Disaster relief more tips

Bay with disaster relief reindeer

Disaster relief more tips, Tip#8: Learn by doing

Before you go, it’s well worth learning more disaster relief tips. Imagine if you will the advantage of opening a new toolbox to timeless and useful advice. Because each of us learns in different ways, there is no single instruction book that will work.

Therefore in any circumstance, I remind myself to learn by doing.  Over time,   this holds true on the first day and over several years of disaster relief trips that I have taken.

On site at Moore OK, the Blond is the Boss

Disaster relief more tips, Tip#9: Find the boss

Before you progress doing disaster relief Tip 8 and beyond, start with the first step: find the boss. Truly, the site supervisor is your key to success. Before you ever step on a site or pick up a tool, you may need to complete initial training, get protective clothing, fill out authorization documents and above prove that you will be safe while you are there.

Usually, the boss will explain the job for this site and introduce you to the team.  In addition, it helps to understand the scope of the project. And in general, you will either be doing demolition (muck out) short term or rebuilding which can last for weeks. Finally,  keep in mind that disaster relief work is as diverse as the locations and groups active in the area.

Tip#10: New is good

In midwinter every year, I travel from my home in New Mexico to a place on the map that has been hit by a weather disaster.  And recently my destination has not been hard to find. 

  • In the rubble of Union Beach, New Jersey: I wade hip deep in the Atlantic, collecting detritus after Hurricane Sandy.  Nasa report
Memorial in the rubble after Hurricane Sandy
  • On location at Springerville, Arizona, I ring a bell outside Walmart and pile up
    Bell ringing for disaster relief

    charred remains of Ponderosa pines in the wake of the Wallow fire. During this trip, I discover the real damage develops over time. If houses are not destroyed, the greatest losses are economic and social ones.  Bit by bit, businesses and schools move elsewhere. And with them, a generation of young residents move on.  Nasa coverage

Tip#11: Empathize, don’t  personalize

  • Under looming skies in Gulfport, Mississippi, I help feed and house homeless residents after Katrina and BP oil spill. During this stay, it was hard not to let my spirits sink. Witnessing seemingly irreparable damage, and words of anger or despair from locals, it was hard not to give up as well.

In the end, I am so glad I held on.  Day by day, I began to sense the impact I made on those I touched and the land where they lived. One evening, I had a serious heart to heart discussion with myself.  And by the next day, it came naturally to separate my outlook from the conditions along the coast.    In this video, you can watch workers try to “clean up” the coast.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WToJ8pm6NNs

Disaster relief more tips, Tip#12: Expect the unexpected

  • After 400 miles driving through a blizzard, I creep into Moore Oklahoma. Although I came here to help rebuild in the path of a tornado I find myself in a city frozen in ice. Notwithstanding, the crew at Serve Moore is at work and eager for my help. The Atlantic photos
  • While it may be true that disaster conditions are brutal, some are quieter than others.  In particular, floods can creep silently and relentlessly.  Thus, in Baton Rouge, to Watson Louisiana, the roads above water wove past banks of cars, trucks and toppled trailers propped up by trees.   In this situation, I needed to slosh or wade through flooded yards to renovate waterlogged homes. CNN report

Disaster relief tip#13

Photo gallery, hurricane Michael

Photo gallery, other sites

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *