The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation continues to work closely with partner organizations to manage the flood recovery process. On December 1, 2022, another round of funding was made available from the Carbon County Disaster Relief Fund in the amount of $450,000 to be distributed to individual homeowners and long-term rental property owners located in Carbon County, MT, who were directly impacted by the flood. To date, $381,000 of this round has been distributed to 37 households. Applications are still being accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis until the (450K) cap is reached. To qualify, the property must have been directly impacted by the flood and require funding to repair crucial housing needs. The funds can be used to pay for future work, but also to reimburse completed work on flood-impacted homes. If you or someone you know has been affected by the flood, please apply or spread the word.
The average grant award has been $10,000 per household, with some households also having received funding from the first round of disbursements that opened in June, shortly after the flood. Granted awards from the June Carbon County Disaster Relief Fund disbursement totaled $289,025.91 and provided an average of $3,000 to 94 households. During this round, funds had to be used to help mitigate unhealthy living conditions and/or allow the recipient to safely return to their home. Carbon County Disaster Relief Funds also were used to provide immediate emergency support, including well water testing, landfill charges during the cleanup process, and gift cards and cash disbursements for food, water, and other immediate emergency needs.
The Foundation is phasing the release of the funds to ensure the effective and impactful granting of funds. “By using a phased approach, the Foundation will have an opportunity to ensure that all qualified households have time to learn about the grant availability, make an application, connect them with other ways to obtain relief resources, and potentially review and refine criteria for the following round of grants,” stated Tracy Timmons, Foundation Executive Director. The Carbon County Disaster Relief funds are expected to compliment other resources that flood survivors have access to such as FEMA, SBA, personal loans and Homeowners Insurance.
Disaster Relief Fund applications are located online at www.rlacf.org or by calling the Foundation at 406-446-2820. Our staff will happily assist with grant application questions and help people complete the online form over the phone or in person, if requested.
