley and one for the Whitewood and surrounding areas that were impacted by this year’s flood. Those two funds will remain totally separate,” said Staton.

Deadline for residents affected by the July 2022 Buchanan County flooding to apply for LTRG assistance is Sept. 16, 2022, Staton said. “That gives those residents the same time window that Hurley residents had last year, while at the same time, giving donors some assurance that the damage being addressed is damage that was actually incurred during the flood.”

Anyone in the affected area wishing to apply should contact Denise McGeorge at the Buchanan County Department of Social Services at 276-935-8106.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Buchanan County 2022 Disaster Fund may do so by visiting here, by texting BUCH to 276-200-2440, by emailing donations@unitedwayswva.org or by calling Cristie Lester at 276-525-4071.