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.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
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.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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 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.
Monday, May 21, 2007
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.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)