A "please come help call" from Alabama

I missed this call yesterday. I hope you don't now. Listen to it. It is worth it!







Remember to sign up ASAP for the Alabama trip! Jan 3 to 12th: http://ow.ly/7ZNCa

Alabama trip update and signup

BonaResponds pre-Thanksgiving update

A few updates on things: (much info, so try to read them all)

• Work this past weekend in Limestone went well.  Here are many many pictures of the job.  We will be going back to finish the Sunday December 4th to finish.  (if anyone wants to fix broken windows in his door for him (it is going to get cold!) We'd really appreciate it!  Also if anyone has a BobCat (or wants to help rent one), it sure would make the job go faster.
• We are going to be working locally over Thanksgiving break in the Olean area.  Work will be at least Fri-Sunday.  If anyone wants to, I can probably be convinced to  go out on Wednesday as well.  Jobs include doing helping make a home handicap accessible, building a ramp, and packing for Haiti.  
• Currently in waiting we have three ramp jobs, making 3 different homes accessible (one Olean, one Hinsdale, one Ellicotville), and finishing up in Limestone.  SO WE WILL BE NEEDING VOLUNTEERS. 
• Want to make a bigger impact?  When shopping this Holiday Season, pick up some SMALL toys, school supplies, calculators, etc for Haiti.  And we also will be sending some to a family in Athens/Sayre that not only got flooded, but the mother was hit by a truck when walking and the children will REALLY appreciate the Christmas presents.
• Also there is a Vocational school in Haiti looking for tools (hammers, drills, screw drivers, tape measures, speed squares and the like.  They'd also love volunteers to help teach!  Let me know if interested.Image by Bona_Responds via Flickr
• Another school in Haiti is looking for musical instruments and sheet music.   So why not clean out your attic over break! 
• It appears the Winter trip will be Jan 3 to January 12th.  Most likely place is outside of Tuscaloosa.  Details after Thanksgiving break.
• We NEED to do a fundraiser.  We will be selling BonaResponds Hoodies and bracelets the week after Thanksgiving in the RC. 
• Planning for the International Service Day is going well.  It is March 31, 2012 Saturday.  Jobs in Poland, Pakistan, Uganda, Haiti, Olean, Buffalo, Dallas, Orange County California, and more.  NEed you involved.  Big or small.  With ties to SBU or not.  Plan on helping!  Sign up here: http://bonaresponds.org/isd.html
• There are 5 nice ways to help (from shopping, to giving alternative gifts, to dropping off supplies) on BonaResponds.org.  Check them out! 

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to make a difference!  

It's OK to Cry, A poem from Bob

Bob McGrath is a 1950 SBU alum who is as hard of worker as any of our volunteers.  He worked with us in Galveston Texas after Hurricane Ike and recently in Tuscaloosa Alabama after their tornadoes. He is picture of him (and a group) at Mr. Beesely's house in Holt (near Tuscaloosa) where we worked for most of a day (partially with a crew from EWTN).  Bob is back row with green Star cap on.

While a very hard worker, he is also a poet.  Here is his most recent work on BonaResponds:

 It's OK to cry when the work is done

April Twenty Seventh Two Thousand and Eleven

People in Alabama all looked up to heaven,

Tornados were approaching, the sirens they did scream

         One struck with such a fury few folks have ever seen.

The need was overwhelming and many people died

         The folks in Alabama were sustained by their pride,

Five thousand houses damaged, many beyond repair

         Emotions ranged from hope and faith to gloom and despair

Many of the people who were witnessing the scene

         Sat in their living room by their television screen,

Most everyone agreed that the people needed aid

         That help in this disaster just could not be delayed.

A few college students up in Olean, New York

         Said we can all do something or we can sit and talk,

St. Bonaventure students were joined by friends and grads

         The college students rushed to help, joined by moms and dads.

Bona Responds was on the move, young and old alike

         Their thoughts were with the victims, just like Hurricane Ike,

The call went out, tweets were sent, off to Alabama,

Everyone involved feared a frightful panorama.

Vans were packed with students, a professor there to lead

         The drive was eighteen hours to help the folks in need,

They drove to Tuscaloosa with a rake, a tool, a glove

         The main thing that they brought with them; lots and lots of love.

Trees were cut and hauled away, debris was sifted through

         Tears and hugs were shared by all, with story telling too,

Chain saws buzzed throughout the day, and long into the night

         At sunrise the group set out as soon as it was light.

Clearing up the land was an important thing to do

         But lifting people’s spirits made the agenda too,

The Bonnies students worked real hard, also had some fun

All agreed, It’s OK To Cry When The Work Is Done.

From All Hands Tornado Assessment - a set on Flickr

USA: Tornado Assessment - a set on Flickr:

Sign up for Alabama

Still getting requests saying they can not find where to sign up...

the vans for the first week are getting full...

that said we'd love to have people meet us there! No affiliation to SBU needed...only a willingness to work and a good attitude :)

Alabama Details

Have had many people ask for details  Here you go:

1. We will be working in Alabama for at least 2 weeks, but people can come and help for as short of time as they want. We will get there on the 17th. We will be leaving Memorial Day (but this MAY be extended).
2. We are staying at the Wesley Center adjacent to the University of Alabama. The address is 505 9th Street Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.   They do have some showers.  Sleeping arrangements will be sleeping bags.  There is a nearby Catholic church as well for those who would like to go to Mass.
3. If you are flying in, fly into Birmingham  airport.  We can arrange transportation to and from the airport.
4. There is a chance we will be working in a few surrounding communities as well, but it depends on the number of volunteers we get and the amount of transportation we have.
5. Food is included.  You will have to buy a t-shirt so we can all identify ourselves. The cost is $5.  If you would like a second shirt, it will cost $10.
6. Vans will leave SBU on Monday the 16th at 8AM (we will need help packing them on the 15th after graduation).  
7. Please take work clothes: boots are required.  We also encourage you to being work gloves.  All volunteers must have had a tetanus shot in the last 7 years. 
8. Transportation will be an issue, so if you are meeting us in Alabama and can help drive, that would be great!
9. You will want some spending money for there and in transport.
10. The first van will leave to go back on Sunday.  It will turn around and come back to Alabama on the Monday the 23rd.
11. If you want to stay longer, we can arrange places for you to stay after we leave.

What to bring:
Space in vans may be tight, this is not an exhaustive list, but here are some recommendations:

1. A good attitude--by far the most important.  We want hard working and flexible people who want to help.  It will be fun even though it won't go as planned.
2. Work clothes (jeans, long sleeve tee, short sleeve tee, sweatshirt, workboots (ideally steel toed).
3. Gloves--leather is best IMO
4. Sun glasses/safety goggles
5. Sleeping bag (pillow if you want one--yoga block works great and is smaller)
6. Flashlight
7. Phone charger
8. Digital camera, charger
9. Towel
10. Toiletries etc (contacts, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc)
11. Water bottle
12. Granola bars etc for drive

Related articles

• SEC pledges $500,000 for University of Alabama (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Tuscaloosa Twisters: RAW VIDEOS OF KILLER TORNADOS IN ALABAMA. At least 70 people are dead. INCREDIBLE DESTRUCTION ALL OVER THE SOUTH (economy4abc.blogspot.com)
• University of Alabama students return home to Cary (charlotte.news14.com)
• Universities offer help for Tuscaloosa (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

BonaResponds Alabama Email update (send Sunday)

Alabama needs your help!

This past week a series of tornadoes swept through the American Southeast.  The storms skilled over 300 people (and many more are still missing), left paths if destruction that are almost unimaginable.

Hardest hit was Alabama with at least 13 confirmed tornadoes and over 200 killed.  The tornadoes left major swaths of destruction that look like out of a doomsday movie.


Here are but a few of the pictures and videos (more are on our blog.

Tuscaloosa (home of the University of Alabama) was perhaps the worst struck community.   Not only were the storms very strong, the tornadoes were wide, stayed on the ground for a long time, and hit a populated area.

Here is a video from helicopter coverage from Alabama's ABC 33/40:




From the New York Times on Sunday May 1, 2011:

“Now we’re getting a handle on exactly what we are facing,” said Mayor Walt Maddox of Tuscaloosa, “the nightmarish truth that this is an utter disaster.” :

I could go on and on.  Maybe I should.  Maybe we need to hear more of the stories.  But for now, I am going to be done. It gets depressing to know that there is so so so much destruction.  But if you want more however on the disaster, I recommend you browse AL.com.

I ask you to do me a favor howerver.  Stop and imagine your town, your campus, your house literally blown away.   In some cases you may have lost loved ones, in all cases you know your life will never be the same.

Even if you are among the well prepared and have insurance and money set aside for just such events, there is a feeling of helplessness overwhelms you: there is so much to do.  You have no power, maybe no water, and in many cases no where to call home anymore.  The places you go for solace your parks, your churches, and your gyms are wrecked.  Your car is upside down in a ditch two blocks over from where you left it.  Your bank is gone.  City hall is gone.

What do you do?  Where do you start?  How can you do it?  Now imagine the same thing happening to the elderly, the poor, or the handicapped.  How can they do it?

That is why we are going.  We can help.  We can pick up debris, tarp roofs, cut up trees, and much more.  We will bring our tools, we will bring volunteers from a far that will bring new energy to an area that by the time we get there will be tired from weeks of work and stress, and we will bring a reminder that others care.

In a sense, our picking up debris, will be helping to pick up spirits of those who survived the tornadoes.  And that will be our most valuable job.

Won't you help?  We will have a camp in the Tuscaloosa area from May 16th to May 30th (at least).  The exact location is still being worked out, but we will be there.  You can come for a day, a week, or the entire time.

We will have at least one or two vans leaving St.Bonaventure with people and supplies.

The cost of the van from SBU will be $100.  Lodging (bring sleeping bags!) will be free.  Food there will be free.  SO come on down and help.  Not only will you be helping others, you will be helping yourself.  I guarantee you will walk away with a better perspective on life and also many new friends.

All BonaResponds trips are open to all, so come on and help!  (under 18 must be accompanied by a parent).

Sign up here on our google form.

We can get work for people.  From drivers (we will pick people up at the Birmingham Airport), to cooking, to paperwork, to removing damaged trees) you are needed.

Want to help but can't come?  We will need money for supplies, gas, and food.  You can donate online (just be sure to say it is for BonaResponds in the "Other" designation pull down) or can mail a check to BonaResponds Box BY St. Bonaventure NY 14778.

I hope to see many of you in Alabama! :)

thanks!

jim

PS. Please forward this!

As many of you know, this will not be our first relief trip to Alabama.  We were also there in 2007 in the aftermath of the horrible tornado that hit the Enterprise region (including hitting the high school).  To this day, that trip has helped to shape my thinking on disaster response as much as even Katrina.  Here are some pictures of that trip and a blog article entitled Ant People remains one of my all time favorite BonaResponds' stories.)

A look around at news from Alabama

South Struggles to Assess Toll - WSJ.com:

"Federal officials visited Birmingham Sunday to view the beginnings of a storm cleanup and rebuilding effort. 'I don't think words can fairly express the level of devastation here,' said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, touring the devastated area of Pratt City, a mostly black working-class neighborhood that was hard hit by the tornado.

Finding housing for the thousands of newly homeless throughout the Southeast 'will be the single most critical part of the recovery,' said Shaun Donovan, who heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development. About 700 families remained in shelters across Alabama on Sunday, but 'we know that there are hundreds and hundreds more who are with relatives' who will soon swell the ranks of those who need long-term living arrangements, Mr. Donovan said.

Scary piece on the scope of injuries from CNN (see also the video)

But like nearly every doctor in Tuscaloosa, orthopedic surgeon Brian Claytor didn't need his beeper to tell him to head to the trauma center.
Claytor said he didn't know what to expect when he arrived at DCH Regional Medical Center on Wednesday.
"The emergency room was just overflowing," said Claytor, 38. "I was just in shock when I walked in to see the sheer volume of injured people and the severity of the injuries."
Patients filled the hallway and every available room. Injuries ranged from minor cuts, lacerations and broken ankles to severe trauma from debris that sliced patients' heads, chests and abdomens."

AL.com continues to amaze me with their coverage (mark it down now, they will win a Pulitzer). In this article they point out the importance of volunteers:

"ARAB, Alabama - Governor Robert Bentley said Sunday that Alabama is a Level 1 disaster area comparable to Katrina and the World Trade Center after 9/11.

Touring storm damage near Arab Sunday, Bentley praised the state's volunteer spirit and said even more volunteers are needed in the days and weeks ahead. Call "211" to volunteer, or sign up for Madison County duty beginning today at the First Baptist Church on Governors Drive."

WTOK reminds us that many schools are helping: (Psst...we're coming too ;) )

"Dearman says she got the idea when she learned of a group of Auburn alumni offering aid to tornado victims in the area.
Other student groups have pledged support to Tuscaloosa, including students at Mississippi State, LSU, South Carolina, and even Penn State."

WDAM tells us the same about students at Alabama:

"Students from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, are working together to help pick up the pieces following this week's devastating tornadoes.
With nearly 12,000 pounds of food and more than 100 volunteers, the University Greek Relief fund started Wednesday night when a few students saw a need and a came up with a simple plan to help: a hot meal."

Update:  this from the Los Angeles times is amazing!  Before and after "slider" shots

Related articles

• Universities offer help for Tuscaloosa (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Tuscaloosa Tornado: Satellite Images of Tornado's Path, Massive Superstorm (deathby1000papercuts.com)
• Closet saved him, not 3 friends (cnn.com)
• Alabama Tornadoes: Nick Saban And Gene Stallings Offer Comfort (sbnation.com)
• Tornado-struck communities face daunting recovery (theprovince.com)

Alabama Trip...A few more details

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWhat we know: 

* BonaResponds is going to Alabama to help people recover from the devastating tornadoes that hit the region.  The trip is tentatively planned for May 15th to May 28th BUT we are flexible and people can come and go whenever they want.  (indeed it may not start until the 16th and may get done early if there is not work.)

* We need volunteers. The trip will cost $100 to cover the cost of gas and food.  Several friends have lined up places for us to stay while in and around Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  It is a 15 hour (953 mile) drive from SBU.

* Two weeks in "Tornado time" is a long long time.  So we can not tell specifically where we will be working but it will be in the Tuscaloosa area.


* If you want to fly, fly to Birmingham, AL (BHM-Birmingham Intl.).  Ideally you buy your tickets through GoodShop and list BonaResponds as your charity so a small percentage helps to fund BonaResponds.  We will try to arrange ground transportation for you to and from the airport but can not guarantee zero waiting.

* We will be doing whatever is needed.  Likely this will mean "tree work" but in two weeks much can change and it could be helping to rebuild, build fences for farmers, or whatever is needed to help the people back on their feet.

* We need to have an idea of when people want to go and how many.  There is a sign up here.  To hold a place in a van, we need a $50 non refundable deposit.  Contact BonaResponds@gmail.com if you have further questions.

* As always, our view is that it is better to go and not be needed, than to not go and leave people who needed our help.  Please bring with you a positive attitude and a willingness to be flexible.  

* Here is a waiver/release that must be signed by all volunteers.


* All BonaResponds events are open to everyone.  So if you would like to help, come help!  If you can stay for a day, a week, or the entire time. GREAT!   All skills are needed.  From drivers, to people who can use chain saws, to people who can put roofs on, to people who can take pictures, to people to cook, and pretty much everything else.   Many hands make light work and you all have something to offer.  So please come and lend a hand!

Related articles

• Slide Show: Stunning Images Of Alabama Tornado Catastrophe (mediaite.com)
• Survivors pick up pieces from U.S. twister outbreak (ctv.ca)
• Alabama storm victims mourned as NFL draft opens (aol.sportingnews.com)
• Daybreak in Alabama (jackieregales.com)
• Watch Shocking Video Of A Tornado Ripping Through Tuscaloosa, Alabama (mediaite.com)

BonaResponds is going to Alabama and you can come help!

Details will be coming soon, but we will be going to help in recovery efforts from the recent tornadoes.

We will leave after finals and after graduation on May 15th. Ideally the trip will be 2 weeks but we can help arrange transport for a fraction of the time as well.

Please let us know if you have interest in helping here.



Here is a raw video (from Helicopter) showing some of the damage. Staggering. Sad.  I have responded to several tornadoes and have never seen such damage from any of them.  It reminds me of Greenville Kansas but it hit a much broader area.

Related articles

• Obama declares an emergency in Alabama after deadly storms (thehill.com)
• Watch: Massive Damage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama After Tornadoes Hit the South (newsfeed.time.com)
• Amazing Video Captures Double Tornado In Alabama (mediaite.com)
• The President on Devastation in Alabama (whitehouse.gov)