Americans have rallied to support those lives devastated by Katrina. One of the unfortunate realities of a tragedy of such magnitude is that even with all the goodwill, there will be great need well after Katrina has faded from the frontpage.
Stan Garwood of Independence Township has seen the distraught faces of those touched by natural disasters during several relief trips with the North Oakland Disaster Relief Team, which plans to work in the devastated Gulf Region in the near future.
‘After a disaster hits an area, there’s a long term recovery before people get back on their feet,? said Garwood. ‘People outside of the area get gun-ho and jump on the bandwagon donating money and supplies, which is good, but the supplies will be needed over the long haul.?
Recently, the group registered with the National Emergency Resources Registry to set up a recovery trip to help those in need in the affected area. The ten-day trip is planned for some time between Oct. 22 and Dec. 10.
NODRT had the trip planned months before Katrina to allow members enough time to resolve scheduling conflicts before focusing on an area to work. With the tragedy in the Gulf Coast Region, the decision was made to go there.
‘We’re going to expand services to meet the needs of Katrina. We expect to take 35 or 40 people down versus 8 to 10 on previous trips,? said Garwood.
Garwood predicts NODRT will be involved in short term disaster relief in New Orleans. He described short term relief as the initial recovery work involving throwing out debris, bringing in supplies and other functions important to victim survival.
‘Down in New Orleans, all the houses that have been touched by a higher water level will need to be gutted, including the insulation and wiring,? said Garwood.
Co-founder Bob Hadden said there are places he worked several years ago that are still struggling and need help after a natural disaster, and predicts a five year recovery for New Orleans.
‘They’re still recovering from Hurricane Floyd in parts of North Carolina where we worked in 2000. It takes five or six years to get communities back on their feet and make them able to support the infrastructure,? said Hadden.
Garwood says NODRT offers unique help by dealing directly with the people in a hands-on approach, helping them rebuild and recover.
‘There’s not a whole lot of people who do what we do? We do hands on recovery and rehab work where we will rebuild,? said Garwood.
Nearly four years ago, Garwood teamed up with Hadden to form the NODRT, which is a coalition of churches, businesses, organizations and individuals in North Oakland County who bring aid to victims of natural disaster.
The inspiration for the group came as Hadden served as the youth minister at St. Daniel Church in Clarkston and set up a mission trip for adults and youth with the National Disaster Relief Network, said Garwood. A week or two prior to the trip, the Zug River flooded part of southern West Virginia leading to an impromptu reroute to help flood victims there instead of the scheduled location. The group spent four days helping victims.
‘It was amazing, I’d never seen a whole house moved over two blocks by the force of the water,? said Garwood.
‘They showed us pictures of what it was like with the flood. It was difficult to see how the house had been turned down to bare bones. But the conditions for the people is the most difficult thing to deal with, even though they had a positive outlook despite the place being in shambles,? said wife and group member Kathy Garwood.
NODRT usually stays with churches near the disaster area and counts on its members to pay for gas. Equipment is usually donated by stores or borrowed from people going on the trip.
‘We saw a huge number on the side of a house in West Virginia, which meant the house was condemned. We saw a house broken in half by the flood. There was a van that had traveled down the river and it came out looking like it’d been through a cement mixer,? said Garwood.
In Garwood’s experience with flood recovery, a lot of people don’t have insurance to rebuild the home. Often, FEMA will provide money for supplies but only if you move your home out of the flood plain. In one example Garwood remembers, FEMA required the house to be moved back on the lot and up ten feet on a cement slab of concrete to get it out of the flood plain.
‘I imagine FEMA might say ‘If you want to rebuild on your lot in your neighborhood, you may have to raise it out of the flood plain,?? said Garwood referring to Katrina recovery.
NODRT is looking for more people and funds to expand. While the organization is still church-based, anyone can join.
‘At this point, they’re inundated with supplies. We don’t know yet what they need now. We will know later. We need manpower and money for building supplies,? said Garwood.
Those interested in contributing or learning more can contact Stan Garwood at 248-625-3123 or GGKathy@msn.com.