Cabot spokesman George Stark (at right) met with Stephen McHenry of the Susquehanna-Wyoming Chapter of the American Red Cross and Rachel Pratt of Susquehanna County Interfaith on Tuesday to discuss flood relief efforts.
BY STACI WILSON
As people begin to put their lives and homes after the recent flooding, a natural gas company has stepped up to the plate to assist the agencies that offer help.
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. spokesman George Stark said that as the disaster struck Sept. 7, the company began hearing about the affected communities’ needs.
Stark said the company made an immediate decision to give $100,000 to local agencies that would play a role in recovery efforts.
The Susquehanna-Wyoming Counties Chapter of the American Red Cross was allocated $50,000; $25,000 was donated to Susquehanna County Interfaith; and United Way Chapters in Susquehanna andWyomingcounties will share $25,000.
Stark said, “We wanted to help those that are doing the helping. Cabot wanted to ensure Red Cross, theUnited Wayand Interfaith early on that they could rest somewhat easily knowing financial relief was coming.”
Pratt said, “If Cabot hadn’t have stepped up, I’m not sure what Interfaith could have done. (Cabot) saw a need.”
It was a need, Pratt said, she hadn’t predicted in the early stages of the disaster.
In addition to supplying those affected by the flood with clothing, the Cabot donation will also allow Interfaith to help people purchase necessary appliances – like furnaces, stoves, refrigerators, etc. – that were lost in the flooding.
Pratt said that calls to Interfaith for help are starting to ramp up now but the calls from people who want to help have also increased.
“The community here amazes me,” Pratt said.
Stephen McHenry, director of the Susquehanna-Wyoming Chapter of the American Red Cross, reported that although the shelter inSusquehannaCountyhas been closed, a lot of people in the community are still in need of relief.
The donation from Cabot to the Red Cross was to help the agency meet its immediate needs during the disaster and the recovery.
Red Cross volunteers are manning theDisasterRecoveryCenterthat opened this week at the Hallstead Fire Station.
The Red Cross volunteers are now working on closing out cases and monitoring the situation to help “get people back on their feet,” said McHenry.
A disaster shelter still remains open inWyomingCounty.
Red Cross ERVs are out feeding people in need. “We are reaching everybody we can,” McHenry said.
He praised the local and national volunteers. “It’s been incredible,” he said.
He also commended the local school districts where shelters had been established. “The schools did a great job but without the volunteers it wouldn’t have happened,” said McHenry.
Stark said the company initially organized to meet needs in the communities after ascertaining that their sites were fine.
It then became apparent, Stark said, that some of Cabot’s employees were among those hard hit by the disaster.
A $25,000 fund for employees was established by the company to help the affected employees. Cabot employees were also asked to volunteer for help with the disaster or to contribute to the fund for their co-workers.
With the Cabot fund established, those employees would not have to access the money donated to the local agencies for help, Stark said.
During the initial days of disaster clean-up, Stark said Cabot helped with water distribution and helped the Great Bend Fire Company clean mud from parking lots.
“It’s good to have an industry here that can step forward with equipment and monetary donations,” Stark said.
And in this case, natural gas company equipment “fit the bill,” he said.
He also said it’s nice that agencies like Interfaith, the Red Cross and theUnited Wayare in existence here and by Cabot donating to those agencies they wouldn’t question if they were going to be able to help.
“We wanted to ensure they would be able to,” Stark said.
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