Tip#4 Make a plan for disaster relief
It is a familiar piece of advice that to master disaster relief, or any venture, you need to make a plan. In the beginning, I didn’t have even a general concept of disaster relief. In fact, I didn’t know exactly what I could do to help. However, in a moment of inspiration, on a whim, I made my plan to travel to the site of destruction. Thus began my transformation. From mild-mannered homebody, I became a one-woman disaster relief team.
In this regard, I may have been rash, but I know I am not alone. Consider your own situation. Frequently, you read about sudden devastating weather events that level towns and sweep residents to their deaths. Back and forth the news echoes from weather channels to national headlines, to social media and back over time. Like pressure waves, these reports wash over our ordinary days, bringing questions. “What can I do to help?” And truthfully “Why should I try to help those people who are suffering far away?” “How could I provide meaningful hurricane disaster relief?”
Tip #5 Research, decide, act
Research, decide act in my case that day started with many questions as I weighed the pros and cons. In the present, here I was, living a life filled daily challenges and comfortable routines. Further, all of us know that there are plenty of people who are living on the edge, right here in town. Equally, local charities always need assistance.
However, I’m an action more than a contemplative person. So for me to master disaster relief I knew that day that if I chose to do this, I would be going full tilt into the process when I arrived. And indeed, I live on fixed income, so I’m not inclined to donate dollars to pay someone else to do the job needed. As I closed my eyes, I imagined images like the photos I was to take in Panama City after hurricane Michael. Consequently, I had several compelling reasons to go. So why not jump in and make a difference myself? In the end, the plus side of the equation won out. Decision made. Mind made up. Somewhere, I decided I would head to a stricken site to help provide hurricane disaster relief. Out loud I listen to myself say “Yes, I’ll do it. Now!”
Tip#6 Don’t be discouraged
In the auto racing world, my good friend Mary Jane wins often because she never gets discouraged. As a competitor, she lives by the acronym POR “Press On Regardless” As it turned out for me in the wake of my big decision, I began to discover that I had settled nothing, arranged my plans, or even started. Under the circumstances, yes I lost confidence.
When I began to make calls, the reactions on the other end were tepid at best. “What group are you with?” “That is such a nice thing to offer but….” “What are your qualifications?” “We don’t have the resources to schedule for one volunteer.” Inevitably the polite person on the other end of the line referred me to an agency I had already called; only to get a variation of the same theme. Eventually, I began to question my own decision to provide hurricane disaster relief. But then I thought of Mary Jane’s motto, POR.
Tip#7 Be bold. Dig in to disaster relief
After a week or more, my window of opportunity to get out and master disaster relief grew short. And in the same measure, my temper grew shorter. To do this, I had to reach the site of the disaster: the Gulf Coast following hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Casually I browsed travel web sites. And at length, I found a package deal with a flight to New Orleans and a bed in Gulfport, Mississippi. I pushed click.