LIBERAL ? Much of the damage from a summer hailstorm has been repaired.

But advocates for the poor in this southwest Kansas town warn that hundreds of people still live with leaky roofs or broken windows that could make for a cold, hard winter.

“They’re very poor people,” said Alicia Davis, program coordinator for the Southwest Kansas Interfaith Recovery Committee. “They didn’t have much to begin with, and they have a lot less now.”

The recently formed group has collected $32,000 to help the needy deal with the aftereffects of the June 28 hailstorm.

But with the local coffers of the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and other charitable groups that have provided assistance already depleted, more money is needed.

Although some who are unable to fix their homes probably still will stay in them, others may seek refuge from cold weather at the city’s homeless shelter, causing overcrowding, said Kay Burtzloff, executive director of Seward County United Way.

Davis also said that mold and mildew could form in homes that suffered roof damage, leading to respiratory problems for the occupants.

“It’s not an easy situation to get a handle on,” said Burtzloff, who is acting as accountant for the committee.

On June 28, a powerful, half-hour hailstorm ripped through Liberal, damaging thousands of roofs and shattering windows all over town.

Al Shank, a local insurance agent, estimates that the storm caused $45 million to $50 million in damage to the city.

“It’s the most significant storm in the history of Liberal, in terms of damage, that I’m aware of,” he said.

Those at the bottom of the pecking order — Liberal’s poorest, many of them undocumented immigrants and most without insurance — were left without the means to fix their shattered homes, Davis said.

She said the interfaith committee, a coalition of area churches, already had received nearly 300 requests for help.

More come in every day: senior citizens, illegal immigrants, the handicapped and single mothers.

“You prioritize and help the people you can,” Burtzloff said.