Disaster Relief Affected by Tornadoes

Hi 2flowerboys, I commend your thoughts, initially it is chaotic, a lot of people in shock and despair as they have no idea what to do or who to turn to.  It can take a very long time for people to get help financially or otherwise, churches were the ones that did the most good in our area after the initial disaster – they were the ones that rallied and helped salvage and feed and comfort the people.  Government agencies and I hate to say it but insurance companies were horribly slow and for many that caused huge problems.  Insurance companies would argue about whether it was wind damage or flood damage, if it was flood and you did not have flood insurance they would not pay.  We were fortunate, even though we did not live in a flood zone, we took out flood insurance, because both my husband and myself felt as we were in a hurricane prone area it was prudent to do so.  It costs only about $200 a year, and I think in our street we were the only ones who had it – strangely we were the only out of towners in the street as well – it seemed a lot of the locals had gotten a little complacent and not taken the flood insurance feeling sure that they would never flood, well they did and they had to pay everything out of pocket.  I urge anyone with any kind of flood risk or even a sump pump in the basement which could back up, take out the insurance – it is worth it for the peace of mind – insurance in our area in Illinois now don’t pay for basement water – they call it rising damp and say flood insurance has to pay it, so we took it out again just in case the sump pump ever backs up.  All those people whose house took on water damage, had to pay out of pocket and that meant replacing the whole ground floor of the house with no insurance help – it was hard for them.  I only donate to the Red Cross for these things as they do a fabulous job of helping and are some of the first on the scene.  It was 3 or 4 months after the fact that we got any government checks!  So it can take a lot of time.  For us it was not too bad, we had savings and were able to use that, others really struggled.  It is also a time when many crooked people enter the areas, offering to rebuild, fix roofs etc and they are charlatans out to make money and do a horrible job – so there is a lot of tension, fear, grief, anxiety, and it lasts a very long time.  I remember it all as if it were yesterday and we are still terrified of bad weather and dive into our basement whenever bad weather is threatened.  In many ways after an event like this, you never quite feel secure again – it stays with you – and though in time you do adjust, it leaves a mark that never goes away.  The girls suffered emotionally as we all did, children lose that sense of place and home and comfort.  The people need a lot of understanding, love, comfort, clean clothing, water, food and just the necessities that we all take for granted.  I remember in Mississippi on the coast, months after the fact seeing people just sitting on the side of the street just rocking back and forth – obviously still in terrible distress and it does break your heart.  Sometimes having teams going down to help is a good thing, sometimes those teams can get in the way if they are not organised.  If you really want to go, then try and hook up with a church that is going to go – then there is some organization – life is horrible and vile and chaotic and frightening in the initial weeks.  We had to guard our home with a gun to stop looters and protect our severely damaged property – it does become lawless rather quickly so I would urge caution.  Sadly some people use disaster to do bad things, and sometimes people are so desperate they will do bad things – it pays to be careful and go with a group or donate to a reputable group like the Red Cross who were amazing in our area in the aftermath.  Linda

I would love to see some homeschool materials donated for families who may have lost theirs – does anyone know of someone with experience in organizing this sort of thing?  I would happily donate but have no contacts down in the areas where it would be needed.

I have a friend in the Huntsville, AL, area and they left town to head to relatives a bit farther North.

I would not just go unless you are with an organized group. Another suggestion: Southern Baptist Churches Disaster Relief or Churches of Christ Disaster Relief. Both are big in the South and will be mobilizing (already have actually). They would be able to tell you where/when to go to offer help. They also would be good orgs. to send monetary donations as this will get to people quickly even in the form of drinking water, food, basic necessities such as baby goods, shelter, etc.

This article has links for donating to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=35157) and this has links for Churches of Christ Disaster Relief (http://www.disasterreliefeffort.org/).

Either of these orgs. would be a great way to help. They are always one of the first to hit the ground and they are trained in this and have full-time employees that lead the volunteers.

We were blessed that the storms missed us, but here in our area people are still reliving the flooding from this same time last year, and people are scared as we’ve had localized flooding but nothing like last May 1st/2nd (Nashville had deadly flooding one year ago this weekend).

This was my stomping grounds as a child.  My mom’s entire family lives in Tuscaloosa and they are all safe.  Currently there are 446 people missing from this city alone.  There are MANY cities that were destroyed but Tuscaloosa is just such a highly recongnized city because of the University.  I believe there were 7 tornados on the ground in the state on Wed.  My heart is really heavy for my friends, families and the whole state.  It is really hard being across the continent and not being able to help.  We have a dear friend who is a pastor in Tuscaloosa and they are trying to get set up for the influx of help coming.  But at the moment they are still in search and resuce mode and are in SEVERE need of water.  Because there are soooo many cities that are without power and water it is going fast.  Not sure how you all can help with that.  As I know more I will pass it on.  I have connections with people in several of the cities but haven’t made contact because many of the phone lines are still down.  After I heard from all of our family and close friends I stopped trying to get through so as not to tie up the lines.  Sorry if I am rambling – I just hate that I can’t be there to help. 

Amy

I can imagine how awful you feel Amy – and I remember well water being the hardest thing to get hold of after Katrina, it is a problem for some time, and not easily dealt with.  There are good portions of Birmingham and the suburbs there that are damaged as well – also cannot forget Georgia and Virginia who have their own struggles.  I have made my donation to the Red Cross, because right now, until the initial chaos is over, they are the ones that will get in fastest to help – once the churches get organised they are awesome as well  – these disasters should teach us all that we need to be able to care for ourselves after an emergency, because help is a long time coming.  Prayers for all who are suffering.  Linda

Yes, they are Christian Homeschoolers.  For more information including how to best donate and interviews with the families themselves visit http://www.bradrick.org/helpalfamilies/

Ladies, just a quick thank you for wanting to help! That is my home – all of my immediate family and close friends have been accounted for so far, but some have lost their homes and had extensive damage to their homes. They keep telling me more stories of friends and family who have died and are missing – I am scared to check Facebook of what I might hear next. I know there are tons of efforts being organized, you all are obviously already on that. Not much else to say, it is very overwhelming to think about and I get upset every time it enters my mind or I hear from another friend/family member, but thank you for caring…..

(btw 2flowerboys – I am in Middle GA too – PM me if you’d like, I wonder if we are close?)