A silver van pulls up to a coronavirus testing site in the parking lot of La Familia, a daycare and family services center in Fort Collins. Cristina Diaz and her coworker hand fluffy, pink unicorn stuffed animals to the kids in the backseat. They load boxes of rice, milk, and masa flour into the back.

Diazs big brown eyes peek out above her black face mask, which has Cristina written across it in red cursive. She oversees Larimer and Weld Counties as the regional coordinator for Project Protect Promotora Network. These promotores community health liaisons educate Latino residents, mostly Spanish-speaking migrant workers, about COVID-19.

In the past, promotores have worked with public health departments to reach underserved communities on issues from smoking cessation to cervical cancer. Through federal CARES Act funding, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, this group launched in September to get the word out on virus prevention and care.

Promotores oftentimes lack formal medical training, but they are well-connected in their communities. Diaz, for example, has served on the boards of Northern Colorado nonprofits. Until recently, she was a social worker. Today, her strategy is to first draw people to the testing site with food boxes.

And then say, Hey, by the way, we have COVID testing right here. Do you have any of these symptoms? Do you know anyone? So they're going to leave here and they're going to go home like, Hey, I just went and got this food box and I got tested. And then we're going to have more people here this afternoon, Diaz explained with a laugh.

Leigh Paterson / KUNC

Going where people live and work

Working conditions, living situations and language barriers are among several factors that have led to high infection rates among Latinos in Colorado. These promotores are stepping up to educate people who have not been reached by mainstream information sources.

Its overwhelming as an English speaker, Diaz said. So I can even imagine, you know, as a Spanish speaker and even though Spanish speaking, not all of them tend to be literate. You can't just be like, Oh, here's a form. Read this, you know, share it with your family. If they are sharing it with their family, they're probably sharing it with their 8-year-old or 12-year-old. And then all of a sudden, it's the job of the 12-year-old to educate the family on it.

Promotores across the state are providing workers with winter clothing, masks and hand sanitizer by going to where they live and work: farms, warehouses and mobile home parks, for example. Project Protect Promotora Network has worked with the CDPHE on COVID-19 testing events, as was the case at the site in Fort Collins.

In their work, these promotores hear about needs that go beyond the coronavirus, relating to internet access, childcare and housing. In addition to language and literacy barriers, many Spanish-speaking workers are scared or distrustful of the government.

You dont know how to ask for help so you prefer dont do it, explained Soraya Leon, a promotora who lives in Greeley, where the majority of coronavirus cases are concentrated in the county.

Leigh Paterson / KUNC

At the testing site in Fort Collins, wearing two masks and a face shield, Leons breath fogged up the clear plastic shield; condensation dripped down the inside.

As a promotora who began doing this work in November, Leon has heard confusion and disbelief about the virus. But, when she talks to workers about it, she said they listen in part, because when Leon divorced her American husband, she became undocumented and needed help herself.

I was there, I was in the same situation, Leon said. I know what you feel when you have issues.

The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment has worked with promotores in the past, but not specifically on coronavirus prevention. The department was unable to do a recorded interview for this story but in an email, a spokesperson outlined what they have done, from putting out messages on billboards, posters and social media, to interviews on Spanish-language radio.

I think it has contributed

Dr. Mark Wallace, the former chief medical officer of Weld County, believes communication issues have contributed to the high infection rate among Latinos in Weld County.

"I think potentially, in the beginning, was more impactful, that lack of clear communication, Wallace said. I think it is less of that today since we've been struggling with this for as long as we have So there is that fundamental level of awareness because we're doing a better job of communicating in a way that is linguistically and culturally aware.

Wallace is now the chief clinical officer at Sunrise Community Health, a group of clinics in Northern Colorado; around half of their patients identify as Hispanic or Latino. He explains that since the beginning of the pandemic, the medical community has gotten better at talking through what terms like isolation and quarantine mean in daily life, for example. Now, he is beginning to think about the next communication issue: the vaccine.

It's likely to have some similar challenges, I'm not going to be pollyannaish about it, Wallace said.

Polling has shown around 60% of Coloradans are planning to get the coronavirus vaccine. Numbers were slightly lower among Blacks and Latinos. Wallace thinks it will be people like his bilingual medical assistants who will be most effective at getting the word out.

Leigh Paterson / KUNC

The next challenge? Vaccine communication

I'd say if the Pope got a COVID vaccine, that would go a long way, Dr. Michelle Barron, the senior medical director of infection prevention for UCHealth, said with a laugh.

She also hopes that her mom, who is from Mexico, will get the vaccine and then tell her friends.

That would be the gossip. Oh! Did you hear Nora got the vaccine? Oh, we should go get our vaccine too!... That, I think, is the power, Barron said.

Barron said that community members and health workers like promotores are important pathways for information, but that this issue of communication is complex.

The messaging that we're putting out there may work for 80% of our population, but what do we do differently for those 20%? she asked.

At the state level, the CDPHE intends to reach marginalized communities through its Champions for Vaccine Equity initiative. The nonprofit Immunize Colorado launched a Vaccine Equity Task Force in September.

Both the CDPHE and Weld Countys health department plan to work with promotores on vaccine education. Cristina Diaz, the promotora heading up the food boxes event in Fort Collins, expects the Project Protect Promotora Network will do this sort of work, but she predicts challenges.

You know, it's hard to get them here just to do the COVID testing, so I cant imagine a vaccine, Diaz said.

This is part two of KUNC's series, "Over-Infected, Under-Resourced: COVID-19 Hits Colorado Latinos Hard." Click here for more stories.

Read more:
When COVID Info Doesn't Reach Everyone, These Trusted Messengers Step Up To Help In Hard-Hit Latino Communities - KUNC

Az Business Angels magazine has cast a spotlight on the nonprofits, individuals, business leaders, and organizations that are making the biggest impact on our communities with its second annual Az Business Angels Awards.

We want to engage the nonprofit leaders of Arizona in order to learn more about their missions, the causes they support and the people who work tirelessly to serve them, says AZ Big Media Editor in Chief Michael Gossie. Equally important, we want to pay tribute to the leaders of Arizonas for-profit community who sit on boards, donate time, support company community initiatives and give back through various means to the nonprofit community.

The Az Business Angels Awards are sponsored by WaFd Bank Arizona, itself one of the most philanthropic and compassionate companies in the state.

When the first issue of Az Business Angels was launched in 2017, its mission was to challenge business leaders and companies to match their skill sets and desire to give back to the community by working with nonprofits that desperately need the help, Gossie says. The magazine was created to give new hope to nonprofits and inspire businesses and business leaders to make a difference and to make it their unconditional mission to connect, volunteer and give back to the communities they serve. Now, we get to honor those organizations and individuals at the Az Business Angels Awards.

From hundreds of nominations, the judging committee for the Az Business Angels Awards narrowed the very competitive field of nominees down to finalists in 11 categories and selected for the 2020 Az Business Angels Awards. Here are the finalists and winners.

Andy Abraham, Burch & Cracchiolo

Andy Abraham is a leader at Burch & Cracchiolo, and is a dedicated community advocate and volunteer. He has led and continued his firms spirit of community volunteerism and support through the B&C Star Teacher Program which awards a teacher with $500 every month to spend on anything they need. He has also had his firm support numerous nonprofit organizations, donate office furniture, and spends many hours volunteering with student lawyers every month.

Scott Jenkins, Quarles & Brady

Scott Jenkins serves ona number of committees at Quarles & Brady, but is also involved with the Volunteer Lawyers Program of Maricopa County and was voted as one of the top 50 Pro Bono Attorneys by the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education. He is a member of the Arizona Thunderbirds, and serves on the board for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the Fiesta Bowl Committee, the board of Junior Achievement and the board of Cactus-Horizon Little League, where he coaches one of the teams.

Chris Maderazzo, Canyon State Electric

Chris Maderazzo is co-CEO and CBDO (Chief Business Development Officer) of Canyon State Electric, and a leader in the Scottsdale 20/30 Club. He has coached and inspired others to raise philanthropic funds and has personally been responsible for raising over $400,000 since he got involved, which has gone to supporting local childrens charities. He also leads CSEs philanthropic committee which supports local organizations in the Valley and volunteers for many of these charities.

Trevor Wilde, Wilde Wealth Management

Trevor Wilde is the co-founder and manager of Wilde Wealth Management and serves on the board of Child Crisis Arizona and Junior Achievement. He has frequently volunteered and raised over $150,000 for Child Crisis. He also founded Wilde Wealth Managements Wilde for Arizona Community Outreach Program, which raises resources and funds for various childrens charities in Arizona. Since its creation a few years ago, its raised over $250,000.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

Stephen Attwood, president, Society of St. Vincent de Paul

For the last six years, Steve Attwood has served as the president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Attwood is an extremely thoughtful leader who has gone above and beyond during this season to make sure he is leading his organization well and making the best choices possible. He leads with a kind and thoughtful spirit, and has been able to and will continue to make a lasting impact on St. Vincent de Pauls community.

Nancy Padberg, president and CEO, Catholic Education Arizona

Nancy Padberg is a servant leader of Catholic Education Arizona, the No. 1 School Tuition Organization in Arizona and the 32 schools they represent. She has done an incredible job leading the way in raising funds for a tax credit that provides scholarships for low-income students. Her organization has provided over $269 million to over 100,000 students so they can attend Arizona Catholic High Schools, which have a 99 percent graduation rate.

Jeri Royce, president and CEO, Esperana

Jeri Royce has led and inspired Esperana for the last three years and notably through the COVID-19 pandemic. Royce has been able to inspire confidence in her teams through her collaborative, positive and decisive leadership, which has also led to Esperana creating innovative and sustainable new programs. Royce has overseen the distribution of food and supplies to hundreds of low-income Latino families and the creation of educational videos in Spanish.

Veronica Shorr, regional director, Arizona Community Foundation Yuma

Veronica Shorr was able to help start a movement and unite their community in Yuma through her involvement with #YumaStrong sign project. She donated her own time and resources and was able to help create community unity, raise funds for the Arizona Community Foundation, and help a local business in one fell swoop at the start of the pandemic.

Cassandra Switalski, executive director, Miracle League of Arizona

Cassandra Switalski has managed to minimize the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Miracle League of Arizona that would have otherwise caused it serious harm. Switalski has remained committed and positive, and currently she is leading the organization in finding support and fundraising to make their programs safe to start back up, which is especially important since individuals in the community they serve are often immuno-compromised.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

Cannon & Wendt Electric

Each year Cannon and Wendt Electric hosts a community-wide fundraising event known as Supporting Our Heroes in collaboration with the 100 Club of Arizona. The event raises money for families of first responders who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. Several law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and other health and safety organizations attend to educate the attendees on health and safety procedures and a silent auction is held. In 2020 over $40,000 was raised to provide wash-down kits for firefighters in Northern Arizona facing wildfires.

Casino Del Sol

Casino Del Sol is incredibly active within their community of Southern Arizona. They host an annual charity golf tournament that, over the last five years, has raised over $220,000 for a number of nonprofit organizations. The casino hosts an annual diaper drive to support tribal communities and each year their head chef prepares a holiday meal for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Tucson. Casino Del Sol employees often participate in charity walks and many have served on nonprofit boards and committees.

Desert Financial Credit Union

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Desert Financial Credit Union has invested nearly $700,000 to various COVID relief programs including four food banks, Valley of the Sun United Way, the family hardship fund at Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Flagstaff Medical Center. They partnered with the Arizona Cardinals to donate laptops to a Title 1 school, gifted $10,000 worth of gift cards to families transitioning to homeschooling through their Random Acts of Kindness program, provided box lunches to grocery workers and raised a total of $160,000 for their Taking Care of Our Own fund.

GoDaddy

GoDaddys signature program Empower focuses on equipping entrepreneurs in underserved communities with the training, tools and resources that they need to be successful. Their charitable giving program has funded STEM teacher education programs in Arizona and is partnered with both Teach for America and the Arizona Science Center to recruit new teachers to the state and provide them with computer science education. So far in 2020, theyve been able to fund the training of 40 teachers who work in underserved communities.

UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare and its parent company UnitedHealth Group have committed $80 million to COVID relief efforts to date. They donated $500,000 alone to the Arizona Food Bank Network, a private, nonprofit organization that serves all 15 counties in the state via a network of nearly 1,000 food pantries and organizations that address food insecurity. UnitedHealthcare awarded over $100,000 in Empowering Health grants to three community-based organizations to support COVID relief and was nominated by global nonprofit Points of Light as a Civic 50 honoree.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

ACCEL

ACCEL is a nonprofit organization that serves children and adults with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, cognitive disabilities and behavioral disorders. ACCEL serves 500 individuals with school campuses in Phoenix and Tempe and satellite campuses in Buckeye and Tonopah. With virtual learning taking over this school year, students with developmental disabilities tend to struggle. The teachers at ACCEL are doing an incredible job of making sure their students continue to receive high quality special education despite the challenges of online learning.

Family Promise Greater Phoenix

The first nonprofit of its kind in Arizona, Family Promise Greater Phoenix is an organization that rescues primarily first-time homeless families and their pets. Amid increased demand for their services this year due to the pandemic, the organization reworked their day centers to be shelters for up to 12 families at once. They received donations from community members and other organizations and were able to continue graduating families from the Family Promise Program consistently since the beginning of this year.

Mission2Alpha

Mission2Alpha is a volunteer-based organization that is committed to community service, service to the military and service to first responders. Through a variety of fundraising endurance events, such as their annual 400-mile bike ride from Scottsdale to San Diego, the organization raises awareness and much needed financial support for local military, veteran and first-responders in need. Working together with other charities, Mission2Alpha has raised over $1 million and prides itself on deploying resources swiftly and efficiently.

Payson Senior Center

The Payson Senior Center is a community-based organization whose goal is to assist local senior citizens in achieving and maintaining self-sufficiency with dignity. They provide a wide range of community and home based services in order to best serve their seniors. Since the beginning of the pandemic theyve expanded their meal program to serve over 900 meals a week, provided essential toiletries, gifted goody bags and made frequent happy check phone calls to their seniors who were homebound.

St. Joseph the Worker

St. Joseph the Worker is a Phoenix-based nonprofit employment agency that provides access to computers, phones, a printer, resume assistance, strategies to explain gaps in employment, interview coaching, professional clothing, hygiene supplies and bus passes for reliable transportation to and from interviews for more than 5,000 homeless people across the Valley. Theyve successfully launched the states first ever mobile employment support as a way to help better serve the community amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association has been pushing for innovation and progress in the field of heart-related illnesses for almost 100 years. They fund research that grows medical professionals understanding of heart problems and determines ways to treat them. They also advocate and educate for healthy living and CPR to help extend and save lives.

Dont Be a Chump! Check for a Lump!

In 2009,Holly Rose performed a self-examination and found a lump which turned out to be breast cancer. Through the months battling the cancer, Rose received many acts of kindness, and she wanted to give back to her community, so she co-founded Dont Be a Chump! Check for a Lump! The organization advocates and encourages women to perform self-examinations so cancer can be found early, and they also have a program that provides wigs to women going through chemotherapy.

Home Assist Health

Home Assist Health is an organization that cares and provides for those suffering from the hardships of aging, recovering and disabilities in our community. They provide services that help people with long-term care and help around the house or running errands, simple housekeeping, as well as people to help with more personal assistance such as bathing, transportation and other needs. They also have habilitation services to help people grow in socialization or motor skills.

The Singletons

The Singletons is an Arizona based nonprofit organization that focuses on helping single parent families with a member who has been diagnosed with cancer. Their programs offer a wide range of services that can help with simple necessities, such as supplying detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, to helping with specific bills, to providing food for families that dont have time to cook, and even hosting support groups for people in these devastating situations. Their kitchen is able to provide thousands of meals a year and have already served more than 1,500 this year alone.

Valleywise Health Foundation

Valleywise Health Foundation is the nonprofit partner of Valleywise Health and lately focuses on raising funds for a few of its key programs, such as a burn survivors program, community programs and education for health professionals. In the last year, theyve exceeded their goals at their fundraising events, benefiting the Arizona Burn Center and COVID-19 relief at Valleywise locations. They also led a campaign which resulted in many meals, masks, face shields and other medical supplies being donated to Valleywise.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

Arizonas Children Association

Arizonas Children Association has been serving Arizona and its children for more than 100 years. Their goal is to make every home with a child as suitable, safe, loving, and equipped as possible, especially through difficult times. With services available in every county in the state, they help over 40,000 children every year through their large array of services and programs, including foster care, trauma support, family preservation, parenting and family education and youth mentorships.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

The Boys & Girls Club is an organization that focuses on providing after-school and summer programs for children that include programs fostered toward arts, sports/fitness, becoming a leader, and character building. They also are able to help the kids grow academically, personally, and health-wise with these programs. They help kids foster better work ethics and prepare them for college, engage in their community and build up their character, encourage them to eat healthy, and prepare for real life after they finish their education.

Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona

Free Arts has focused on helping children who have experienced trauma, neglect or homelessness for the last 24 years. Thousands of children experience these types of problems every year and arent equipped to healthily engage or express them. Free Arts equips kids to overcome and cope with their past experiences in a safe environment through their mentorship program, professional artists class series, collaborative art days and summer camps.

Make-A-Wish America

Make-A-Wish America seeks to grant the life-changing wishes of critically-ill children. When a child is diagnosed with a critical illness, they can be referred to the foundation which will do what they can to bring that dream to life. They believe that the joy and hope these wishes bring can cause strength, hope, and transformation in the children as well as their family and community. Even in the time of the coronavirus, they are working hard to make around ten wishes come true everyday.

Room For Joy

Room For Joy tries to strengthen the healing of children diagnosed with critical illnesses by renovating their bedrooms into a fun and exciting new place. Room for Joy has completed over 50 bedrooms since it was founded in 2005. They are recommended children from local hospitals, and when they take on the project, the family has a staycation while volunteers from Room for Joy renovate the bedroom over the weekend.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

Arizona Humane Society

Arizona Humane Society has been serving the Valley and its pets for almost 60 years. They offer medical and behavioral programs and other initiatives that save thousands of pet lives a year, and their animal hospital and other medical programs help save the lives of even more animals. They also offer resources for pet owners so that they can take the best care of their pets and make the best decision in any other situations that might arise.

Arizona Animal Welfare League

Arizona Animal Welfare League is one of the largest and oldest shelters in the Valley that isable to help over 4,000 animals a year with their services. AAWL visits other shelters that might euthanize their animals and bring them to their own facilities and connect with people and have them adopt the pets so they can have a home. They also have a network of foster parents for animals who are too young or recovering to be adopted.

Lost Our Home Pet Rescue

Lost Our Home Pet Rescue has been helping the lost and vulnerable animals in the Valley since 2008. Aside from having a rescue program for abandoned or surrendered pets, they have a temporary care program, pet food bank, low-income boarding for pets, and a partnership with the Sojourner Center. When COVID hit this year, they quickly made procedures to continue operations andhad a record month in April with 105 adoptions.

Phoenix Herpetological Society Sanctuary

The Phoenix Herpetological Society Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization that takes in native and non-native animals for rehabilitation and conservation education. They take in reptiles, most of which are pet-trade animals that have been confiscated from or abandoned by their owners. They also educate people and children on the environment and how to take care of it in its already endangered state.

Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center

Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center focuses on helping wild animals that have been abandoned or hurt by taking care of them and rehabilitating them to resume life back in the wild. They receive and treat animals that have been injured and take care of orphaned baby animals that need constant care. They take the time to make sure baby and adult animals are healthy and equipped to take on life by themselves before releasing them.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

Freddie Dobbins, Jr., SRP

Freddie Dobbins, Jr., has volunteered at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley for thirty years, also volunteering at Gregorys Fresh Market and the African American Cultural Committee. At the Boys and Girls Clubs, he has served on numerous committees and has consistently procured thousands of dollars a year in support for the clubs. Dobbins believes in kids and their potential and has been an indispensable leader to them and to the community and received the RP Karl F. Abel Volunteer Recognition Award in 2019.

Virginia Fargo, Stearns Lending

Recipient of the MLK 2020 Living the Dream Award from the City of Phoenix, Virginia Fargo has spent a lot of time volunteering and serving her community. For over a decade she has been involved with the Black Board of Directors project and is a member of the Southwest Veterans Chamber of Commerce. She volunteers and fundraises for these organizations and others in her community, as well as supporting other causes and working full time in her community.

Shari Mollencopf, Friends of Pima Animal Care

Shari Mollencopf is one of the most dedicated volunteers Pima Animal Care has ever seen. She volunteers at their facility 40 hours a week, leading a team of volunteers that distributes animal food to the community. She inspires the people around her to become better employees and volunteers and is always trying to make Pima Animal Care the best organization it can be. She pushes for donations and fundraising when its needed and was one of the first volunteers to return when PAC allowed volunteers back after the pandemic.

Amy Obney, Helping Hands of Yuma

In October 2018, the board of Helping Hands of Yuma decided to close the organization for financial reasons. That was when Amy Obney stepped up and asked the board if she could try to raise the money. They agreed and she was able to quickly raise all of the funds necessary and put together a new board for the organization and has since become the executive director. In the coronavirus pandemic, she has sought and found ways to safely serve their community. No matter the circumstances, Obney has been dedicated to Helping Hands and to Yuma.

Meet the WINNER HERE.

Arizona Community Foundation and Print Zoom

The Arizona Community Foundation in Yuma teamed up with Print Zoom, a local commercial printer, to create and distribute #YumaStrong yard signs as a way for community members to come together during the coronavirus pandemic. The foundation also started a COVID relief fund to support local nonprofits so they can continue their work amidst the pandemic. The publicity from the collaborative yard signs brought some much needed business to Print Zoom, as well as additional donations to the relief fund.

BestCompaniesAZ and Career Connectors

BestCompaniesAZ and Career Connectors have been working together for more than a decade to connect jobseekers with quality hiring companies and job resources.Together theyve served over 42,000 people and have been featured at The White House by the Department of Labor as a model to follow job program. Since March 2020 theyve added a section to their website that serves as a portal to all hiring companies in Arizona at no cost to the user and host weekly virtual events for job seekers in order to offset the negative impact coronavirus has had on the job market.

CHASSE Building Team and Heidis Village

Last year CHASSE Building Team collaborated with the Virginia B. Jontes Foundation to break ground on Heidis Village, a $20 million specialty animal shelter. Comprised of nine buildings including play yards, walking paths, a grooming facility and full medical suites to provide on-site veterinary care, Heidis Village is built to foster a community where animals are treated with respect, dignity and compassion. The shelter has room for up to 250 dogs and 200 cats and works in conjunction with other animal rescue organizations throughout Maricopa County.

FirstBank and Arizona Gives Day

FirstBank has been the presenting sponsor of the annual Arizona Gives Day fundraiser for eight years. Arizona Gives Day is a 24-hour online giving campaign whose funds go towards supporting a variety of local nonprofit organizations. In order to raise awareness for the campaign each year, FirstBank employees will pose as essential workers and give it forward, asking those they help to consider doing the same on Arizona Gives Day. FirstBank has also partnered with the Phoenix Suns to further promote the fundraiser and, to date, theyve raised over $23 million.

Vitanya Brain Performance Centers and Heal the Hero Foundation

Vitanya Brain Performance Centers and Heal the Hero Foundation have developed a national initiative called The Phoenix Operation which works to reduce mental health crises amongst veterans and other vulnerable groups. Vitanyas programs have been proven to reduce suicidality, depression, anxiety and stress in its clients, as well as improve their resiliency and sleep quality. Heal the Hero has begun owning and operating Vitanya franchises in order to provide more grants and scholarships and to generate profits that can be further reinvested into the community and into the Phoenix Operation.

Read the rest here:
Here are the winners of the Az Business Angels Awards - AZ Big Media

The majority of headlines in 2020 were about the COVID-19 pandemic, but progress was made in Walker County regarding a number of issues. Communities came together in times of tragedy, and we celebrated the lives of those lost. Here's a look back at the year we will never forget.

Since this time last year, nearly 140 people lost their lives in Walker County due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disease, caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, was initially reported at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and started to spread across the world. Walker County's first case of COVID-19 wasn't reported until March 19.

The year brought a number of struggles as the world learned more about the disease and grappled in responding to it. Businesses closed temporarily around the country in an effort to mitigate the spread; some specialty medical clinics closed for a few weeks and elective procedures were delayed; occupancy limits were set in stores; sports were delayed; local schools went virtual in March to finish out the remainder of the 2019-20 school year; court hearings were delayed; Walker Baptist and area senior living facilities prohibited visitors; a mandatory face mask ordinance was eventually issued by the state; and many other changes impacted daily living for all.

At the close of 2020, over 5,000 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Walker County and over 100 deaths had occurred. Statewide, over 350,000 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed, resulting in nearly 5,000 deaths.

A number of people were elected to office for the first time in 2020, while others will continue their years of serving Walker Countians.

Steve Miller defeated incumbent Jerry Bishop to be the new chairman of the Walker County Commission, while James Borden was elected to serve residents in District 3. All other commission seats faced no opposition.

David O'Mary remained mayor of Jasper. Petey Ellis was elected to an eighth term as mayor of Sumiton, and Randy Stephens will go on to serve a third term as mayor of Dora.

Other elected mayors include Jeremy Pate (Cordova), April Herron (Carbon Hill), Bubba Cagle (Parrish), and Sonya Smith (Sipsey). Cory Franks was elected to remain mayor of Oakman, and Eldridge Mayor Bobbie Jean Dodd and Kansas Mayor Earnie Darty also remained in office. Dodd, however, passed away this month.

Brad Ingle defeated Teia Harris to remain chairman of the Walker County Board of Education. Dr. Joel Hagood resigned as superintendent of the board in December to take a new position as president of Bevill State Community College. Dennis Willingham was named interim superintendent of the school board.

Henry Allred was again elected as district judge for Walker County.

Despite pleas from area agencies and leaders, Walker County ranked below the state and national average in responding to the 2020 Census.

According to data last reported on Oct. 28, the self-response rate in Walker County for the 2020 Census was 59.2 percent, compared to the state's self-response rate of 63.6 percent.

Jasper's self-response rate was higher than the state average at 65.4 percent. Other self-response rates are as follows: Dora, 59.5 percent; Sumiton, 61.8 percent; Parrish, 44.2 percent; Oakman, 50 percent; Carbon Hill, 43.4 percent; Kansas, 37.7 percent; Nauvoo, 48 percent; Sipsey 30.1 percent; and Eldridge, 50.8 percent.

The national self-response rate is 67 percent.

Ultra-fast Internet is now a reality in Jasper.

Technology company C Spire worked all year in Jasper to make fiber Internet available in the city, and some of the first customers in Jasper began receiving the Internet service this month.

Jasper is the first area in the state where customers are using C Spire services. Trussville, Helena and Tuscaloosa will also be getting C Spire.

The need for fast, reliable Internet became more evident this year as the COVID-19 pandemic forced some to work from home.

Having fiber Internet offered in the city is said to increase home values and make Jasper more competitive in recruiting business and industry.

Other areas in the state and in Walker County may have Internet access in the future thanks to The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which provided funding to states a portion of which can be used for decision-making related to broadband access.

Storms and tornadoes swept through Walker County on Easter Sunday, destroying homes and causing other damage.

Two EF-1 tornadoes were reported in Walker County one in Carbon Hill and another in the Copeland Ferry community of south Walker.

A Carbon Hill resident described the winds as "horrific," and many homes were destroyed or damaged around the city. The Nauvoo Mobile Home Village sustained significant damage, as well as residences along Nauvoo Road.

Dugouts, netting and fencing were heavily damaged at Carbon Hill High School as a result of the tornado. Some of the school's roofing was also damaged.

Significant damage occurred to homes on Rainwood Lodge Road in the Copeland Ferry area of Quinton, blocking access to the road for some time. It took days to restore power to residents in the community.

Other areas dealt with flooding and some damage from the Easter storms. Flooding destroyed a home in Cordova, washed away a road in District 4, and other homes across the county were damaged from downed trees.

No fatalities were reported as a result of the severe weather in Walker County, but more than 30 people died in the Southeast as a result of the storms.

The Walker County Commission responded to the concerns of citizens about deteriorating roads around the county and had several paving projects completed in 2020.

Local resources and the Rebuild Alabama Act provided funding for the paving projects.

In District 1, a number of roads were resurfaced, and other projects were completed on Bird Farm Road, Whittemore Road, and Lamon Chapel Road. Paving was also done on Fall City Road.

In October, the Alabama Department of Transportation announced that Carbon Hill/Nauvoo Road will be widened and resurfaced in District 2 a $1.16 million project that will take three months.

District 4 saw work on Bryan Road, and Mandy Williams Road was paved and repaired after flood damage in early 2020.

Repaving occurred on Old Birmingham Highway in District 3, but few road improvements occurred elsewhere in the district.

The commission has announced a number of road projects that will occur in 2021 at a cost of approximately $300,000 in each district.

Carbon Hill's now-former mayor Mark Chambers topped the Daily Mountain Eagle's year in review in 2019 for his anti-LGBTQ rant, and Chambers again made headlines for his views in 2020 that eventually resulted in his resignation.

Chambers resigned as Carbon Hill's mayor on June 27, following comments he made on Facebook that quickly circulated. In a conversation on the social media website, Chambers said he was selling Alabama Crimson Tide photographs and voiced his disdain for the team's political views. He said, "(W)hen you put Black lives before all lives they can kiss my ***."

Alabama football coach Nick Saban and team members had recently shared a video to promote the Black Lives Matter movement prior to Chambers' remarks.

Following the resignation of Chambers, council member April Herron was appointed as the city's new mayor a seat she continues to hold.

In addition to losing Chambers, the Carbon Hill council also lost a council member.

Robert Warren was taken into custody in March and faced manslaughter charges in the disappearance of Lisa Benton Clements. She was reported missing on Feb. 24 and her body was later found when Warren led authorities to her body in Greene County in March.

Warren's charges were later upgraded to murder and abuse of a corpse. Clements reportedly died due to head trauma.

The Walker County Commission, in partnership with the Walker County Sheriff's Office, made a concerted effort to clean up the county in 2020.

Correction officers had inmates picking up litter in all parts of Walker County, with Sheriff Nick Smith saying that people would be held responsible if their names were found on documents in littered trash.

In February, District 1 Commissioner Keith Davis put the litter problem into perspective, saying that since October 2019, 1,400 large bags of litter had been collected in his district alone.

"I'm glad to have people out here picking up litter," Smith said, "but the only way to make it better is for people to take responsibility and stop throwing their trash out."

The threat of contracting COVID-19 did not stop people from protesting around the country for justice and equal rights.

George Floyd, a Black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, after a white police officer held a knee to Floyd's neck during an arrest for nearly nine minutes an act that killed 46-year-old Floyd. Following Floyd's death, protests (many of which turned violent) were held around the country.

The protests were in response to police brutality toward the Black community and were centered around general inequality that still plagues the nation.

In early June, a protest of about 50 people occurred in downtown Jasper. It remained civil, and members of the Walker County Sheriff's Office and Jasper Police Department attended.

Protests were also made around the country to remove Confederate monuments, viewed by some as a blatant display of the terrible past that African Americans have had to endure, according to text from a petition to remove the Confederate monuments in Jasper.

The monuments remain in the city, and gun and pistol permit sales increased in the county as a result of the protests.

As 2020 comes to a close, many around the world have had to say goodbye to loved ones, friends, and community leaders, and Walker County was no exception.

Many deaths this year occurred due to COVID-19 over 100 in Walker County alone. Others battled cancer or other illnesses, and some passed away suddenly.

Most recently, Eldridge mayor Bobbie Jean Dodd passed away shortly after the death of her husband, Hoyt "Booty" Dodd. Gene McDaniel, well-known as "Mr. Nauvoo" in Walker County and for his work in the mining industry, passed away in October.

Martha Tittle, a longtime member of the Eldridge Town Council, passed away in October.

Longtime Cordova dispatcher Pete Eustice passed away in November; Saragossa firefighter Donald Downs died this month; WWII veteran Doris Banks died in late September; and veteran and former assistant Walker County District Attorney Jay Snow passed away this month.

Following the death of local 16-year-old Tuff Coleman, a fund was established in his name to help people in the community, and area 4-year-old Wyatt Spann passed away in January following a battle with brain cancer.

Former Carbon Hill Mayor James William Pee Wee Richardson passed away in November.

Cordova native Lewis Manderson, who pledged $500,000 in rebuilding efforts following the April 2011 tornadoes in Cordova, passed away in May.

Longtime Sumiton firefighter Rickey Lee Woods passed away in October from COVID-19.

A number of the aforementioned appeared in the "Sweet Memories" column of the Daily Mountain Eagle that began mid-year as an opportunity for people to share stories of their loved ones and celebrate their lives.

So many dearly loved in Walker County passed away this year more than we can list here. Tributes to some and their obituaries can be found in the Daily Mountain Eaglearchives.

The Daily Mountain Eagle said goodbye to one of our own this year, the beloved columnist and reporter Rick Watson, who passed away unexpectedly on July 16 at the age of 69. Most well-known as a writer and advocate for East Walker, Watson was also a veteran, songwriter and beekeeper.

In a year that has been filled with heartache, it is in Watson's honor that we encourage everyone to appreciate each chapter in life and always value every day as "living the dream."

Read more:
Walker County's top 10 stories of 2020 - Daily Mountain Eagle

Local homebuilder EDGEhomes donated $200,000 to the Utah Food Bank, which has seen a remarkable increase in need since the pandemic began. With 48% of Utah Food Bank's funding coming directly from the community, the generosity of businesses and individuals will help feed the 511,000 Utahns who are facing hunger, many for the first time.

With the sharp increase in demand, Utah Food Bank's transportation expenses have increased as they expand their Mobile Pantry program and deliveries to meet that need. Utah Food Bank estimates that it will take 12-18 months before its operations will return to pre-pandemic levels. EDGEhomes, throughout a difficult and unprecedented year, rallied together with other trade partners, vendors, and associates to raise $200,000 for the food bank, and they invite others in the industry to help meet their goal of matching that amount in donations.

EDGEhomes has continued to feel blessed to be in the construction industry, and blaze ahead with a commitment to the community. They continue to seek out organizations every year to give back to the communities that have given so much to them. Utah Food Bank serves families in our community and family is a core emphasis of EDGEhomes.

EDGEhomes wants to inspire and encourage others in the community to get involved with the Utah Food Bank and donate what they can through their Home Industry Heroes Virtual Food Drive. Helping to take care of their community has been one of the company's biggest joys, and it has been one of ours to be on the receiving end of their generosity.

Donations can be made through Utah Food Bank's Virtual Food Drive, which will be automatically matched up to $200,000. Donors can fill a virtual shopping cart with the items needed most and take advantage of the food bank's incredible purchasing power, all without the hassle of having to visit a store. To donate to the Home Industry Heroes Virtual Food Drive, visit the Utah Food Bank website.

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Local home builder makes hefty donation to Utah Food Bank and asks community to match - KSL.com

TipRanks

After a year that most of us want to forget, 2021 is shaping up to start with stability and an even keel. The election is safely behind us, the new Biden Administration promises a no drama approach, a closely divided and hyper-partisan Congress is unlikely to enact any sweeping legislation, reform or otherwise, and COVID vaccines are ready for distribution. Its a recipe for a calm news cycle.Which makes it a perfect time to buy into the stock market. Investors can read the tea leaves, or study the data whatever their preferred mode of stock analysis and use this period of calm to make rational choices on the stock moves. Using the TipRanks database, weve pulled up three stocks that present a bullish case. All three meet a profile that should interest value investors. They hold unanimous Strong Buy consensus ratings, along with a perfect 10 from the Smart Score. That score, a unique measure, evaluates a stock based on 8 factors with a proven high correlation to future overperformance. A 10 score indicates a strong likelihood that the stock will rise in the coming year. And finally, all three of these stocks present with double-digit upside potentials, indicating that they are still undervalued.UMH Properties (UMH)Well start in the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector, with UMH Properties. This company, which started out after WWII in the mobile home industry, later become the premier builder of manufactured housing. Today, UMH owns and manages a portfolio of 124 manufactured housing communities, spread across 8 states in the Northeast and Midwest, and totaling well over 23,000 units. As a REIT, UMH has benefitted from the nature of manufactured houses as affordable options in the housing market. UMH both sells the manufactured homes to residents, while leasing the plots on which the properties stand, and leases homes to residents. The companys same-property income, a key metric, showed 8.6% year-over-year increase in the third quarter.Also in the third quarter, UMH reported a 16% yoy increase in top line revenue, showing $43.1 million compared to $37.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Funds from Operations, another key metric in the REIT sector, came in at 11 cents per share, down from 14 cents in 3Q19. The decrease came as the company redeemed $2.9 million in Series B Preferred Stock.REITs are required to return income to shareholders, and UMH accomplishes this with a reliable dividend and a high yield of 4.7%. The payment, at 18 cents per common share, is paid quarterly and has been held stable for over a decade.Compass Point analyst Merrill Ross believes the company is in a sound position to create value for both households and shareholders."We believe that UMH has proven that it can bring attractive, affordable housing to either renters or homeowners more efficiently than has been possible with vertical rental housing. As UMH improves its cost of funds, it can compete more effectively with other MH community owners in the public and private realms, and because it has a successful formula to turn around undermanaged communities, we think that UMH can consolidate privately-owned properties over the next few years to build on its potential for value creation," Ross opined.To this end, Ross rates UMH a Buy, and her $20 price target implies a 25% one-year upside. (To watch Rosss track record, click here)Overall, the unanimous Strong Buy on UMH is based on 5 recent reviews. The stock is selling for $15.92, and the $18.40 average price target suggests it has room for 15% growth from that level. (See UMH stock analysis on TipRanks)Laird Superfood (LSF)Laird Superfood is a newcomer to the stock markets, having gone public just this past September. The company manufactures and markets a range of plant-based, nutrient-dense food additives and snacks, and is most known for its line of specialized non-dairy coffee creamers. Laird targets customers looking to add nutrition and an energy boost to their diet.Since its September IPO, the company has reported Q3 earnings. Revenue was strong, at $7.6 million, beating the forecast by over 26% and coming in 118% above the year-ago figure. The company also reported a 115% yoy growth in online sales. Ecommerce now makes up 49% of the companys net sales no surprise during the corona year.The review on the stock comes from Robert Burleson, a 5-star analyst from Canaccord. Burleson reiterates his bullish position, saying, We continue to view LSF as an attractive platform play on strong demand trends for plant-based, functional foods, noting LSFs competitively differentiated omni-channel approach and ingredients ethos. Over time, we expect LSF to be able to leverage its brand and vertically integrated operation into success in a broad range of plant-based categories, driving outsized top-line growth and healthy margin expansion.Burleson rates LSF shares a Buy alongside a $70 price target. This figure indicates his confidence in ~63% growth on the one-year horizon. (To watch Burlesons track record, click here)Laird has not attracted a lot of analyst attention, but those who have reviewed the stock agree with Burlesons assessment. LSF has a unanimous Strong Buy analyst consensus rating, based on 3 recent reviews. The stocks $62.33 average price target suggests room for ~39% upside in the coming year. (See LSF stock analysis on TipRanks)TravelCenters of America (TA)Last but not least is TravelCenters of America, a major name in the transportation sector. TravelCenters owns, operates, and franchises full-service highway rest stops across the US an important niche in a country that relies heavily on long-haul trucking, and in which private car ownership has long encouraged the road trip mystique. TAs network of rest stops offers travelers convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in addition to gasoline and diesel fuel and the expected amenities.The corona crisis has been hard time for TA, as lockdown regulations put a damper on travel. The companys revenues bottomed out in Q2, falling to $986 million, but rose 28% sequentially to hit $1.27 billion in Q3. EPS, at 61 cents, was also strong, and showed impressive 165% year-over-year growth. These gains came as the economy started reopening and with air travel still restricted, automobiles become the default for long distance, a circumstance that benefits TravelCenters. Covering TravelCenters for BTIG is analyst James Sullivan, who rates the stock a Buy, and his $40 price target suggests a 22% upside over the coming year. (To watch Sullivans track record, click here)Backing his stance, Sullivan noted, "TA is in the process of moving on from a series of unsuccessful initiatives under the prior management team. The current new management team has strengthened the balance sheet and intends to improve operations through both expense cuts and revenue-generating measures which should boost margins [...] While we expect the 2020 spend to be focused on non-revenue generating maintenance and repair items, we expect in 2021 and beyond that higher spending should generate good ROI All in all, TravelCenters shares get a unanimous thumbs up, with 3 Buys backing the stocks Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares sell for $32.87, and the average price target of $38.33 suggests an upside potential of ~17%. (See TA stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Notice to the media - Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance and Medical...

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- NeighborImpact has funds provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture available for weatherizing homes in Jefferson County, with more funding from NeighborWorks America for weatherizing homes in rural communities outside of Bend and Redmond.

NeighborImpact's weatherization program provides free weatherization services, which can include adding insulation, sealing leaky ducts and repairing heating systems for income-qualified clients.

Weatherization staff conduct an on-site energy audit, evaluating and documenting the existing condition of the home. This information is then used to determine which measures will save the most money on the home's utility bills.

Clients can be renters or homeowners and live in mobile homes or stick-built homes. Manufactured homes must be on a permanent foundation.

Services may include:

Additional services may be available to qualified owner-occupied homes in Jefferson County, including roof repair or replacement, wiring repair or replacement, plumbing repair or replacement and structural repair.

For more information or to see if you qualify, visit https://www.neighborimpact.org/get-help/help-with-bills/home-weatherization/

About NeighborImpact: NeighborImpact is a private non-profit governed by a board of directors drawn from across the community. Since 1985, NeighborImpact has led the region in developing solutions and bringing resources to Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. We help meet the basic needs of Central Oregonians, build economic security and create a community where everyone thrives. NeighborImpact receives federal, state and local grants, foundation grants and donations from individuals and businesses in our community. To learn more about NeighborImpact, visit http://www.neighborimpact.org.

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NeighborImpact seeks applicants for home weatherization - KTVZ

Image by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay

The manufactured housing sector is experiencing an increase in popularity among investors and tenants alike. As the pandemic aggravated an already deepening affordable housing crisis and the unemployment wave hit the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors the hardest, manufactured homes are deemed a viable solution to the housing crisis. According to the 2013 U.S. Census, some 20 million people lived in a manufactured home.

Most commonly known as trailer or mobile homes, modern manufactured homes are almost indistinguishable from single-family residences as they are built in compliance with HUD regulation. REITs and other large institutional investorsincluding Sam Zells Equity Lifestyle Propertiesare entering a historical mom-and-pop dominated industry and taking advantage of value-add opportunities.

READ ALSO:Mobile Homes Move Into Investors Sights

The following list tackles the most common misconceptions about investing in manufactured housing. From financing to building quality and tenants, manufactured homes have evolved to be defined by affordability rather than mobility.

One myth regarding manufactured homes is that they are troublesome to finance. While this used to be the case several years ago, the situation has changed with increased investment interest and now both GSEs and private lenders have ramped up financing manufactured housing. Fannie Mae alone closed $2.5 billion in loan for manufactured homes in 2019, slightly down compared to the 2018 volume of $2.9 billion, but a significant increase from $1.9 billion in 2017. Additionally, recent JLL data shows that the percentage of delinquent loans has barely exceeded 5 percent in the period following the last economic recession and remained at an all-time low when other asset classes experienced difficulties.

The first half of the year saw a spike in loans, as the U.S. Federal Reserve slashed interest rates in order to offset the economic impact of the ongoing pandemic, with many owners taking advantage of the opportunity and refinancing their portfolios. For instance, in August, Hunt Real Estate originated $41 million in Fannie Mae debt for three communities in Arizona and Utah.

While many still see them as old-fashioned mobile housing, manufactured homes are actually a specific type of factory-built housing and very closely resemble single-family residences. They are built under HUDs strict Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards code. They are then transported to the site and assembled rapidly to ensure minimal weather exposure that can result in increased expansion, contraction and warping. Compared to a traditional site-built home, a manufactured one must withstand transportation, making the final products sturdier once completed. What fits the stereotype are the structures constructed prior to June 15th,1976, when the HUD code was implemented.

Manufactured homes are also believed to depreciate over time. This can happen if the structure has been moved or it wasnt well taken care of. But, as with any type of real estate, location is everything and a well-located community can maintain or increase in value over time.

Demand for manufactured homes keeps increasing and the pandemic has only accelerated the need for affordable housing. The sector currently experiences a cap rate of 5.89 percent, according to RCA data quoted by Fannie Mae. Total investment in manufactured housing increased 23 percent in the second quarter compared to the first three months of the year, according to JLL findings. In addition, institutional capital accounted for a record-high 28 percent of total investment volume year-to-date. Just last month, Blackstone was in talks to invest $550 million to grow its manufactured housing portfolio with 40 parks.

The sector can be seen as a safe investment in times of uncertainty since manufactured communities recently experienced low residential turnover and high rent. Stabilized occupancy nationally is at an all-time high in the first quarter of 2020 at 93.5 percent, according to JLL data.

Compared to other asset classes, the manufactured housing sector has one of the lowest investment barriers. The second quarter saw an average price per pad of $50,792up 6.6 percent from the first quarter and a 26 percent increase year-over-year, JLL data shows. With limited new supply and an aging existing stock , investors have plenty of value-add opportunities in this niche sector.

While most asset types use letters to differentiate properties by age and construction quality, manufactured housing communities are differentiated using a star system, ranging from four stars to two stars, each targeting a different type of tenant.

According to Fannie Mae data, manufactured housing renters tend to be on the lower end of income, with more than one-third of renters of earning less than $20,000 per year and over three-quarters earning less than $50,000 per year. These can include seniors on fixed incomes, low-income families, people with disabilities, veterans and others in need of low-cost housing.

The same data shows there is a $350 all-in cost difference between renters of manufactured homes compared to site-built homes. This could be an incentive for debt-burden Millennials to chose the manufactured housing options and use the saving to invest or pay off loans.

Another growing demographic is comprised of aging Baby Boomers with disposable income who opted to reduce retiring costs or simply added a second home. These residents are mostly considering 55+ communities, which offer amenities comparable to those of traditional senior communities, but at a fraction of the price.

Originally posted here:
What Are the Top 5 Manufactured Housing Investment Myths? - Commercial Property Executive

Editors note: The article has been corrected to reflect that Thistle runs the ROC program in Colorado.

A Longmont mobile home park is up for sale, and this week residents are expected to learn about their options for potentially purchasing the property themselves.

From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Resident Owned Communities USA will host a meeting at Twin Peaks Charter Academy, 340 S. Sunset St., to discuss options for residents of the St. Vrain Village Mobile Home Park, according to a notice shared with the Times-Call by a resident. The community is at 446 S. Francis St.

Mary Duvall is the CEO of Thistle, a Boulder-based affordable housing nonprofit that she said runs the Colorado ROC program. Thistle is a Certified Technical Assistance Provider in the ROC USA Network.

We are excited to meet with those residents at St. Vrain Village and tell them about the programs to see if its of interest, Duvall said.

Online Boulder County records show the property is owned by St. Vrain Investors LLC. A park manager confirmed the property is for sale. An attorney with Sherman & Howard said residents were notified of the sale.

Those who attend the Monday meeting are asked to wear masks and bring their own chairs, according to the notice.

Originally posted here:
Meeting to provide information to residents of St. Vrain Village Mobile Home Park on options for buying community - The Daily Camera

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Bellamah Avenue in Albuquerque is named for a man who descended from royalty, amassed millions that he left to charity and had a beer garden before beer gardens were a thing.

That man is Dale Bellamah and he made his fortune building homes. The residential street bearing the Bellamah name can be found in the Wells Park and Sawmill neighborhoods as well as in the Northeast Heights in the subdivisions he built. He was considered the sixth-largest homebuilder in the world at one point and his 1954 Princess Jeanne Park wife-planned homes in the Northeast Heights earned him respect around the country. His homes were even featured in a 1994 Science in American Life exhibit at The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Dale Bellamah built a thousand homes in Albuquerque during the boom of the 1950s.

A May 11, 1957, Albuquerque Journal story about his success talked about the Princess Jeanne homes that were the result of interviews and research involving thousands of modern young homemakers. Every home in Princess Jeanne Park has its own garbage disposal unit, vented kitchen range hoods, sunlamp bath heaters and residents share a community swimming pool, and tennis courts.

His 1972 Albuquerque Journal obit said Bellamah was one of the men responsible for turning Albuquerque from a cow town of less than 100,000 to a metropolis of 204,000 during the 1950s.

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In addition to Princess Jeanne Park, he built homes in Parkland Hills, Ridgecrest, Mesa Village, Kirtland, and Bellamah subdivisions.

He approached the development of Princess Jeanne Park, which he named after his wife Jeanne, with what were considered radical ideas at the time. Instead of just building homes, he envisioned an entire community with a park, recreational areas, schools, streets and homes. Jeanne Bellamah Park near Juan Tabo and Constitution was also named after his wife. He was initially criticized for his idea, but according his obit within a year, builders were traveling to Albuquerque from all parts of the country to study his methods and designs.

Bellamah was a no-nonsense businessman in public and a caring, giving, kind man in private.

He scoffed at government interference when it came to business. He opposed putting a cap on the price of goods and enacting rations proposed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. He argued the measures were contrary to the American way of living and destroys free enterprise.

Two years later he fought against a proposed bill that would establish a low-cost housing program in response to a shortage of homes. He said it was a step toward breeding a nation of irresponsibles and the bureaucratic fumbling would end up costing taxpayers more money.

But Bellamah did care about the working man and the plight of the poor. He left his entire estate, estimated between $30 million and $50 million, to a charity foundation he established a few years before his death.

This pamphlet is an advertisement for 1950s homes that were built in Albuquerque with the input of housewives.(Courtesy of University Of New Mexico Center For Southwest Research)

Bellamah, a direct descendant of the ancient royal house of Lebanon, was born into poverty in Veguita on May 19, 1914. His Lebanese father had immigrated to America for a better life, but the family settled in Barelas where his father opened a grocery store. His mother died when he was 12. By then his father was invalid and could not work, so Bellamah was forced to find employment.

It was Western Union that gave him his first shot at a job. Two years later, at age 14, he made his way to the Rail Yard shops. By that time, there was already a fire inside him to succeed.

He finished his high school education via correspondence, even though it would take him until he was 22 to get his diploma. An advertisement in the Oct. 20, 1934, Santa Fe New Mexican shows he was also starting to dip his toes into the entrepreneurship waters when he was just 20 years old. The ad talks about the grand opening of the beer garden at the Lensic Theatre in Santa Fe, naming Bellamah as one of the proprietors. They promised drinks to suit individual tastes, entertainment and modern liquor equipment featuring all electric heating and cooling devices.

I dont know about you, but I wasnt doing much with my life at 20. I couldnt even be bothered to fold my laundry and put it away at that age.

This 1934 Santa Fe New Mexican ad sheds lights on one of Dale Bellamahs first business ventures. He would go on to become a millionaire.(Newspapers.Com/Santa Fe New Mexican)

But Bellamah was just getting started.

He went onto the University of New Mexico, opening a liquor store, Dales Liquors on Central and Girard Avenue, during his junior year, and earned a bachelors degree in political science.

Not done yet.

He joined the army in 1943, leaving his wife to run the store and putting forever on hold plans to attend law school.

Still not done.

He sold his liquor store in 1946 and began building his corporate empire in earnest. In addition to building homes, he owned nine shopping centers, a savings and loan in Chicago, a bank in Grants, a mobile home park, several motor inns and a life insurance company.

Bellahmah died of a heart attack on April 20, 1972, exactly two years and one day after his wife. The couple never had children. His death made the front page of the Albuquerque Journal and his passing was also noted in publications across the state.

Colleague Tony Potenziani was quoted in his obituary.

Dale Bellamah was one of the finest men I have ever known. He was kind and compassionate, and his vision and dreams inspired those of us privileged to associate with him day by day and year by year.

Those dreams and visions can still be seen today in the thousands of Albuquerque homes he built and the street signs displaying his name. (A street in Santa Fe also bears his name).

Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email staff writer Elaine Briseo at ebriseno@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3965 as she continues the monthly journey in Whats in a Name?

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Ahead of his time: Dale Bellamah wasnt just interested in building homes, he envisioned building entire communities - Albuquerque Journal

23 min read497 views and 34 shares Posted October 15, 2020

This article is shared with LebTown by content partner Spotlight PA.

By Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA

Winding through green forested hills, the road to Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park in York County is nestled with brown-paneled trailers and potholes half-filled with jagged concrete. Sue Ritter has lived here for more than 40 years, before the pipes began to break, leaving faucets dry for days and causing sewage backups to soak the floors. Several trailers, constructed with cheap material and wood additions, have caught fire in recent years.

When workers in large trucks began barreling down these roads in 2017, hollowing out part of the forest for Sunocos Mariner East pipeline project, it seemed like another nuisance the now 73-year-old had little choice but to accept.

The only indication Ritter said she was given about the pipeline designed to carry highly volatile natural gas liquids was the sound of construction groaning late into the night.

She said she had no idea the project was unlike any other in the region.

Should a leak occur, she did not know it would be odorless and appear as a fog or frost, causing pools of water to bubble in low-lying areas. She did not know that dried grass or dead animals found near the yellow marker poles could be a sign to evacuate. She did not know that, in an emergency, she should leave on foot because turning a car ignition could cause an explosion.

I dont remember seeing anything about what would happen in case of emergency, she said, adding its a struggle for her to walk more than two blocks. Where are you supposed to go? My first instinct would be to get in the car.

We cant even say ignorance is bliss.

As the Mariner East pipelines become a permanent underpinning of Pennsylvania, many communities are still in the dark about what to do in the rare case of a serious accident. Thats in large part because pipeline operators have withheld critical safety information from the public with little oversight by the state, a Spotlight PA investigation has found.

Three pipelines are part of the 350-mile Mariner East system, which runs across the lower half of Pennsylvania from Ohio and West Virginia to a storage and processing facility in Marcus Hook, just outside Philadelphia. The system includes an 8-inch pipeline, first built in the 1930s to transport products like heating oil, which has since been repurposed. Sunoco placed the Mariner East 1 pipeline back into service in 2014, and in 2017, began construction on the larger pipes 16 and 20 inches in diameter. The company is temporarily using a hybrid structure a combination of 12-inch, 16-inch, and 20-inch pipes to run gas through Chester and Delaware Counties until the entire 20-inch line is complete. Read previous LebTown coverage here.

For decades, federal regulators have identified failures in public education as directly contributing to fatalities in natural gas liquids pipeline accidents. In separate incidents involving pipelines in Texas and Mississippi operated by Koch Pipeline Co. and Dixie Pipeline Co., respectively residents in 50 homes should have received informational mailers but did not, and four people burned to death, according to federal reports.

Sunoco and its parent company, Energy Transfer Partners, have withheld information in Pennsylvania in part by citing a state law enacted in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks intended to prevent key infrastructure, like water systems, from being compromised. But residents, school officials, and some local emergency planners said it is now preventing them from understanding the scope of harm associated with Mariner East and creating adequate response plans.

Court documents, county and state planning reports, hearing testimony, risk assessments, accident reports, and more than 80 interviews with residents, firefighters, school officials, emergency managers, and others reveal a fractured system of emergency preparedness with significant gaps in the knowledge residents and emergency responders have about the pipelines, the chemicals flowing through them, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Both state and federal regulators have criticized the company for not providing enough information to the public and, at times, to first responders about the potential hazards. As recently as June, a federal agency ordered Sunoco to change its public communications to better reflect the unique hazards of the Mariner East system.

Sunocos Mariner East pipeline project has been marked by a litany of federal and state violations related to construction problems and environmental harm.

April 2017: A small hole in Mariner East 1 an 8-inch pipeline constructed in the 1930s leaks 840 gallons of natural gas liquids in Berks County. As part of a settlement with the state, Sunoco agrees to pay $200,000 and study the remaining viability of the pipeline.

May 2017: The state Department of Environmental Protection issues its first notices of violation against Sunoco for the Mariner East 2 construction project. As of August 2020, the agency has issued 115 notices of violation for breaching permits related to environmental degradation, soil disruption, and clean water, among other issues.

January 2018: The state orders Sunoco to temporarily suspend work on all pipeline construction following numerous violations.

March 2018: Deep sinkholes develop in the backyards of homes in the Lisa Drive neighborhood of West Whiteland Township in Chester County. The state temporarily shuts down the existing pipeline. The damage ultimately compels the company to buy the homes from landowners.

December 2018: The Chester County district attorney launches an investigation into the pipeline system.

January 2019: New sinkholes develop in the Lisa Drive neighborhood. The Public Utility Commission temporarily shuts down the pipeline.

March 2019: Attorney General Josh Shaprio and Delaware Countys district attorney announce a joint criminal investigation into the pipeline; a grand jury is empanelled.

May 2019: A federal regulator issues a notice of violation against Sunoco alleging the company failed to properly notify the public about the pipelines.

November 2019: An ongoing FBI investigation into the Wolf administrations handling and permitting of the Mariner East pipeline project becomes public.

July and August 2020: Amid construction, new sinkholes emerge in Chester County, and the company releases 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid into Marsh Creek Lake. The state orders Sunoco to reroute part of the pipeline.

While there are other pipeline systems in Pennsylvania that carry natural gas liquids, Mariner East is by far the largest in scale. Stretching through 17 south-central Pennsylvania counties, the roughly 350-mile system pumps natural gas liquids from Ohio, West Virginia, and Southwestern Pennsylvania to a storage and processing facility just outside Philadelphia.

The chemicals are pushed through several lines at high pressure thousands of times the force typically used to send gas to a kitchen stove as they weave through suburban neighborhoods, rural farms, mobile-home parks, and alongside grocery stores, elementary schools, Little League fields, nursing homes, and places of worship. A Spotlight PA analysis of U.S. Census data found as many as 345,000 people live close enough to the Mariner East pipeline system that they could be affected by a leak or serious explosion.

Experts said the likelihood of a fatal accident is low. Residents near the line are more likely to die in a car crash or house fire. But the nature and amount of the chemicals running through these lines, and their proximity to some highly populated areas, pose a unique challenge for the state and those in charge of planning for a worst-case scenario.

When released, the dense liquid chemicals which can include ethane, butane, and propane expand rapidly into a highly combustive vapor cloud that hangs close to the ground rather than dispersing into the air, appearing as a fog or mist. Identifying a leak and predicting the path of the cloud, or telling people precisely how to escape it, can be very difficult, especially for children, the elderly, or people with disabilities.

If a large plume of the chemicals pooled and ignited, the resulting explosion would burn exceptionally hot in a fire that could last for hours, likely injuring or killing people through the force of the explosion or flames, and causing significant damage to structures.

The products in the Mariner line being odorless, colorless, extremely flammable, and able to asphyxiate people the last thing I want is a first responder or member of the community walking into [that], said Tim Boyce, the emergency manager in Delaware County, where the Mariner East pipelines cut through a population of roughly 3,000 people per square mile.

As part of its investigation, Spotlight PA traveled the length of the pipelines to assess emergency preparedness in different communities, and find out how much people know about the chemicals, how to identify a problem, and how to get to safety.

Some, like Ritter, said they were not given information about Mariner East, though Sunoco said it sent brochures to her neighborhood. Those who did receive the mailers said they didnt provide enough detail on how to react in an emergency.

Nursing home residents living feet from the pipeline route said they were unaware of how to evacuate. They worried many would be stuck if they could not use elevators or other transportation that might ignite the vapors. And some principals of the dozens of schools near Mariner East said they didnt have enough information to guarantee childrens safety.

Residents along the route have been pressing first responders and emergency officials for answers, but they, too, have struggled to get information to put together a robust response plan.

There is no centralized, statewide blueprint for communities to follow. State emergency planning documents are vague, addressing the risks of pipelines in general, but not specifically accidents involving natural gas liquids. Officials in many areas said they were relying on existing all hazards emergency plans, which experts said do not account for the uniqueness of a potential accident.

Should one occur, the immediate responsibility would fall to local first responders, primarily volunteer fire departments that have been overburdened, understaffed, and poorly funded for decades, leaving little time for specialized training. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, these resources are even more taxed, and some local pipeline safety planning efforts have stalled.

Emergency managers and school officials attempting to draft more specific response plans said they have been stymied by Sunocos refusal to release certain information, such as the blast radius in the case of an explosion, or detailed evacuation plans. As a result, those officials and others along the pipeline route said they still cannot confidently answer one of the most pressing questions:

Are we prepared?

If the public could get more of the baseline information I think we could move forward, Boyce said. They are banging their head on the wall to try to get an answer to what should be a simple question.

You cant just keep telling people, Its OK, dont worry about it. We owe it to them to have thought this through beforehand.

Federal law requires companies to provide emergency responders, local officials, and people who might be impacted by pipelines with information on their location and how to recognize and respond to problems. Sunoco said in a statement it fulfills that obligation without fail.

Based in Texas, Sunoco, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, is spending more than $5.1 billion on Mariner East, roughly $900,000 or about .02% of which has gone to local emergency responders for supplies and training through a grant program.

The company said it has employed more than 11,000 people to date in construction on the pipelines and at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex. The pipeline enables continued fracking in Western Pennsylvania, Energy Transfer has said, and provides critical access to the port in Marcus Hook, where the liquids can be shipped overseas to make plastics and other products.

Every two years, Sunoco said it mails colorful brochures to residents along the Mariner East pipeline route. One features an illustration of a fuchsia-winged butterfly perched serenely on a small yellow flag indicating the pipeline infrastructure below the grass.

It includes emergency phone numbers and instructions that visual cues such as ice, mist, or soil blowing on the ground could indicate a leak, as could a hissing sound.

Know, Recognize, Respond, it says.

Sunoco has sent more than 324,000 public awareness brochures, the company said, and trained just over 2,000 first responders in Pennsylvania. Brochures are distributed to residents who live between 1,000 and 4,000 feet of the pipeline, according to the company.

Lisa Coleman, a spokesperson for Energy Transfer Partners, said emergency response is ultimately not Sunocos responsibility. Planning for difficulties that could arise in evacuating children, the elderly, or people with disabilities is a local job, not a corporate one, she said.

The companys role, Coleman said, is to provide emergency response departments with the proper training and information that will allow them to develop these plans, which we have done. Trainings include information about natural gas liquids, the location of pipeline infrastructure, and accident scenarios, she said.

Sunoco has provided detailed facility response plans to the state Public Utility Commission, which oversees pipeline safety. Parts of these documents which should detail how a company would respond to and prevent various emergency situations, including possible threats and worst-case scenarios are considered confidential and are not publicly available. Coleman said such secrecy is necessary, and does not impede safety efforts.

The commission also approved Sunocos plans for educating the public and training first responders, Coleman said. But because much of the plans are not made public, there is little independent scrutiny over whether they are adequate.

And there have been problems.

In late June, the U.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said Energy Transfer, through Sunoco, violated public awareness requirements regarding Mariner East. Sunoco failed to consider the unique scope of harm posed by natural gas liquids when informing the public about risk, the agency said. It must also explain how it determined the potential impact of a pipeline accident, the order said.

The company did not contest the findings but said at a hearing this month it did not agree with the agency. Sunoco said it had already updated its plan beginning in 2018, and with additional mailings last year and does not intend to do anything further in response. An agency spokesperson said the case is still open.

Sunocos Public Awareness Program should clearly state their buffer(s) and how they were determined and/or rational for selection, Robert Burrough, director of the agencys eastern region, wrote in an earlier violation notice. A buffer is another term for blast radius, or the area of harm should a pipeline rupture.

The agency also found the company did not distribute information to all areas of consequence recognized in pertinent risk assessment reports and neglected to identify and educate the affected public whose safety could potentially be compromised by a pipeline release.

Inadequate public information is also at the heart of a pending case, referred to as the Safety Seven, before the state Public Utility Commission. The case was brought by residents in Chester and Delaware Counties, and later joined by the counties, as well as several townships and school districts. They are asking for a better public safety plan, and argue the project should be shut down until this can be ensured.

The company in late July asked the Public Utility Commission to dismiss complaints related to safety and corrosion risk, alleging the Safety Seven parties had failed to prove the pipeline was unsafe within current regulatory and legal standards. Hearings in the case began Sept. 29.

Separately, an administrative law judge found problems late last year with Sunocos public awareness plan and emergency training efforts in Cumberland County, just west of Harrisburg. Sunoco said it had met its legal obligations and didnt owe local governments additional outreach.

In September, the commission ordered the company to hold a meeting in the county to provide more information on pipeline safety, and noted other issues are pending as part of the Safety Seven case.

Past accidents show what can happen when public awareness efforts fall short.

In 1996, a teenager who lived at a home left off a pipeline mailing list, as well as her boyfriend, were killed while attempting to warn neighbors of a leak, according to a federal investigation and news reports. Not knowing it could be risky to operate a vehicle, they drove into a cloud of butane, igniting the invisible plume. A decade later, in Carmichael, Miss., 10 houses accidentally excluded from a pipeline companys mailing list were among those most damaged when a line ruptured. Two people in those homes were killed.

Residents of Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park, in York County, many of whom live less than 100 feet from the pipeline, said they, too, have been overlooked. Sunoco said it sent mailers to the community in 2018, but a dozen residents there said they never saw them.

Nobody really informed us or sent any letters, Deborah Basham, 63, said standing outside her single-wide mobile home. Nobody came and said anything. No, If you see this or smell this in your water, please let us know.

Mike Cattuti is a volunteer firefighter and emergency management coordinator for Fairview Township, where Meadowbrook is located. He said if something goes wrong with Mariner East, the township would rely on the general training it has done to prepare for large incidents, like a potential nuclear accident at nearby Three Mile Island. The township doesnt have a specific plan for natural gas liquids.

Cattuti said he was not aware residents at Meadowbrook said they had no information about Mariner East, or that they lived so close to it.

If they see a problem in one area, he said, they are going to have to go the other way.

But Tyler McClucas said the steep road to his home doesnt offer that option.

I dont mind the pipeline, McClucas said. But at least give something of a warning so people know. With how close it is to the trailer park, oh, these people could lose their houses. They didnt say s to us.

The sole exit from the Meadowbrook community is a dirt road, forking precipitously at the bottom of a steep hill. In an emergency, the only way to leave would be downhill, into the area where leaking chemicals, which are heavier than air, would most likely pool.

On an early morning, sun-filtered mist clung in the air between bare-limbed trees in Christina Morleys backyard.

I once enjoyed looking out the window on a crisp morning like today & seeing fog rolling across the fences, she wrote on Twitter. Now I wonder is it fog or a vapor cloud

Mariner East lies roughly 700 feet from her back door in Chester County and has altered the fabric of her life. She combs the Department of Environmental Protections website regularly, reading about Sunocos permit violations, some occurring down the street from her home.

Morley no longer shops at the grocery store nearest to her house, because the pipelines run alongside it. And some nights, when she cant sleep, she has stayed up listening online to the preserved 911 calls that rolled in when a pipeline explosion tore through San Bruno, Calif., in September 2010.

I can feel heat from it. We just ran out with what we had on. Where the hell is the fire department? panicked residents told fire dispatch when the explosion occurred.

There is a term for gradual environmental deterioration that turns into a disaster: slow violence. Those living most intimately with energy infrastructure are the first to see it, and their resilience is gradually worn away, Gwen Ottinger, a professor at Drexel University, said.

For Morley, and other residents statewide, a litany of incidents involving Mariner East construction has similarly exacerbated public concern and degraded the presumption of safety.

Since Sunoco began work on the Mariner East pipelines in 2014, it has been fined at least $15.9 million for more than 100 environmental and other violations, an analysis of state records shows.

Over the last two years alone, the state has cited the company for allowing drilling chemicals to rise to the soil surface in a dozen counties across the state, at times contaminating private water systems but failing to notify landowners for days, or the state as required. Ponds of murky liquid could be seen pooled outside one residential community, ringed with caution tape. Sinkholes, some 10 feet deep, have opened up dozens of times, as recently as August, forcing the company to buy condemned houses and reroute traffic.

After the company released 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid into Marsh Creek Lake during construction in August, the Department of Environmental Protection ordered Sunoco to halt construction and reroute part of the pipeline, saying the company had acted carelessly and blatantly disregarded the citizens and resources of Chester County.

The Clean Air Council said in early October that it intends to file suit against Sunoco alleging the company altered reporting practices this year and falsified information to minimize potentially dangerous conditions, including sinkholes and other ground movement, to avoid notifying the state and continue construction.

A spokesperson for Sunoco called the claims baseless, founded on slanderous information from a disgruntled employee.

Amid these environmental and public health concerns, the FBI is investigating whether Gov. Tom Wolfs administration erred in issuing construction permits to Sunoco for the Mariner East project. And state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, in conjunction with the Delaware County district attorney, has convened a grand jury to investigate allegations of criminal misconduct involving the pipeline.

Determining actual danger is complicated. Risk assessments are often based on historical accident data involving natural gas liquids, not necessarily a companys individual track record. But the fracking boom means more highly volatile chemicals are being transported in the United States and exported overseas. Over the last decade, the number of miles of pipeline in the United States shipping highly volatile liquids has increased nearly 25%, and the number of serious accidents has also steadily gone up, according to an analysis of federal data by the Pipeline Safety Trust.

If an accident were to occur, however, residents and emergency managers want to know how many people might be at risk and how to keep them safe. Its a basic question, but because of a lack of public information, its a hard one to answer. And that makes preparing for an incident and properly informing those along the pipeline route difficult.

Sunoco and the state have declined to disclose the blast radius for the pipeline system to the public the area in which people could be harmed if the pipeline were to rupture.

But other incidents with highly volatile liquids like the ones flowing through Mariner East have shattered windows hundreds of feet away, decimated nearby structures, injured 37 people and killed at least 11 from 2000 through 2019, according to federal data and incident reports. More than a thousand accidents have occurred in that same period.

Advocates and emergency planners in Pennsylvania have tried to piece together the puzzle. They have looked north to a smaller ethane pipeline in Canada, where Sunoco has estimated a blast radius at just under half a mile. (Energy Transfer said it would not apply a smaller pipelines measurements to the Mariner East network.)

An analysis funded by municipalities in Chester County found a hazard zone could extend at least 0.4 miles. Another, commissioned by Delaware County, found a flammable vapor cloud could extend 1.3 miles from a full breach of the pipeline.

Between 96,000 and 345,000 people live within this harm radius in Pennsylvania, according to a Spotlight PA analysis of U.S. Census data. Up to 340 schools, child care centers, places of worship, and mobile-home parks could also be impacted by a worst-case scenario involving Mariner East.

One expert on emergency response said theres been a bit of an overreaction by the energy industry on what information is kept secret.

You have security people who are in the mind-set that any information out there will be exploited for negative purposes when in reality having that information is useful for people to do emergency preparedness, said Charles Jennings, director of the City University of New Yorks Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies.

If you tell people, Yes, if this thing ignites there could be a fireball this diameter, certainly the companies dont want to get anywhere near that and raise a lot of concern, Jennings said. But people should have some kind of informed risk that there is a pipeline where they live or where they work.

But records from a case filed with the Public Utility Commission against Sunoco suggest even the commission did not have detailed information about the pipeline risk as recently as 2018, when chemicals were already flowing through part of the system.

That includes a lack of information about which residents were at risk and the size of a potential blast zone.

On Feb. 16, 2018, Paul Metro, the commissions then-pipeline safety manager, wrote to Sunocos compliance specialist that the commission was reviewing the companys emergency response plans and needed more information.

Metro asked for pipeline infrastructure maps, how long it would take to shut down the flow of chemicals in the pipeline, and modeling information about the impact zone of a pipeline accident. He also asked for a list of all schools, hospitals, and nursing homes in the impact zone, and how emergency responders had been trained.

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Along Mariner East pipelines, secrecy and a patchwork of emergency plans leave many at risk and in the dark - LebTown