The Lincoln County School District has been awarded a $234,477 federal grant to find and use different ways to help schools and families recover from the September wildfires that swept through the Otis area. The grant is for one year.
In a news release, the district said some 65 students lost their homes to the Echo Mountain Fire Complex that started Sept. 7 and destroyed 300 homes in Otis, east of Lincoln City.
“There may be more,” said Sue Graves, the district’s Safe Schools coordinator. “Another 50 students (or more) sustained some degree of damage to their homes; some have been able to return home, others have not and are displaced.”
The money will pay for a full-time disaster recovery coordinator to administer the grant, collaborate with public health and other mental health services, and oversee all aspects of the district’s disaster recovery effort. Graves said the district also plans to hire two, half-time disaster recovery specialists and contract with a mental health expert specializing in disaster recovery.
The grant also provides for some mental health training for school staff.