working in the disaster areas....

[Guest]

I think if one was in the areas that got inundated by Sandy, they could find lots to do, whether it was volunteer work or paid work.... There is always some one needed and if one were totally mobile, the would always have their own place to live and could devote themselves to helping.<br /><br /><br />My wife has worked disasters for years...mostly fire but they nowadays do all-risk.<br />When she was working emergency hire for a few years we thought about going to work as Red Cross volunteers. Unfortunately that outfit has an amazingly tight hierarchy and is tough to get involved with, but there have to be many other things to do if you are in the area.<br /><br />Bri

 

[Les H]

Thanks to the efforts of friends, family, vandwellers and other donors, i was able to spend a week in the south volunteering after the tornados that went through on 4/27/11. Since then , i have gone out a second time , to Birmingham/ Trussville/Clay Alabama in Jan of this year. There is LITTERALLY TONS of volunteer work to be done with church groups, DRADT (disaster relief and disaster training) Red cross, salvation army, etc , no mater what your abilities are. I have an extensive background in construction, and have cut firewood 2/3 of my life, so i got into cutting/clearing and structure stabilizing. While it is true their will be a building boom after, most peoole are warned not to trust or hire out of towners,even if they are legit ( business liscense, insurance, bonded if required), and with the recession, everyone knows someone or has an unemployed relative, has a favorite builder, whatever.
you can see and read about some of my experiances in the thread " relief mission" in the off topic forum.

 

[dborla01]

Hi folks. I second what Bri said about the Red Cross and it's hierarchy. I worked for them when we lived in L.ville a few years ago. I made the innocent mistake of climbing to the 3rd floor, curious to meet the Director. The secretary made a too-do about having to have an appt. to&nbsp; see him. I did catch a glimpse of the guy sitting at his desk though, doing nothing. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /> Darrell. Talk about generated paperwork. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[yesican]

Big Red Cross is just like Big Government...Too much beaurocracy to do anything efficiently!&nbsp; <br />Your financial donation would best be utilized through churches, Salvation Army, or local clubs.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />Rae

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

At my motel we get red cross workers staying here sometimes, they use a corporate lodging billing service sometimes.&nbsp; Most CL customers have a card we swipe and a small ticket to fill out (we have on hand), or a basic form where we enter the date of checking and they sign.&nbsp;&nbsp; With red cross they have like a 4 page form they fax us, we have to verify their IDs, record id numbers, we get faxes about not letting them charge stuff, and a laundry list of rules for US to follow, or 'they will not authorize payment'.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then they will reserve some rooms, and not even show. &nbsp; I don't know why the owners put up with it. &nbsp; Seems like Red Cross is awash in administrative bureaucracy.&nbsp; I'm curious how much of their donations go to 'administrative fees'.&nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

I have a lot of friend's On LBI, which took a heavy hit from Sandy.<br /><br />I'd consider going back to help them out, despite my dislike many aspects of NJ. &nbsp;It stopped being home in the early/mid '90's, and I've felt like I was on another planet whenever I have visited since. &nbsp;Now it is a disaster area.<br />Some of the pictures of destruction are affecting me deeper than I care to admit.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I didn't mean this thread to get onto Red Cross, they actually do a lot of really good work. But as Rae says, they are lost in their bureaucracy. I don't even donate to them any more....I put my donations where they go more directly to those in need.<br /><br />I had direct experience with the Salvation Army as a Boy Scout in WA state. We did a lot of lowland search and rescue work and were a base camp support cadre for the King County Mountain Rescue guys. In every single case, the Sally Ann vans with the little gray-haired old ladies were there with hot coffee, donuts, and candy. And whatever they could bring to help and bring comfort, they would. I like them!<br /><br />My main point here was to say that as vandwellers and cheaprvers, we have a really unique gift in that we are mobile and have our home with us...if we are doing it they way we talk about, we are pretty self-contained and self-sufficient. Not talking here about those of us who are poor and struggling or just barely hanging on. Those folks just need to keep hanging in there and my heart goes out to you all as well.<br /><br />I just think if a person has some skills and a few bucks to pay his or her own way, they may be abe to make a couple bucks working there.<br /><br />Many of us who do this, have a little income or make a living while on the road. Or in my case, have a home on the ground and can go help somewhere to help like Les did. I am not able to go that far out there and am too old and busted up to do much but if I were closer I think I would try....I could at least do something as a rear echelon guy. I have some skills in warehousing and drive an awesome forklift! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />During the Katrina clean up, they (FEMA) hired tons of contractors of all kinds....one of the local contractors from here who mostly contracts to the gummint with trucks and heavy equipment for wildfires, went out with tanker trucks to pre-position and follow the fire departments around since there was no way they could get water to use on fires without having a tanker with them. One of my friends here, a retired truck driver who has kept his CDL up to date went out with them and made a bundle of money and mostly just sat in camp with the firefightersand waited for his turn with a tanker...He was gone for a month or two and came home with enough money to finish building a hot rod he had been working on......just a thought in a time when there doesn't seem to be many jobs.<br /><br />The key to EMS type work is to be able to go and not create more problems...in other words be able to carry your own weight. Be self-supporting by your own contributions.....<br />Bri

 

[Les H]

The key to EMS type work is to be able to go and not create more problems...in other words be able to carry your own weight. Be self-supporting by your own contributions.....
Bri 
__________________
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Mark Twain 

Http://manywheelsbrian.blogspot.com


Amen! As i said, there is a place for anyone, willing to do anything!

 

[twokniveskatie]

I hope somebody hangs in with the Red Cross. When my house burnt down, it wasn't no church or organization that was on the scene finding is all a place to stay, and providing food vouchers and department store vouchers and 1st months rent and security for a new apartment.....no questions asked and stressed that this was a gift and did not need to pay back one penny.

Same for the Agnes flood of '72. A Red Cross worker was the first person to welcome me to the evacuation center, then fed me, gave me a blanket and got messages through to my family that I was okay and would be home as soon as the roads were opened through the back mountain. Amazing how they could take a tech school and within hours be feeding and sheltering a zillion people.

a life long friend of mine spent many years as executive director of the Red Cross, high enough in the heirarchy to fly to china and places to lecture and teach. When I mentioned this thread, he said that, yeah, there's plenty that criticize the Red Cross, but that the Red Cross will be there when they need them, anyway. This guy is an in the trenches sort of guy, and would never have turned someone away. Of course there are bad apples everywhere, and they too often are the ones that get the attention. Just like vandwellers. And life in general

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

The actual red cross workers I have met, like those that drive those ambulance like trucks, have been very nice and courteous.&nbsp; I'm not saying red cross is all bad.<br /><br />United Way gets a lot of the same criticism.&nbsp;&nbsp; When i was a teenager they helped my mother and me tremendously when we were homeless, they put us up for a month in a hotel room with meals, had a lawyer push through my moms disability and hud, got her in to see a shrink (this was not a good thing in the end but they didnt know that..).&nbsp; <br /><br />Interesting to note was the woman who interviewed my mom kept asking my mom if she was SURE her boyfriend hadn't hit her before she left.&nbsp; I was like 12-13 and i could tell what she was getting at.&nbsp; He didn't, but after a while my mom caught on and 'admitted' he did and they swept into action.&nbsp; We were in a hotel that night.&nbsp; I don't know if there is some sort of battered wife protocol that lets them expedite help or what, but that woman really helped us out.<br /><br />I think maybe these larger orgs are constrained by red tape but it probably a necessary evil to have such large scale mobilization/organization abilities.<br /><br />I have thought about going and helping in disaster areas in the past, but im ashamed to admit I chickened out (and just helped locally).&nbsp; I'd basically have to quit my stable job to go help someone than be left tossed in the wind.&nbsp; I never considered you could make money doing it.&nbsp; Not sure how I would feel about that.&nbsp; hmmm....