Southern California residents who had to evacuate their homes following a tanker leak in Orange County could be eligible for aid with millions of dollars in payments coming from the aerospace company behind it.
GKN Aerospace announced that it is giving $4 million to help the tens of thousands of residents and business owners whose lives were impacted by last month’s evacuation in Garden Grove, according to a press release.
For days, crews worked to prevent an explosion or a massive leak of the chemical methyl methacrylate from an overheated storage facility before the threat was eliminated.
The company said $3 million of those funds will go towards the Orange County United Way’s OC Community Resilience Fund, which was set up to provide “recovery support for those affected by the incident.”
The rest will go towards “broader community initiatives” across the county, the release noted.
“By working with a trusted local organization with the infrastructure to mobilize resources quickly, we hope to help expedite assistance to those most in need,” GKN Senior Vice President Steve Carlin, who oversees the Garden Grove site’s programs, said.
“We will continue to engage with community leaders, work with the authorities, and help the community move forward.”
Those interested are encouraged to call 2-1-1 in Orange County, a service of Orange County United Way.
The service will connect people “with local health and human service resources and information about available aid,” the release noted.
The city of Staton, which was greatly impacted by the evac orders, posted a message on Facebook about the process residents can take to get aid through the OC Community Resilience Fund, with eligible residents being offered a “one-time $250 assistance payment delivered electronically or $150 in Northgate Market gift cards delivered in person at City Hall.”
The city said assistance is limited, with only “one payment per household.” It also said that the payments will be distributed until funds run out. And that just completing the application doesn’t guarantee assistance.
Those steps include first calling the United Way’s 2-1-1 help line and selecting option 7. It said callers must “provide basic information, including your name, address, and consent to participate in the program.”
Then “a member of the 2-1-1 team will then follow up with you to complete the eligibility review process.”
Officials said that as part of the process “you may be asked to provide documentation such as proof of address within the impacted areas of Stanton and a valid photo ID.”
“Once eligibility has been confirmed and all required documentation has been received” then payment can be sent to those affected.
GKN said it previously gave another $1 million to the American Red Cross to support residents who had been affected by the evacuation orders, per the release.
“GKN remains grateful to the emergency responders, public officials, technical specialists, nonprofit organizations, and regulatory agencies that collaborated in the response effort,” it added in the release.
For more information, OC residents can go to the OC Community Resilience Fund.
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