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Many Northeast Ohio agencies are preparing to provide aid  as refugees flee Afghanistan. The Taliban has taken control of the capital, Kabul, following the United States government鈥檚 withdrawl of armed forces in recent months.

The events unfolding in Kabul are a tragedy, said Global Cleveland President Joe Cimperman. He鈥檚 heard from members of the local Afghan community who are concerned about the safety of family and loved ones overseas, he said.

Many Clevelanders have reached out to offer support, housing and other resources to people in need, Cimperman said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just praying for people in Afghanistan, that they can get out,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd then hoping once they come to the United States that they can make Cleveland their home.鈥�

The city of Cleveland has a long history of providing a home for refugees following war and famine, Cimperman said. The infrastructure needed to support Afghan resettlement is available, he said.

鈥淲e certainly have the room. We have the capacity to hire people,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have schools that would be more than ready to receive, if there were any kids that were coming with the family.鈥�

The federal government will determine how and when refugees are brought into the U.S., Cimperman said. That could be through a refugee program or military installation that focuses on getting people to safety and sorts out visas and citizenship later, he said.

Many aid groups were already preparing for more refugees to enter the country under the Biden administration's new immigration policies, said Refugee Response Executive Director Patrick Kearns. Some Afghan refugees are arriving this week, and resettlement agencies will likely see more over the next two to three months, he said.

鈥淭he numbers are not going to be unexpected or change to anything we weren鈥檛 planning on before,鈥� Kearns said. 鈥淚t might mean more of a quicker movement starting earlier.鈥�

Resettlement agencies are currently focused on assisting U.S. citizens and residents who were visiting Afghanistan and now need to get home, Kearns said, as well as helping any settled refugees trying to connect with their families overseas.

鈥淐ommunication is going to be a critical component for them,鈥� Kearns said. 鈥淗aving secure communications so they鈥檙e able to stay in contact with family members, that they鈥檙e able to start processing the onerous paperwork that it takes for family reunification.鈥�

New arrivals are coming from a difficult and challenging situation, Kearns said, and will need support both from the Afghan community and with mental health as they adjust.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a well-established, very stable community here that these folks can directly connect with when they arrive,鈥� Kearns said, 鈥渨hich is really a small blessing in that way, that they have that support system.鈥�