Hampton schools, local organizations aid families displaced by recent flooding

HAMPTON — SAU 90 and SAU 21 schools are working with local organizations to aid families displaced by recent flooding.

Hampton experienced significant flooding during a storm in early January. Families across town saw their streets transform into rivers, and their houses become submerged, causing damage that made their homes uninhabitable.

SAU 90 and SAU 21 have partnered to help several families with students in the districts who were displaced or impacted by the flooding. The districts' efforts are being spearheaded by social workers Emily Fixler, of SAU 90, and Talley Westerberg, of SAU 21.

"It's about making sure these students and families know they are valued and cared for," said Fixler. "In a time of crisis, families have had to navigate challenging times on the fly, and getting their children to school to help maintain routine and stability is very important. It is important for these students to have the same opportunities as every other student."

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The Hampton Firefighters' Charitable Organization, Womenade of the Hamptons, and Hampton Community Coalition sprung at the opportunity to help the districts aid members of their community.

Patty McKenzie, a volunteer at the Hampton Community Coalition, noted the organization's mission aims to assist families in Hampton K-8 schools facing a crisis.

"For 29 years, HCC has been supporting struggling families with children in our schools,” said McKenzie. “Our mission is to relieve stress in these households so that these children might arrive at school better ready to learn each day. In January, we made sure the referred Hampton families displaced by flooding received gift cards to help replace lost items. 'Neighbor helping neighbor' is the key."

HCC also worked with the districts to ensure that the families have access to the organization's food pantry and can participate in regular distributions of personal care and household products.

Womenade of the Hamptons works to assist area families in various ways, including automobile and transportation expenses, childcare expenses, clothing, education and training, healthcare expenses, household goods, housing expenses, and utilities expenses. Their work is 100 percent anonymous, but their impact is felt by those they have aided.

The Hampton Firefighters' Charitable Organization – an entity of the members of the Hampton Fire Department – is also working alongside the districts to aid the families and beyond who were affected by the flooding.

"It’s in our DNA to put others in front of our needs when they are at their most vulnerable and need help," said Hampton Firefighters' Charitable Organization President Craig Johnson. "Families in town were impacted, we helped that day, and our mission continues. Our profession is to save life and property - but our job is to help people in any way we can."

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Vice President Andrew Wiley said they have been working with impacted families, assisting with housing specifically.

“The impacts from these flooding events extend far beyond the two-week news cycles, and our goal is to assist these families with temporary housing as they work to get back on track,” Wiley said. “The Charitable plays an active role for our membership as well as our community. We are proud to be a part of the recovery process and stand ready to assist wherever we can."

SAU 90 and SAU 21 social workers Fixler and Westerberg are working as liaisons between the districts and organizations to help the displaced families get the resources they need. The families have also been connected with the American Red Cross for assistance.

"To have significant storms back-to-back created such a hardship for some of our students and their families," said Westerberg. "In addition to those fully displaced by the flooding, other families needed quick access to items such as dehumidifiers and cleaning products that were beyond their means to be able to remain in their residences. Hampton Community Coalition and Hobbs House stepped in immediately to help. It is such a gift to work in a community that takes care of families when crises arise."

For those who would like to help out, donations of Hannaford and/or Market Basket gift cards can be sent to the Hobbs House Community Center, 200 High Street, Hampton.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton schools, local groups aid families displaced by flooding