MILTON — Lillie Dunlap began working at 14 years old, but over the years rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia took their toll.
These days, Dunlap says she does what she can to help her friends and neighbors. This includes running a prayer ministry through her Facebook page.
However, handling a backed up septic tank is beyond her physical and economic means, so she turned to the Support Alliance for Emergency Readiness for help, also known as SAFER Santa Rosa.
As a networking agency, SAFER connects organizations and individuals who can provide direct services to people in need.
SAFER administrator Daniel Hahn said the nonprofit organization "is the successor of the Santa Rosa Long Term Recovery Organization, which developed after Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis.
“During periods when there are no disasters, SAFER attempts to meet the needs of the less fortunate in the community."
SAFER Santa Rosa County “is a humanitarian association of independent organizations who may be active in all phases of disaster," Hahn said.
SAFER began in 2008 and, early in its existence, the board of directors changed the by-laws, adding poverty as one of the disasters the organization addresses.
The goal was to keep the organization active year-round, Hahn said.
In 2012, Hahn invited the newly formed Bridges Out of Poverty, under Dr. Karen Barber’s direction, to serve as the organization’s unmet needs committee.
SAFER has numerous committees; among them is the Safer Kids Program, which raises funds for barricades to protect people from dangerous areas. SAFER typically doesn't overlap other organizations' functions, Hahn said. In this case, he said, nobody was providing these barricades, so SAFER stepped up.
During natural disasters, Hahn said the recovery time is SAFER's most important work. That’s why he focused on two particularly matters of preparedness: flood insurance and a disaster fund for Santa Rosa County.
"When disaster strikes, in the best case scenario, the president will declare a natural disaster, but how long will you wait for (the Federal Emergency Management Agency)?” Hahn said.
“Your house will rot. We have to learn to take care of ourselves.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SAFER aids county residents before, after disaster