2009 in review - ObserverToday.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Dunkirk | The Observer

2009 in review - ObserverToday.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Dunkirk | The Observer:

"Many others did not have to wait for a call to come in and help, however. Volunteer groups including Americorps, BonaResponds and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief offered able bodies to aid recovery and national organizations such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Hands-On Disaster Relief helped with not only personal needs, but organizing the sea of paperwork required when a disaster strikes. When these organizations left, many matters were left in the hands of the locally-operated Tri-County Disaster Recovery Group.

Some sense of normalcy had returned to the flood-affected areas by September. Silver Creek and Gowanda schools opened on time, some roads reopened and even a few celebrations were organized. Evidence of the flooding and its effect on communities still remains, however, and likely will through 2010.

According to the Tri-County Disaster Recovery Group in early December 2009, more than 250 homes throughout the area were found to have sustained substantial damage, with more than 40 outright destroyed."