Livestrong Weekend

October 2-3rd. 



BonaResponds will be holding a local service weekend in conjunction with the National Livestrong Day. We will have volunteers working at multiple sites across the area. As part of the Livestrong Day our focus will be on helping Cancer survivors.

If you know of any cancer survivor (or current patient) that needs some free help, be it mowing the yard, raking leaves (although early October might be a bit early), painting, or fixing a porch, or who know what, we would like to help.

But we need your help. Before we can help, we need to know who needs the help. So if you know of a cancer survivor who lives within 45 minutes of Olean that could use a little helping hand, please let us know! 


 

More from Bradford

Laura showing off the chain saw
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

A small group of us went over to Bradford today to help a disabled woman clean up after last month's storm. While it was far from our largest job, the work was still very much appreciated by Sally the home owner.

Here are many more pictures from Bradford and here are some really good ones from Jen.

Sunday short day in Bradford

We have been asked by a disabled Bradford resident if we could cut up two trees that were knocked down in the storm last month.

We decided it was a job we can do. So despite the poor response (really need some more leaders to "Step up") from the email/Notice Board announcement, we will be going.

Leave from Murphy at 10:30 on SUNDAY. We hope to return by 1:00.

Please come dressed to work. (jeans, boots, gloves if possible).

BonaResponds-Bradford

Watching
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor.

Today BonaResponds sent a small team to Bradford after the storm. Here Larry is a perfect role model cutting a downed tree on Euclid St. as several neighbor children watch and learn.

More pictures of our day are here.

News Reports from Bradford

The Bradford Era has several articles online about the storm.

The damage was bad, but not disastrous:

"The severe storm Saturday that scattered trees like matchsticks, snapped power lines and left a minefield of debris dealt the Tuna Valley a blow — but not a knockout.

According to McKean County Emergency Management Agency Director Steve Nelson, the storm — packing upwards of 70 mph winds and biting rain — hit the hardest in the areas of Pleasant and Summer streets, Jerome Avenue and Bolivar Drive, toppling more than 100 trees and damaging close to 60 homes"

Another recap of the storm:

"...official numbers of 3.36 inches of rain within 15 minutes in downtown Bradford. The department received 121 calls of either toppled trees, downed wires, structural damage or road closures. No injuries were reported.

“All the signs were blown over; everything was just a mess,” he said.

“The Sixth Ward (area) got it the most, but also by the hospital, Pleasant Street and Summer Street,” Tehle said.

The station has received reports that some areas may not have power until at least Tuesday.

Derrick City is likely one of these spots."

The storm probably did not spawn any tornadoes but the storm was still pretty bad in sections:

"Despite early reports indicating a tornado might have struck the area — causing more than 100 trees to be felled onto homes, power lines ripped down and a widespread trail of debris — the damage was more likely caused by a microburst, or updrafts, which are common during a severe thunderstorm."

My take: in sections is was bad, but not Enterprise or Buffalo bad. Most sections of town were fine by late Sunday afternoon, but some were still bad. We will examine it again late in the week to decide if we go back next weekend.

BonaResponds to Bradford

While small in terms of what they are having in the Midwest, a major thunder storm front rolled through the local area today. Olean was not hurt, but many to the South and into Pennsylvania were left without power due to downed wires and trees.

The radio said it was pretty bad, so we are going. We leave at 10:30AM (about 12 hours after we decided to go) from the Murphy Parking lot on the west side of campus.

No one knows what to expect and we may not be needed (I would feel much more comfortable if we had scouted it, but given that we heard of it at 9:15, deliberated for about an hour, and announced we were going).

Why the decision? Because it is better to go and not be needed than to not go and to be needed.

Roll-out 10:30 AM.