OKEECHOBEE — Once again, Our Village Okeechobee presents a new service for the Okeechobee community.

Cristian Suarez is the project manager of Okeechobee Long Term Recovery Group (OLTRG) which was created to assist in identifying the unmet needs of those affected by disaster in the Okeechobee community. Their mission is to help meet these needs and coordinate access to resources that can provide relief. Suarez explained OLTRG services are available to those who were impacted by Hurricane Milton and who have not already received relief.

Suarez said one of his first assignments was to help a couple whose home was completely destroyed by tornadoes during hurricane Milton. He said after they got out of the hospital, the couple was living in motels. OLTRG was able to access funding to get them into a short-term rental, paying for first and last month’s rent on their behalf.

If your home was damaged by Hurricane Milton or by tornadoes accompanying Hurricane Milton, your first step will be to fill out an Unmet needs Assessment. This will help OLTRG to understand and assess the damages you are dealing with. This assessment will help determine whether the damage was caused by the storm and can get you connected to the best resources for your particular situation.

As project manager, Suarez manages a team of disaster case managers. This team works directly with the disaster victims and will coordinate the care you receive from various resources. They will advocate for you to ensure you receive the resources you are entitled to.

Not only does OLTRG help with the physical needs, but they also assist disaster victims to connect with faith-based or professional counseling to help them deal with the trauma caused by the disaster.

Suarez explained OLTRG does not fund all the needs themselves. Instead, they are connected with a roundtable of like-minded organizations which work together to ensure all needs are met.

If you are still dealing with damages from Hurricane Milton, call 407-374-3843 or visit 205 NE Second Street. They can be found on the web at oltrg. and finally, you can email Suarez at cristian@ourvillageokeechobee.org.