WELLINGTON, Fla. — A Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) has opened in Wellington to help people get back on their feet after tornadoes pummeled several different neighborhoods in Palm Beach County.
The MARC opened Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Village Park Gymnasium in Wellington, off Pierson Rd.
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The gymnasium has been converted into a hub connecting tornado victims with support needed on the long road to recovery.
The Delgado family is one of many visiting the center today. WPTV Reporter Zitlali Solache met with members of the family just days after an EF-3 tornado ripped through their Wellington home.
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Fifteen family members were home at the tornado. All survived.
“It’s crazy what happened,” said Ramiro Pedro Delgado. “It’s by God’s help I’m alive.”
They met with various agencies, including FEMA, Saturday morning at the MARC.
“I just genuinely prefer right now to speak in person with people because I’m already stressed about it,” said 17-year-old Yuri Pedro Lopez. Speaking for her family, she said this center is just what they needed.
“They’re going to help us with essentials that we need: food, clothing, anything,” Lopez said.
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The MARC connects victims with several agencies from the federal to the local level, including United Way Palm Beach County, American Red Cross and Catholic Charities.
“Even if you’ve applied for all of those things and have done all the right steps from your home, it’s sometimes much easier to walk table to table, agency to agency, to get all those questions answered,” said Mary Blakeney, Director of Emergency Management for Palm Beach County.
Blakeney said the center will stay open through Monday. She said they may extend the center if they find a need.
