"I knocked on several doors today in Milliken and talked with the disaster units hub. (Disaster Center @ 201 S. Olive. Milliken. CO.) There is a mobile home park (106 n Josephine Ave: right on Highway 60 as coming into town from West) that has 65 "uninhabitable" homes. There are no teams of volunteers out there and they NEED HELP! https://maps.google/maps?q=106+n+josephine+ave.+milliken&ie=UTF-8&hq&hnear=0x876ea811eda5a935%3A0x666e35ebb2758ffe%2C106+N+Josephine+Ave%2C+Milliken%2C+CO+80543&gl=us&ei=X0E-UtO4J4ThyQHZwoGQDQ&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA What I witnessed today was families pulling stuff out of their homes and putting most of it in dumpsters by themselves, cleaning items were given by Red Cross. These people have lost everything, many, many families... There is a large immigrant community in this neighborhood, so Spanish speakers would be etc helpful! These families need immediate needs include teams of manual labor volunteers. They need goods to start all of life over, but as now most of them have no place to put anything. They need DRY storage available to them to begin to collect their salvageable items and donated items. They need washing facilities. (Loads of Hope?) They need help filling out these assistance forms, they need help finding resources for a new place to live. I am thinking also setting a table for info to get to them. Simple things connection shares. (for example: Colorado Flood Temporary Homes, us, etc. ) and place to document everything. Maybe one of the buses could be parked their to work as an office. How would we keep it from getting looted at night? A place for volunteers to come to and say where am I needed now? and a place for the addresses and needs to be collected....anyway.... what else? They will need money. FEMA only stays as long as the numbers keep coming. Salvation Army was there feeding people and handing out cleaning supplies. Red Cross was there and rangers were holding post at the front entrance. There is a back entrance also. FEMA estimated at two to three weeks they will be in place. Here is another thing I learned that many of them "could apply for TSA Transitional Shelter Asst., but there are not hotels around here." among many other obscure asst packages they maybe able to get if they are able to get through the forms. The FEMA lady told me "being undocumented" does not discount from getting aid. She said we help everybody. However, I did not ask where the gathered info on these people goes to next. There may be more needs outside of this mobile home park, likely there is. I did not canvas after I saw the devastation, I headed home to mobilize info and garner teams. I saw on FB Colorado Immigrants Rights Coalition was canvassing and putting out info. We should probably try to connect with them. They were the first on the ground support I saw on social media for this community. (not step on toes, respect kind of thing). I am sure they will have loads more info for us to organize around and will appreciate the extra help. Anything else? Thoughts? Ideas?? Questions. Please help mobilize teams of people to go help these people, even if it is a one time few hours a week thing, or just bringing in some fresh food to serve, donations for their immediate needs. Every person I have walked up to and said, I am here to try to help get you volunteers through grassroots, people networks. They were all thankful. MAKE THIS HAPPEN! Be the change you want to see in the world. Another world is possible. Brothers and Sisters in need.....whatever phrases floats your boat...sail it to Milliken." ~ Brandi Lin
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 02:58:45 +0000
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