Posts Tagged ‘Flood’

HandsOn Network’s Response to Torndaos and Flooding in the South and Midwest

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

HandsOn Network is actively reaching out to our affiliates who are in the disaster impacted regions from the recent domestic tornadoes and flooding. We are also actively supporting our international affiliate who is working with recovery efforts in Japan.

Related to the Alabama tornadoes, Hands On Birmingham, The Volunteer Center of Morgan County in Decatur, AL and in Montgomery, AL are helping to set up Volunteer Reception Centers to manage Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers.

Related to the Missouri tornado and flooding, our affiliate the Volunteer Center in the United Way of Greater St. Louis has activated their 211 hotline and have begun engaging volunteers in food distribution and are raising funds for their efforts through an internal auction and direct giving online.

Our emphasis with all disaster response work is to function locally, primarily through our HandsOn Action Centers, to support community resiliency through effective volunteer engagement.   We are focusing on developing affiliate capacity for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.  We develop partnerships, processes and systems to be effective resources in times of disaster.  And finally, we grow the affiliate work capacity to support the management of Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers, Volunteer Reception Centers, and explore new ways HandsOn Action Centers and volunteers can be leaders in the disaster arena.

While we are continuing to assess the most immediate needs with all these disasters you can get engaged in the response in the following ways:

  • Visit HandsOn Birmingham’s website to register your interest to volunteer, to donate, and to receive more information related to the Alabama tornadoes (listing for both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa) volunteer response.
  • Visit the Volunteer Center of Morgan County who will be opening a Volunteer Reception Center in Hulaco, AL today. Click here for more info at their website. Visit the Volunteer Center of Morgan County for info on the Volunteer Reception Center .
  • Visit United Way of Greater St. Louis’ website to volunteer, donate or receive more information related to the Missouri tornado and flooding volunteer response.
  • Visit Triangle Impact’s website to volunteer, donate or receive more information related to the volunteer response to the North Carolina tornadoes.

In addition to the US disasters that hit this week, related to the recent earthquake and Tsunami, monetary support is needed as much as anything else. To donate resources directly to HandsOn Tokyo, visit the HandsOn Tokyo homepage on eBay. You can also contribute to supporting HandsOn Network’s ongoing provision of volunteer mobilization and management technical assistance to HandsOn Tokyo.

Additionally you can visit HandsOn Tokyo online to register your interest to volunteer for earthquake recovery efforts, to donate, or to receive more information related to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami volunteer response.

Our priority in the response to the ongoing disaster recovery efforts in Japan continues to be supporting and building capacity in HandsOn Tokyo. They have a disaster relief team manager who is managing HandsOn Tokyo’s efforts and is increasing the amount of opportunities to volunteer in the recovery.

HandsOn Tokyo is collecting specific supplies requested by shelters it its service area. Needed items include:

  • Rubber work boots for men (US sizes 8.5, 9, 9.5, and 10)
  • Sweatshirts and sweat pants (US men’s sizes medium, large, and extra large)
  • Windbreaker pands and jackets (US men’s sizes medium, large, and extra large)
  • Slippers
  • Socks
  • Toolkits containing basic tools like hammers and screwdrivers
  • Large towels

Tags: , earthquake, ,
Posted in Disaster Relief | No Comments »

A Note of Thanks

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

from Hands On Nashville’s Executive Director, Brian N. Williams

The devastation is overwhelming. The need is overwhelming. The outpouring of volunteers has been equally overwhelming.

The Flood of 2010 and its images of buildings floating down interstates, children being rescued by boats, and the elderly being carried by strangers to safety will stick with us for a lifetime. What will also stay with us is the spirit of volunteerism that has taken over a city taken over by water.

We have images of Middle Tennesseans helping their neighbors haul personal belongings to curbside trash heaps, and cleaning up, piece by piece, as we move toward the next step of recovery – rebuilding and restoring.

On May 2, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean announced that those wanting to help with flood relief efforts in Middle Tennessee should go through Hands On Nashville (HON).  The community responded to Mayor Deal’s call to action. Between May 2 and May 21, over 14,000 people in our community have donated over 60,000 hours to flood recovery at nearly 800 sites through Hands On Nashville alone.  Keep in mind these numbers do not include the hundreds of volunteer referrals made each day by Hands On Nashville staff. Nor does it represent the countless hours put in by volunteers through other organizations or grassroots efforts started by community members.

Again, the volunteer effort is overwhelming. And it needs to be.

To the nearly 16,000 people who have registered in the Hands On Nashville database, thank you. To those who have found an opportunity and have helped this great city of ours, ‘thank you’ does not adequately do justice to the gratitude owed you.  To those of you still wanting to help, there are many opportunities as we move into the rebuilding process.   We must continue to help our neighbors – whether they are down the street, across town, or in another town.

Nashville, continue to “Be the Change. Volunteer.”

~ Brian N. Williams
Executive Director
Hands On Nashville

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Posted in Disaster Relief, Environment, Impact, Inspire, Mobilize, News & Links, Service, Stories from the Road, Volunteer Leader, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Recognition, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 7 Comments »

The Long Haul

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

by Melissa Grober, Director of Partnerships, HandsOn Network

I thought it was pretty cool that hair and pantyhose could be combined to absorb oil in the Gulf (called a “hair boom”).

Apparently, so did a lot of other people, as suddenly I saw people in the online community running off to donate their hair to the oil spill clean-up efforts.

How disappointing, then, that the hair boom is a bust.

According to Unified Command, commercial sorbent boom is much more effective at absorbing oil and has the added advantage of not sinking the way hair boom does.

Another case of good intentions gone wrong.

This happens a lot in the disaster world.

The past several weeks have been challenging for many of our affiliates, particularly in the southeastern part of the country.

Between major flooding, tornadoes, storms, and the oil spill, we’ve had more disasters to respond to in 30 days than we had in all of last year!

(Perhaps an exaggeration, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true…)

The oil spill in the Gulf presents a special kind of challenge to volunteers.

Many people want to help the wildlife and help to clear oil from the shore. But volunteers sometimes end up doing more harm than good, both to themselves and to the wildlife they want to help.

This is why Unified Command has decided to use only highly trained paid workers to handle the clean-up efforts.

Our affiliates, however, are working hard to find appropriate ways for volunteers to address critical needs in the Gulf.

Most disasters are not like the oil spill, however.

Communities affected by disaster often need a lot of volunteer support.

Since the flood disaster in early May, Hands On Nashville has signed up 15,000 volunteers.  They have coordinated 830 projects, and  their volunteers have contributed an amazing 63,000 hours of service since the flooding began.

Photo by Nathan Johnson, Hands On Nashville Volunteer

Hands On Nashville has done such a good job coordinating volunteer efforts that it was highlighted by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate for their exemplary work.

The remarkable efforts of the many volunteers in Nashville and HandsOn Nashville got a huge shoutout from NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams last night!

While our affiliates have done a great job in coordinating the work of people who want to help so far, much of the work is still to come.

Our strength as a network in responding to disasters lies in our efforts to promote not just immediate response but also long-term recovery.

Organizations like the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are great at serving the immediate needs of people affected by disaster, like shelter, food, and urgent care.

We often work side-by-side with these organizations, providing food and water to emergency workers and handing out supplies. And when the immediate needs have been handled and the media attention subsides, our local affiliates and volunteers continue the long, hard work of recovery.

We coordinate volunteers to help with mold abatement in flood-damaged houses.

We help to rebuild damaged schools and community centers. And we provide job training and skill-building resources to people who have lost their jobs.

We’re connected to the needs of communities and we meet those needs through our greatest asset—people who care.

We drive people with good intentions to good volunteer opportunities, and we’re in it for the long haul.

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Posted in Disaster Relief, Environment, Impact, Mobilize, News & Links, Service, Volunteer Management, Volunteering, Volunteerism | No Comments »

An Open Love Letter to Hands On Nashville

Friday, May 14th, 2010

All of us at HandsOn Network stand  in awe of the citizens of Nashville, their spirit of community, the incredible leadership demonstrated by Hands On Nashville and the example they set for us all.

Photo by Nathan Johnson, Hands On Nashville Volunteer

Seemingly forgotten or somehow overlooked by the mainstream media, Nashville residents pulled together because service and volunteerism is at the very heart of the city’s soul.

As soon as the flood hit, Hands On Nashville sprung to action.

Between May 2, 2010 and yesterday, Hands On Nashville organized 11,862 Nashville volunteers to respond to those in need of flood relief.

Already, Hands On Nashville volunteers have contributed  50,210 volunteer hours at 612 Nashville locations.

That has all happened in the last eleven days.

Eleven. Days.

According to Independent Sector research, the time these volunteers have contributed has an associated economic value of $1,046,879.

Hands On Nashville is coordinating 49 flood relief projects today, right now.

Won’t you join us in giving them a virtual standing ovation?

Photo by Nathan Johnson, Hands On Nashville Volunteer

This is an open love letter, a nation-wide letter of thanks and praise for Hands On Nashville.

We want to share this post with the tireless staff and the thousands of Nashville volunteers as a sign of deep respect and admiration.

Please help us celebrate the way they’ve made such a significant difference in Nashville by leaving your thanks and praise as a comment at the end of this post.

Since Hands On Nashville was founded in 1991, their volunteers have worked year-round, 365 days a year, to make Nashville a better place.

Please visit www.hon.org for more information about Hands On Nashville, to sign up for volunteer opportunities and e-mail updates, to see a list of flood volunteer needs, or to donate to HON to support flood-related volunteerism.

“Like” Hands On Nashville on .  Follow them on . Follow the flood relief conversation on Twitter by searching #WeAreNashville; #NashvilleFlood; and #NashvilleFloods

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Posted in Disaster Relief, Get HandsOn, Impact, Inspire, Mobilize, News & Links, Service, Volunteer Management, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 40 Comments »

The Nashville Flood in Video

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

To offer volunteer support to Nashville, visit HandsOn Nashville, follow them on twitter and .

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Posted in Disaster Relief, Inspire | No Comments »

Nashville

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

In response to the recent flood in Nashville, Tennessee, Patten Fuqua of Section 303 wrote a powerful post that must be shared. It is cross posted here with the author’s permission. You can see the original article here.

If you live outside of Nashville, you may not be aware, but our city was hit by a 500-year flood over the last few days. The national news coverage gave us 15 minutes, but went back to focusing on a failed car bomb and an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While both are clearly important stories, was that any reason to ignore our story? It may not be as terror-sexy as a failed car bomb or as eco-sexy as an oil spill, but that’s no reason to be ignored.

The Cumberland River crested at its highest level in over 80 years. Nashville had its highest rainfall totals since records began. People drowned. Billions of dollars in damage occurred. It is the single largest disaster to hit Middle Tennessee since the Civil War. And yet…no one knows about it.

Does it really matter? Eventually, it will…as I mentioned, there are billions of dollars in damage. It seems bizarre that no one seems to be aware that we just experienced what is quite possibly the costliest non-hurricane disaster in American history. The funds to rebuild will have to come from somewhere, which is why people need to know. It’s hard to believe that we will receive much relief if there isn’t a perception that we need it.

But let’s look at the other side of the coin for a moment. A large part of the reason that we are being ignored is because of who we are. Think about that for just a second. Did you hear about looting? Did you hear about crime sprees? No…you didn’t. You heard about people pulling their neighbors off of rooftops. You saw a group of people trying to move two horses to higher ground. No…we didn’t loot. Our biggest warning was, “Don’t play in the floodwater.” When you think about it…that speaks a lot for our city. A large portion of why we were being ignored was that we weren’t doing anything to draw attention to ourselves. We were handling it on our own.

Some will be quick to find fault in the way rescue operations were handled, but the fact of the matter is that the catastrophe could not have been prevented and it is simply ignorant beyond all reason to suggest otherwise. It is a flood. It was caused by rain. You can try to find a face to stick this tragedy to, but you’ll be wrong.

Parts of Nashville that could never even conceivably be underwater were underwater. Some of them still are. Opry Mills and the Opryland Hotel are, for all intents and purposes, destroyed. People died sitting in standstill traffic on the Interstate. We saw boats going down West End. And, of course, we all saw the surreal image of the portable building from Lighthouse Christian floating into traffic and being destroyed when cars were knocked into it. I’m still having trouble comprehending all of it.

And yet…life will go on. We’ll go back to work, to school, to our lives…and we’ll carry on. In a little over a month, I’ll be on this website talking about the draft. In October, we’ll be discussing the new Predators’ season with nary a thought of these past few days. But in a way, they changed everyone in this town. We now know that that it can happen to us…but also know that we can handle it.

Because we are Nashville.

To offer volunteer support to Nashville, visit HandsOn Nashville, follow them on twitter and .

Photo: Boston Globe

Tags: , Cumberland River, , , , ,
Posted in Disaster Relief, Get HandsOn, News & Links, Service, Stories from the Road | 3 Comments »