December 10, 2007 - Washington State Floods and Windstorms

We have arrived in Washington State. There was not much more we can do in Vernonia except help with getting food in. The released the prisoners from the jail to help with the debris cleanup so we decided to come up to Washington to see if we could evaluate the situation here.

We headed toward Chehalis and then to the coast to a city called Aberdeen. There were bridges and train tracks out due to the intense flooding. In fact, one flood took a whole bridge down and washed it away.

There was one river basin full of more trees than I have ever seen in one place in my life. As far as I could see were massive trees that the raging floodwaters of the river brought down from the mountains. It’s hard to put into words. It must have been an amazingly powerful force that would take 120-foot trees—some 8 feet in diameter—and pile them up in a little town. It will take months just to remove them, and this probably happened in hours. The sun is going down but we will return in the morning to see if we can find someone who is in charge here. If they would like we can remove all the mud the rain brought in. As of now it looks like most of these people do not even have a clear path into their homes.

December 8, 2007 - Vernonia, OR Floods

We have arrived in Vernonia, OR. We wasted no time getting here, and the trip was long. Seth and I kept on switching out driving since he has a CDL. Toward the end of the 30-hour trip we were doing a few hours each just because we were so tired. A trip like that—after working 8 weeks straight—was tiring to say the least. Thank God Tim was there to keep us up. His positive attitude and love for the next adventure ahead of us in the Pacific Northwest was contagious.

We arrived in Vernonia, once a beautiful little town along a river. Now, there was mud everywhere and a chill was in the air. The houses were still standing but everything in them was destroyed. 750 out of 1000 homes were completely flooded. Everything the people owned was lost, including their food. Many people were pulling everything out of their homes and laying them on the street for the eventual pickup of debris. We can help out here with cleaning up the streets full of debris.

As Seth, Tim, and I were walking along the streets by the river looking for those in need, a lady pulled up and said, “Can you boys help me bring these heavy bags of dog food into that schoolhouse?” We agreed and moments later we walked right into what would be Vernonia’s temporary food bank. There were two ladies there who received the dog food and thanked us for the donation. I immediately asked what this one small room of canned food was and a young girl explained that this was the new makeshift food bank. The original food bank was destroyed in the disaster and everything was lost—food, checkbooks, ledgers, etc. Before the flood this food bank fed 20% of this city, and now there will be much more in need—in dire need.

She went on to explain that the OR food banks were already struggling this year. She shared how the people in her town don’t have meat, milk, cheese, or even pots and pans. The floods brought in farm animal waste that contaminated the homes and even the pots and pans were covered in toxic debris. I stepped outside the old building along the now calm river and made a few phone calls. Within one hour David Kieser, president of the Midwest Food Bank, agreed to send out a tractor trailer to aid the city of Vernonia. David has special relief packages of full startup kits for families who have lost everything. They have pots, pans, towels, cleaning supplies and food. He is also going to send frozen food, meats etc.

I’ve got to tell you, this was the first time I have ever been put in this position. I have never had to help in a situation like this one before – to simply provide food for people in dire need, and it felt good. It was amazing. I’m thankful for my connections, and I’m thankful people trust me enough to send out trucks.

I will never forget standing in the cold night in that small town of Vernonia, with the mountains surrounding us, and knowing that help was on the way to feed these people. So many of the reports that I got were that Vernonia was stable but it looks like that information was incorrect. I’m glad we decided to come here. Times like this make all we do worth it.

December 5, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

I guess you can say it’s bad timing…I guess I would like to say a lot of things. For now all I know is that on November 26 someone, somehow, from one of the places where we purchased food, fuel, or lodging, got a hold of my AMEX number and has been having a grand ole time for the last 10 days. We’ve been so busy helping people that I did not know someone was helping themselves to my bank account.

I’m kind of angry at the person who did this right now. We’re out here doing good things, and why did this have to happen? I’m just trying to be honest. Although I feel this way, in my heart I know it’s wrong. I know God has nothing to do with this. It’s just the world we live in, and I refuse to let things that are dark change me.

I suppose life will always be challenging and bad things will continue to happen to others and to me. People will disappoint us, people will hurt us, and sometimes when we are looking the other way people will take advantage of us. I am human and fully aware of my shortcomings but I hope I will always find just enough strength to stand – and not let the things of this world change who I am and who I want to be.

In the words of the musician Andy Zipf, “Keep On.”

December 1, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

Morning came quick today. I woke at 3 am as if I was not even sleeping. The wind was howling, and I decided to go for my daily run. There are no lights up here so running through these mountains in the dark can be adventurous. But the morning hours seem to be the only time to clear my head. Well, maybe I should say in theory they should be the only time to clear my head but lately I have had so much on my mind that anxiety of what is next seems to take precedence. The cold, strong wind froze my cheeks after 20 minutes so I decided to head back to the hotel.

I knew the rain and wind was going to pose some challenges for us in the mountains today but I can honestly say I was not expecting what developed over the next few hours.

We got in the car and headed up to the reservation, and everywhere we went the roads were blocked by state troopers due to all the landslides that happened through the night. After explaining to the authorities that we positioned equipment on different parts of the mountain the day before and were heading up to help open the roads, they wished us luck and let us through.

The first obstacle we encountered was a truck sunk deep into the mud. We left the rental car on the side of the road and headed in by foot. What we saw next was a first for all of us. Roads were washed out so bad that the rock and dirt that once was the base for the roads were gone. Asphalt hung suspended in the air without anything underneath except a vertical cliff down the mountain.

Along came an Indian with a very old four-wheel-drive pickup. It was one of those trucks designed to climb rocks so we decided to hitch a ride in the back for about one mile. Along the way, we discovered a dog that was killed by the avalanche. As the Indian picked up the dog and laid it in the back of the truck by our feet, he sadly explained that the dog was his – and told us how proud he was of his once beautiful, strong mastiff. Tim and I locked eyes and knew what each was thinking without saying any words…and continued to look at each other as blood poured out of this man’s best friend. We eventually looked up the road to survey the task at hand: opening these roads so that the people stranded and blocked in by the mud, rocks, and trees could get out.

We finally made it to our first Cat 252B Skid Loader. We went to work without even letting the cold machine warm up. I took the first shift but then handed the machine over to Seth so I could talk with the Indians coming from their houses. Many of them had been waiting for someone to come open the roads so they could escape. They explained how everything happened so quickly. We worked at a rapid speed for hours and then finally brought in the grapple truck.

We reached another area near the Indian reservation that had flooded so badly that the mud was five feet deep and mixed with boulders and trees – and when I say trees, I mean all of the trees…including the root systems. Seth began to extract the large logs from the road and load them one by one into the holding bodies.

As we ventured farther into the reservation we saw mudslides and washouts like we have never seen before. One part of the mountain had a 60-foot crevice carved out. Everything in the mudslides’ path was either destroyed or moved, including large boulders. But by the end of the day all the roads were opened. It was quiet though and not many people returned.


The weather is changing rapidly here. It’s cold, windy and rainy. From what I can tell we don’t have much more time to get things done. Another storm system is coming in a few days, and there is still more to do.

We have positioned our equipment once again. This time we placed a Cat loader at the firehouse and another one at the tribal council’s main offices where people will gather in case of another emergency. The wind is starting to blow stronger as I write this. I can hear things clanging and banging outside our hotel. Tomorrow morning will be here in a few hours.

I’ll say a prayer before I go to bed. Give us strength, speed and safety…help the Indians to make it through the continual challenges they face and that lie ahead, and if it’s not too much to ask for, we would love to be home with our families and friends by Christmas.

November 30, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

It is now Day 36 since we have left for Southern California. From our first day on the Indian reservation we have worked day and night, seven days a week, Thanksgiving and Sundays for one reason—to get the home sites cleared so FEMA can get trailers in before the expected rains and mudslides hit.

Today, Friday, November 30, marks the completion of the home sites we were asked to clean and prepare for trailers but today is also the day the rain began. For the last few weeks I’ve been getting up every morning at 3 am with my heart pounding and my mind running. There are so many things to think of… this idea I have for the First Response Team…how will it work? Should I keep paying for this? Will we get this done in time before the rains come?

At dawn, we pulled the grapple truck out of its safe parking area and headed into the mountains to extract what would have been the last few loads of metal and ash remaining. But then it started to rain. By the time we got rain suits on we were completely soaked. Within 30 minutes we found ourselves in a predicament. As our crane began to sink into the ash and clay, we immediately realized there wasn’t much time to figure out what action to take. Before we even knew what was happening, the crane started sliding sideways down the mountainside. There was a tractor trailer not too far from where we were working so we called to him for help. He positioned his equipment on the nearby roadway allowing us to create a stabilizing rigging system.

We have prepared for these types of worse case scenarios. Without delay, Seth hooked up a custom cable sling, latching it onto all main pulling points of the crane with equal pulling pressure. Tim speedily began combining chain-after-chain-after-chain, which we then secured to the assisting tractor trailer fixed firmly on nearby asphalt. FEMA was calling and letting us know that landslides were beginning to cover surrounding highways and insisting that there was no time to save the truck. Our hearts were racing as mandatory evacuations were declared and nearby neighborhood roads were being engulfed with mud.

At this point, all of our hearts were pounding. I did not want to lose my $310,000 crane truck but I also wanted myself and my men to be safe. As we tried the first pull away, the 65,000-pound crane again started sliding sideways down the hill. Luckily, the crane crashed against a huge pile of metal and stopped. We repositioned the slings, cables, and chains and 45 minutes later we finally recovered the rig.

Before we evacuated, we took the two CAT skid steers and placed them in separate locations on the Indian reservation. We picked the areas we thought would get hit the worst and left the CATs there. When the rain stops we will return, and if the mud does not take away the machines we will use them to dig these people out.

We began to find our way down the mountain by Highway 76. We were told that the road was closed by mudslides but no one knew where. We decided to head south and found ourselves in a little town called Julian. It’s safe here. The mountains surrounding us have trees on them to hold back the mud. The fire did not hit here. We will stay here tonight.

I’m relieved that Seth, Tim and I are safe. My equipment? Well I guess we will find out in a few hours if it made it. We found an old hotel to stay at. Right now, the weather outside sounds like a scary movie. The wind whistles through this old building like…well, I just can’t explain how it sounds. The rain is crashing against the window so loud it sounds like someone is taking their hands and beating on the side of the wall.

This is the day we were trying to beat and in a way we did. We got the home sites done but today the pressure was on. We evacuated successfully, and we are safe. What else could you ask for? Now if I could just get my heart to calm its beating I might be able to get some sleep.

La Jolla is the poorest Indian reservation in the area as they have no casino and no thriving business to keep financial resources coming in. But….La Jolla is the first Indian reservation to be cleaned up and the first for trailers to be brought in for people to live in. The federal government cannot believe the work we have performed in such a short period of time, and the tribal council is so proud to say their reservation is on its way to a full recovery.

I’m proud of my men, I’m proud of our equipment, I’m thankful for all of our friends who have stood by our side, encouraging us to keep on, and I’m thankful we are safe.

The poor Indian tribe of La Jolla has something to be proud of again, and they are rebuilding their lives and facing new challenges with newfound assurance that they can and will overcome.

This is why Disaster Recovery Solutions’ First Response Team exists—for moments like this. To persevere hand-in-hand with those who have lost everything. Sharing in the hope that we can and will overcome every obstacle. Nothing is impossible, and better days are ahead.

Life will always be full of challenges. May we always find the courage to face the impossible and never give up. And when I can’t find the strength inside me, may I always be given the grace to be reminded that help is a prayer away.

November 19, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

I never thought we would be here this long but we are. Thanksgiving is coming up fast…only two days away. Thanksgiving morning we will not wake up to the usual aroma of gravy and stuffing. Tim, Seth and I will still be here at La Jolla, sifting through ash, lifting piles of metal, crushing burnt cars, and franticly trying to get these home sites clear. The winds are coming on Wednesday; they might start fires again. The rain is coming; it could be here any day. What is ahead is almost impossible to prepare for. How do you hold a mountain back when the hills, as far as the eyes can see, begin to slide? I feel the urgency as I sit in this makeshift cabin two miles outside the Indian reservation. Though the sun has been down for hours, my heart is beating in such a way that I want to get back out there and begin work. But we must rest and get some sleep.

At daybreak we begin again. The sooner I get the charred lots clear, the sooner trailers can be brought in and stocked with clothing and food. Communication has not yet been established. The phone lines are not connected yet and even if they were, where would they connect to? If another fire starts, if the mudslides begin, how will all the Indians in these mountains know the danger that befalls them?

I never cease to be amazed how disasters change people. We don’t have many stories because the fact remains most of these Indians have left their destroyed homes. But the few we meet are thankful we are here and, more amazingly, they are thankful for what they have left. As I have said before, fires destroy everything and leave nothing behind. But what we would call junk, what we would call charred garbage, is what they call theirs.

Yesterday Tim and Seth ventured up a gravel road that was so questionable we weren’t even sure if it was a good idea to take our highly-specialized and valuable claw truck up it. We walked the road first. Seth thought he could handle it, and we agreed to pioneer to the site. Later this evening Tim shared with me that two women came and explained how they would like to watch as Tim and Seth grabbed debris and loaded it in the truck. Obviously the guys agreed but only found an old car jack, some weights, and a knife. Out of nowhere one of the ladies said, “This might be nothing but junk and metal to you, but this is my metal and junk.”

I’m not sure if I will ever truly understand what that lady meant. What would make a melted pile of metal and ash so meaningful to someone? I don’t know but I’m glad we helped this lady find those few items. If it means that much to them, then it means something to me.

Sometimes I feel such a disconnect from those we are helping because I have never truly walked in their shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I have had loss in my life – mostly those I loved and miss dearly – but no matter how many times you have gone through loss, it’s as if it’s happening for the first time.

God, if you are out there, give these people enough strength to make it through each day…for this too shall pass.

November 5, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

Working up at the Indian Reservation has been sad. Most of the Indians have dispersed to other areas since their homes have been destroyed. While sifting through the ashes we find bowls of coins, jewelry, and sometimes papers that would obviously be valuable to their owners. Finding two diamond wedding rings yesterday was the highlight. All we can do is leave them on the site we cleaned as there is no one to even give them to. The reality is there is nothing left, nothing to even begin to start over with. I know that when the people return home to the Indian reservation they will be encouraged to find their home site cleaned and will find hope to start over again. The chief is so thankful that we are here to help. We interact with him a few times every day but you can tell the fires and enormous losses have made a lasting impact on him. I hope better days are ahead for the Indians.

Although surrounded by devastation, it has been a great experience to work with the firemen. Often we see them trying to cut up and pull trees that have fallen close to the road. Many of these trees are too big to manage with saws and manpower. We stop along the highways and help the firemen with the equipment we have. They desperately need assistance and are always so appreciative of our help.

In a few weeks, FEMA will be bringing in trailers for these people to live in. I hope this will help them feel like they can get back on their own land and begin again. Tomorrow morning we will be sifting through the ashes of a trailer that belonged to a waitress. She says she kept hundreds of dollars in change in her kitchen. I hope we can recover that money for her. Soon the rains will come and these mountains will experience tremendous mud slides due to lack of trees and vegetation that once held the dirt and rocks in place. We will continue to work here and help these people.

Novermber 1, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

I participated in a meeting this afternoon held at the Salvation Army in downtown San Diego. A group of volunteer organizations got together to take inventory of what resources were available. We turned out to be the only ones with heavy equipment and connected with a man by the name of Don Hargis, Director of the CA Southern Baptist Convention.

Don was excited about the heavy equipment we brought from NY. He explained that he heard about an Indian reservation called La Jolla that was in need of help and asked me to join him for a meeting with the governor’s chief of staff later that evening on the reservation. Of course I agreed.

We had only been in CA a few days but when we arrived at the La Jolla Indian reservation I can tell the damage was bad. From what we could see, more than 150 homes were destroyed and 8,000 acres were burnt to the ground. Most of the Indian reservations in this part of the country have casinos but this one does not, which means they don’t have much money.

We met with the governor’s people only to find out that no one has insurance here as well. There is a push to get home sites cleaned up and to get trailers moved in as quickly as possible in order for some of these people to get back to their home sites. I took a quick tour of the reservation only to find out that most of the roads were old and dangerous and had many overgrown trees encroaching on roadways. Not only will we have to clean up these home sites but we will also need to repair roads and cut our way through so there is enough room to pull out the destroyed homes and bring new trailers in.

As hard as I try, I simply cannot put myself in the shoes of these people. Tonight I sat in a meeting with the Indian tribe leaders and heard their discussions about the difficulty ahead. Now that the vegetation on the mountain has burned away, and with the heavy rainy season just a month away, mud slides will be devastating. And as the ash washes down into the water system, they will face the further challenge of a contaminated water supply.

There are obviously not a lot of resources here. I hope we will be able to help this community get back on their feet.

October 28, 2007 - San Diego Wildfires

We arrived in San Diego, California at 5:00 this morning. On the trip out we discovered that San Diego County had the most devastation compared to the rest of Southern California so we decided that would be a good place for us to start. We drove straight through – seventy-two hours later we are here, and we are safe. We quickly determined that the most devastated and poverty stricken area is a mountain community called Ramona. For the first time in my life I saw vast mountains, once full of lush green trees and beautiful homes, reduced to nothing but rock, dirt and ashes.

We met with a man who owned a large avocado and palm tree farm. It was astonishing to look up at the mountain full of scorched trees. I did not know what to say to the man. He had his hands on the side of his truck, looking up at what was once his beautiful farm. Seth put it best…”What do you say?”

We will seek out those who are in need. Our next stop is the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and many other humanitarian organizations that are descending on this area to help. We are the only ones who have responded with heavy equipment and cranes. If any of these organizations need assistance with accessing closed areas with food, water, and nurses we will help make a way. After that we will seek out those who have experienced total loss, have no insurance or are under insured. There is much to do here.

October 26, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

It’s 4:00 am on Friday morning and the decision has been made to respond to the fires in San Diego, California. As of now, the reports are saying 516,653 acres of mountains and homes are on fire. All of these fires are still burning, none of which are contained. The devastation will be great for the people affected by this disaster. Hurricanes, tornados, ice storms and floods will often leave many valuable and sentimental things unharmed but fires consume and destroy everything, leaving families with only memories of what once was.

The last 12 hours have been difficult because the decision to go from New York to California will be costly. It’s a lot easier to respond to a disaster in New Orleans than it is to respond to one all the way across the country. At what point do you take the yellow pads full of crunched numbers, crumple them up, throw them in the garbage and decide that when those families return home to a pile of ashes, we want to be there to help? That time is now.

Thanks to all my friends who encouraged me to respond. To Andy for saying, “Do what you know you’re supposed to do, besides you wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.” To Bobby for saying, “Isn’t this why you started the First Response Team, to help people?” To Steve for saying, “Go with your gut. The worst decision you can make is no decision at all. Fuel that son of a gun up and get out there.” Thank you Tim and Seth for responding within three hours of my request to go and for so many others who encouraged me to go and helpedthe details come together.

We will leave Long Island, New York, in a few hours with a 2007 Sterling truck equipped with a hydraulic crane and crushing head with a capacity to hold 120 yards of disaster debris; two Caterpillar 252B front-end loaders equipped with hydraulic grapple heads, an American Express card and some cash. I’m not sure if passion is enough to get you through life but I’m sure I wouldn’t make it without it.

May 26, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

It’s 5:00am, and I just arrived in Lancaster, PA, where one of my employees lives. I’m not sure why I’m sitting down to right this blog but I just feel like there is such a need for the type of help I gave Greensburg. I’m not sure if my idea of responding to disasters to open up roads is good enough.

There was such chaos and confusion after the storm. No one could get around; no one could talk to each other because cell phones were down. There was no power, no way to pump water and not even the right equipment to perform rescue operations because the firehouse was destroyed. I think if I’m going to respond to more disasters I need to add some other equipment to the fleet.

Not only do we need the grapple truck and skid steers to open up roads, we also need a generator large enough to power up hospital emergency rooms and nursing homes. When the power lines, phone lines and cell phone towers are down, we need to be able to provide satellite phones and laptops to local officials in order to communicate their needs to the outside world.

I think GMRS/GPS radios would allow us and the local responders to talk with each other to help with a more organized disaster response. I think a dirt bike would serve us well in scouting out the disasters. In fact, a dirt bike equipped with GPS and Sat phones could travel over logs and other debris looking for those who need medical attention in the wake of the storm. I think a dirt bike would be good in flooding situations as well, monitoring levees and alerting communities of potential flash flooding. A water pump and rescue boat would be good to have on hand. From what I see, these fire departments don’t have the budgets to have specialized equipment like this on hand.

It’s hard to rest after seeing what I have. I didn’t want to leave Greensburg but I think it was good I did. It’s going to take some thought into putting together this first response team, but I think I should take some of these ideas and do something about them. The need is there, and I think I can help.

May 24, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

Can you imagine what it would be like to be Mennonite? They have no conventional insurance. Their houses, barns, farms, equipment and cars are insured by each other. When they get sick, they care for each other. When they get old, they care for each other. So, if you were a Mennonite who lived in Greensburg, what would your new life be like after the storm?

Well I’ll give you just one example. One farmer of lost everything he owned – his home, his barns, $700,000 worth of farm equipment and his trucks. What happened next is still hard for me to believe. His fellow Mennonites came. They came with tractors, they came with trucks. They came with food and found housing for him and his family. They took down his old house and are presently making preparations for the new one.

How do I know this? I had an opportunity to work side by side with these men. It would take too long to write about everything I have seen, but I can tell you this: They came into that city from hundreds of miles away with whatever equipment they had on their farm to help anyone in need. They were organized, writing up work order after work order, supplying their own food, fuel and shelter. Why? Because that is what they call community.

I am planning on leaving soon. It is a hard decision to make – partially because I have grown to love the people here, but also because I’ve enjoyed being with the Mennonites.

May 23, 2007 - Greensburg, KS tornado

Today I received a phone call that encouraged me beyond words. It was from a group of men whom I respect as expert truck builders. One reason I know they’re good is because they have enough patience to deal with all my phone calls when I have technical questions about my crane, day or night.

Nevertheless, Disaster Recovery Solutions’ First Response Team’s strongest asset is their state of the art equipment. It takes a large team of experts to put together these trucks as well as a facility that would make the GM plant look like a hot dog stand.

The men involved are Rodney, Bob, Dean, Daryl, Bill and Mike from V&H Trucks. All of these men play a key role in developing equipment and keeping them running. What touched me so greatly is these men called me and expressed interest in supporting the First Response Team. Unfortunately, neither they nor I know in what capacity they can help. This is my first trip responding to a disaster. Daryl has offered to fly in and help for a few days and has even gone so far as to collect money for our fuel. But what was so touching is that they simply wanted to help.

Thank you, V&H. Thank you for the trucks you have built for me already, and thanks for expressing an interest in being involved.

Thank you Rodney for taking care of the details. Thank you Bob for helping me spec out new equipment and keep them going. Thank you Dean for finding me the best financing. And thank you Daryl, Bill, and Mike for keeping the cranes going.

May 22, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

If you were given a choice to take one thing before you left your house for the last time, what would it be? It could be a difficult question for some but for others it would be easy. For me, I would have to say pictures.

Today as I was ripping houses apart wall by wall with the Prentice loader and tossing them to the streets as if throwing a baseball, I saw many things. Kitchens with once-new appliances, offices with nice desks, and closets full of clothes. At one point, I ripped a whole floor up with one grab, and there below lay a beautiful train set in perfect condition. Most people stood and watched as if they knew it was coming, just like putting the trash to the curb as they do every Wednesday.

But…………there below deep in a basement I could see from 20 feet above……….a picture album. With precision I reached down with the crane, barely grabbed the edges of the album, and lifted it out of the basement. As I placed it on the driveway, the homeowner ran over, grabbed the album and held it close to his chest as if he had found his lost puppy. I sat on the crane in amazement as I looked down on him.

A few hours later, I parked the crane for the night, and at the end of the block I could see an elderly man and woman rummaging through what was left of their house. I introduced myself and let them know I was the one who removed their house and hauled it to the road. As they thanked me, I saw out of the corner of my eye another photo album in a 12-foot hole where the foundation of the house once stood.

What happened next amazed me. Without hesitation, this very old man quickly made his way down the vertical dirt wall, sliding, falling into this deep hole. Within seconds he was standing over the photos, calling up to his wife and telling her of his newfound treasure.

I have no words except to say I don’t understand what these people are going through. I can honestly say to you, I don’t understand. I’ve tried but the fact is I have lost nothing. What are they thinking, how do they feel, and what do they do next?

I keep thinking I’m going to leave because the expenses are too much for me to handle, and the wear and tear on my equipment is too great but I can’t go just yet. There are still more people to help, and I can help with my equipment. If this were my home or my community, I would want help.

Today was my birthday.

May 21, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

Today started out feeling like a regular day for some reason. I was helping someone who had no insurance clean up their property. As I was finishing, I noticed there were dozens of orange state and county trucks lined up on the sides of the roads. Apparently there was only one front-end loader available to load the trucks with debris. I asked who was in charge of all the trucks, and a man in a pickup truck explained he was the supervisor. I asked if I could help load the trucks, and he said yes.

So I looked for the biggest piles of debris I could find and began to load one truck up after another. It was going so fast that trucks from all over the city started to come to get loaded so they could haul debris out of town to the dumps. One after another, it was only taking me about two minutes to load each truck. Because the crane sits so much higher than a front-end loader, I could see over the truck beds and really pack it in.

At one point there were so many trucks lined up behind me that I did not want to take the time to move forward to the next pile so I started pulling debris out of what was in my truck box. I loaded 10 trucks with what was in half of my truck. It was amazing to me how much larger my truck was than those traditional trucks.

The day ended unexpectedly with something I think I will remember for the rest of my life. A group of citizens and volunteers went out to dinner at a restaurant 40 miles outside of town. Throughout the dinner everyone was talking and laughing, and I could not help but sit back and watch people who have lost so much laugh…and laugh really hard. I’m still amazed that in the midst of all this loss people can still be thankful.

May 20, 2007- Greensburg, KS Tornado

A church with only six members was destroyed. Where the beautiful historic building once stood is now a large hole where a foundation once was next to a newly erected large blue tent. The view from the tent is destruction as far as the eye can see, along with what’s left of an antique organ wedged in a tree.

It’s Sunday morning, and I could not help but come to be a part of Greensburg’s first church service. As I sat down to this meaningful event, I could not help but notice that people were coming from all over to participate in this service. Even the members of the National Guard showed up. The makeshift pews made up of plastic chairs were filling up quickly. Then who takes center stage but Wes Carlton…but this time, instead of overalls he wore a suit and in place of the America flag baseball cap he wore a cowboy hat. He also had a guitar.

I’m not sure what was going through this man’s mind but I do know this: he could care less that his church was demolished and piled up in some farmer’s field on the edge of town. What Wes Carlton cared about was that the people of his community came to church. His smile was contagious, and his love for those people was evident.

A husband and wife got up to sing a song together. She had bruises all over her face but didn’t seem to mind to stand in front of everyone to sing. Have you ever heard the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul“? Have you ever heard it sung by an 80-year-old man who just a week before stood holding his wife in a closet while his house was ripped apart wall by wall?

Pastor Wes pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. On it was the sermon notes and tears rolled down his face as he read his thoughts and shared his Bible verses. But they were tears of joy and thankfulness. As I saw this man preaching among the destruction and debris surrounding this little tent, I realized something. Life is precious. Nothing mattered at that point but people.

Can you explain a sunset so that people understand what you saw? Or can you explain the joy of when your first baby was born? Can I explain what I saw in these people today as they sang “It Is Well With My Soul” while standing in piles of debris as far as the eye can see? I cannot but I can say everyday is a gift.

May 15, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

I wrote earlier in the week about a man I met when I first arrived in Greensburg. His name is Ken Graham, lead project manager for a company called Philips and Jordan. Ken came here to find work for his company. When I first met Ken, he was a bit surprised that I came here with this expensive equipment to help out for free. But I think as we have had a chance to room together for a few nights, he has seen what I have done for this community, and he realizes that I’m really here to help.

Today, instead of Ken doing his daily routine of meeting with local officials such as the mayor, public works director, the county commissioner or the city administrator, Ken walked around the city block-by-block looking for people who needed help. I asked him over breakfast this morning if he could help me find people who needed help.

And sure enough he found somebody! Ken came up to me around noon and asked me to come meet the pastor of the Greensburg Baptist Church. He explained they had no money or insurance but they wanted to clean up the lot to erect a tent in anticipation for the first church service since the tornado struck.

Ken and I walked about 5 blocks to where the church used to be. I met a man who introduced himself as Wes Carlton. He was an older man wearing overalls, a baseball cap with an American flag and carrying a cane. You could tell the church was huge and the pile of rubble was enormous. There were bibles and hymnals thrown everywhere. It was obvious this was the largest church in Greensburg, and it would mean a lot to the community to have a place to pray sooner rather than later.

The job needed to be done so I decided to start immediately. This was by far one of the largest buildings I had ever demoed but one scoop at a time I began to dig away at the debris. It was amazing to see how fast the crane was working. Everything was flying through air – church pews, children’s puppets, a library, an alter and finally a picture of Jesus.

At the same time I was working, I could not help but notice out of the corner of my eye was Ken Graham, this stranger I met just a few days earlier, lead guy for one of the largest disaster recovery companies in the country, wearing a hard hat, safety vest and digging through the rubble with shovel in hand.

Moments later he pulled a sign from a pile that said “Greensburg Baptist Church”. Ken held it over his head for a brief moment for me to see, then walked it over to Pastor Carlson and proudly handed him the sign for his church. I think in some small way today represents that Greensburg Baptist Church is not gone – only the building is gone. The church is still alive and well. I don’t know why working with Ken today left such an impression on me. I think it may have been the fact that instead of Ken meeting with the governor of Kansas to talk about a business deal, he chose to help this small-town church get back on its feet again. Later that day, Ken put on some gloves and worked with five kids to erect a large tent in preparation for the Sunday service.

May 12, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

The days are getting longer. It’s 3am and I just got to the hotel. I want to write now so I don’t forget these days but I just can’t seem to keep my eyes open.

We finished demoing the house and cleaning up the lot for the man who lost almost everything. It was a bit emotional for me. The Prentice loader and hydraulic head would reach down and grab large pieces of debris such as walls, roofs, couches, beds and kitchen cabinets. We then crush and pull them out of the former home site and place the debris in the large metal boxes in front of and behind the crane.

This man’s wife who was killed must have loved making clothes. There were rooms full of magazines and books on how to make dresses, cabinets full of fabrics and closets packet with hundreds of colorful dresses. It was a bit surreal…the sky was so blue but the wind was blowing hard. Each time I would lift a pile of clothes to place in the truck, the wind would blow some of the dresses out of the grapple claw and the through the air.






I wonder if life is more precious and more of a gift than I often consider. I hope I can remember to try and make each day count. If I was this man I don’t know how I could move on. All over this town I see where people have painted on brick walls, sides of homes and cars “God Bless Greensburg”. God if you’re out there…please bless Greensburg. Have you ever heard that statement before “live everyday as if it was your last?” This place is sure making me think a lot about what is important in life.

May 11, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

It rained today. The water began to wash away the dirt and dust that covered the roads that were now cleared, and I could see for the first time the black asphalt of the roads. The firehouse is almost completed, and I began looking for other people who were in need.

A man pulled up to the crane truck and offered me 250 dollars an hour to clean up the lot where his house used to be. I kindly explained that although the money would be nice, I was here to help people who could not help themselves. I explained that contractors would soon be coming in to help him but I was looking for people who did not have money to clean up their homes, had no insurance or were underinsured.

He first looked at me like I was nuts, but then he was so taken aback that I was helping his community in this way that he responded by saying, “Son, if you need anything while you are here just let me know. I have another home 20 miles outside of town. Whenever you need a clean bed and a good meal, you give me a call at this number, ya hear?”

I’ve been so impressed with the ability of these people to remain positive and persevere in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Many of the farmers who live on the outskirts of town are here with hand tools, pickup trucks and anything they have to help the community.

I needed to get around town and find out where I could be of most help. I had a new F150 Pickup truck in the back box of the crane. I hooked up the aluminum ramps, drove the pickup out and began to drive around and talk with people. I just started talking to random people everywhere. I pulled up to one man who had some sort of homemade bandage wrapped around his arm. You could tell the bandage was not working because blood was all over his arm and hand. He told me about a man who lost his wife in the storm. She was in their home when the tornado hit. The house had no basement, and there was nowhere to hide. But there is more –his business was destroyed and his only employee was killed. When I asked where he was, this man whom I just met explained the guy was at the hospital, visiting his father-in-law in the intensive care unit.

The local church in Greensburg contacted the man, and he agreed to have his lot cleaned up. Whether he has insurance or not, we are going to help him so he does not have to worry about getting his property prepared to rebuild again. I’ll start on it tomorrow and work with a group of local high school kids who can help rummage through the mess and set aside anything that may be of value or meaning to this man.

I cannot even begin to imagine what this man is going through. I can’t even imagine.

May 7, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

I slept in my truck last night. I did not want to pull out and leave the city in order to find a hotel. I think it would be best to stay close in case something comes up and they need the crane. I brushed my teeth standing next to my truck using a gallon of water. The Red Cross is starting to come in with food so it looks like I won’t have to worry about food while I’m here. Most of the town is gone anyway so there would be no way to buy food.

Doyle asked me this morning if I would take down what was left of the firehouse. He said it will be the first building they will want to rebuild. Of course I agreed and began the process right away. Instead of just throwing it to the side, I loaded it into our truck, which holds 120 cubic yards. I then hauled the debris to a farm field, which Doyle said they would use as the new dump.

While I was working on the firehouse, a group of local farmers came up to me and asked if I could come over and help disassemble what was left of the bank. When I asked why, they explained that it looked as if three large metal rafters had damaged the vault and water was beginning to seep in – which could possibly destroy important personal documents such as deposit/withdrawal slips and deeds to farms. I agreed to help and within 3 hours – and 8 Mennonite farmers equipped with sledgehammers and a chain saw – we finally accessed the vault. The vault is now covered with a temporary roof to protect important information and valuables.

Hotels within a hundred mile radius are full! But I met someone who is graciously allowing me to stay in his hotel room whenever I can find some time to get some sleep. I met him yesterday morning. He came up to my truck and said, “What are you doing here with this equipment? There are no contracts for any work here.” His name is Ken Graham and he works for a company called Philips and Jordan. He seems like a nice man and supposedly his company played a major role in cleaning up the disaster in NYC that happened on 9-11. When he heard I was here to help out for free and that there were no hotels available for 100 miles, he told me I could stay with him at his hotel about 35 miles out of town.

May 6, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

I recently arrived in Greensburg, KS, where an EF5 tornado destroyed a whole community just three nights ago. What am I doing here? I will try to explain.

For the past few years I have worked on government-funded projects to clean up after hurricanes, which is a process that usually begins about 2 months after a storm strike. Usually over a 4-8 week period the federal and local governments work together to assess the damage, release funding and hire contractors like me to come in to clean up the mess.

Yet when I would arrive 2 months later and see the mess and destruction that remain, I could not help but wonder what it may have been like for those communities when the storm first hit. What would I have found had I arrived on the first day, the first night? What chaos, confusion and despair must there have been? What help could I have been then?

At some point we have all turned on the news and have seen graphic aerial photos and videos taken from helicopters of communities devastated by natural disasters. I recall a few vivid scenes of people like little ants rummaging through what is left of their community and trying to find friends, family and neighbors that may still be alive. I also recall scenes of people on roofs, waiving their hands, waiting for someone to come get them because floodwaters have taken over their homes. Who helps these people in these desperate times of need?

When a tornado is so powerful that it takes homes, tractor-trailers and commercial buildings and throws them through the air and drops them on roadways…who moves that debris? How do the fire trucks and ambulances get through? How are the people in need of rescuing reached? If the whole town is destroyed including all the equipment in the local municipality, what do they do to simply open up roads?

I did not know the answer to these questions, and I had no one to ask…so I decided to find out for myself-which is why I am here in the small town of Greensburg, KS, writing this blog from my truck.

Two nights ago I arrived about 50 miles outside of Greensburg. I had been driving for about 20 hours at that point and was on the lookout for diesel fuel. I figured there would be no fuel available in Greensburg since the reports I was hearing said the town no longer existed.

It was about 3 am when I saw in the distance a small country gas station with one fuel pump. I pulled up slowly in the darkness as my large black crane truck with flashing emergency lights dwarfed this small country service station. I began to fuel up the tanks with diesel when out of the corner of my eye I saw a man standing alone in the dark cool night…watching me. When I finished fueling and began to walk in toward the office to pay the man began to walk toward me. As he got closer I realized he was a bit beat up looking and wearing raggedy clothes. Without hesitation he said to me, “Are you going to Greensburg? My daughters, I have three but one is missing. Her name is Jessica, she is a veterinarian, she is about 5’6” and if you see her could you tell her that her dad is looking for her?”

I felt like I was in a dream. I slowly walked pass the man as our eyes connected and all I could say was, “Yes, if I see her I will let her know.” It was one of those moments where you thought more should be said, but I just did not know what to say.

I paid for my fuel, got back in my rig and headed on down the road toward Greensburg. About 20 miles up the unlit country roads I saw a sign for a hospital. I maneuvered my way into the hospital parking lot, parked and walked into the E.R. A nurse stopped to ask if I needed help, and I explained I was there trying to find out some information about what is happening in Greensburg. She called in a local police officer to talk to me.

We shook hands, and I explained I was here with this large Prentice crane truck equipped with a specialized hydraulic crane head that could help open up roads. He explained that they were not allowing anyone in Greensburg at the time and that every road was barricaded off. He said that was all he knew, and he wished me luck. I decided to get back in the truck and continue into Greensburg until I hit the first roadblock.

Sure enough a few miles up the road I pulled up to a fireman who was standing in the middle of the road. As I rolled up I shut down my engine and rolled down my window. I could see he was dirty and had most likely not slept since the storm hit. Before I could say anything, he picked up his walkie-talkie and said, “Hey chief, Disaster Recovery Solutions is here” as he read the name of my company off the door of the truck. A voice came back over the radio saying, “Who the hell is Disaster Recovery Solutions?” The fireman responded, “I don’t know boss but you better get out here and look at this truck. This guy might be able to help us.”

I was instructed to pull over to the side of the road and wait till the man in charge could come out to meet me. As the sun began to rise I saw what I had never had the opportunity to see before - a community that had just experience the wrath of Mother Nature. I was able to see in front of me what was left of this small country town. It literally looked like a bomb hit. As far as I could see, everything was virtually leveled and whatever was still standing was beyond repair.

Moments later a small beat up truck pulled up. The man who stepped out of the vehicle introduced himself as Doyle Conrad, public works director of Greensburg. I explained to Doyle that I was there to help and wanted to open up roads free of charge. He was a bit nervous after seeing the big crane truck and wondered if I was telling the truth and if I was really was there to help for free. He explained he needed help clearing a path to the firehouse so that the fireman could get whatever was left in the firehouse. I agreed to do whatever he needed. He asked if I would sign a piece of paper promising I would not charge him anything. We walked over to his truck and – on the hood of that truck – I wrote on a crumbled up piece of paper that I would not charge him. We shook hands, he pointed toward the direction where the firehouse used to be and wished me luck.

I could not believe what I saw that morning. Fully loaded tractor trailers blown from across town blocking roads; huge 70-foot steel I-beams intertwined with building debris, blocking intersections. All I could do was use the crane to drag things to the side of the road. I began to take notes on other equipment that I would need to add to my fleet next time I responded to a disaster, such as torches and plasma cutters.

Just a few short hours later I cleared the debris leading up to the bumper of the fire trucks. Concrete I-beams weighing thousands of pounds pinned both of the trucks down. The firehouse and trucks were destroyed and beyond repair. The fire chief was standing by as I made my last dig with the crane. The firemen were able to access their destroyed trucks and recover important tools and equipment they would need to help their devastated town.

I was so distracted at the task at hand that I did not have time to look around me and take it all in…until a woman walking through the rubble right in front of me collapsed. Two others walking nearby came to her aid and as I sat there atop my crane looking down at this woman, then looking at the devastating destruction as far as I could see…I realized I was no longer going to use my equipment to come in two months after a disaster to make money. Instead I was going to use my equipment to respond to disasters on day one and through those first few critical days and weeks until help arrives.

I began to realize at that point that many small community resources are probably insufficient to deal with a large scope disaster. And when a storm does strike, whatever resources communities have to help themselves will also be destroyed.

And who is going to come help these people with specialized expensive equipment? There is no money to be made here. There is no customer for this type of help and work. In fact, before any money is to be released to contractors to help these communities, federal and local governments need to make assessments, which usually takes 4-8 weeks. Personally, I understand the process. Before millions of dollars are released to help communities, assessments should be done so taxpayers dollars are spent appropriately.

Nevertheless, something needs to be done about this. Equipment is needed on day one and from the looks of this disaster, I have a feeling more than just a crane truck is needed.