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Wednesday, September 07, 2005 |
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Locals aid in Hurricane Katrina relief effort Posted: Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005 - 03:35:24 pm PDT By KATHERINE HEAD Bigfork Eagle
Across the country, countless individuals and organizations are aiding relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Bigfork and the Flathead Valley are joining those efforts. Hurricane Katrina left thousands of people in the south without food, water or shelter. Aid has started to pour in from across the United States, and local efforts are underway to supplement emergency services.Always at the forefront of disaster relief, the American Red Cross has begun its task of providing essential life-saving care to the victims. During the holiday weekend, the Laughing Horse Lodge in Swan Lake hosted the sixth annual pancake breakfast benefit for the Red Cross. Typically, the money raised goes to benefit Montana's fire victims. But this year's event provided a way for community members to give to Katrina victims as well. "I wanted to let people decide if they wanted their donations to stay here or go down south. I wanted it to be more broad in scope," Laughing Horse Lodge owner Kathleen Moon said. On hand during this year's event was Montana Red Cross Executive Director Wil Huett, who traveled from Great Falls. Huett said 44 trained volunteers from Montana have already responded to the disaster. "Most of this first wave have previous experience in natural disasters," he noted. Earlier this week four firefighters with Bigfork Fire and Ambulance departed for the south to lend their expertise to relief missions. Nat O'Farrell, Steve Hopp, Chuck Harris and Cale Fredrickson will spend more than three weeks assisting in the hurricane-ravaged states. Huett added that the Red Cross will be "amping up" training sessions to get more people ready to respond. "We know this is such a big job that we will have to train additional people," he said. The American Red Cross of Montana will stage a mass training across the state on Saturday, Sept. 10, to qualify more individuals to respond to the needs of disaster victims. The trainings will take place in seven Red Cross offices across the state. The effort is part of a nationwide Red Cross effort to train 40,000 more volunteers before Nov. 30 to meet the long-term needs of Hurricane Katrina victims. A typical Red Cross disaster assignment is three weeks in length. Last fall during the hurricane season, 69 Montana volunteers responded. "Individuals who participate and complete the training on Saturday will be eligible for assignment in the next few weeks," said Mel Holtz, Director of Preparedness and Response for the Montana chapter. "We expect we will have more applicants than we can accommodate on Saturday, so advance registration and confirmation is required, but we will be doing additional trainings in the near future, so get your name on the waiting list at your nearest local office." The local training locations for Saturday include the Red Cross offices in: •Kalispell - 17A 1st Ave E--752-6433 •Missoula - 1500 W Broadway, Suite E--549-6441 "Courses taught will include the basics of Red Cross disaster response and skills needed in sheltering and caring for large groups of people, what we call Mass Care," Holtz said. "One of the first goals in any disaster relief operation is to get people out of mass care and back into their homes or other family-living arrangements as soon as possible. The sheer scope of this disaster will require mass care operations for longer than normal, so we will concentrate on those skills right now." Huett has spent 15 years with the Red Cross, and the last two in Montana. He said he has never witnessed devastation like this. "Nothing of this scope--this is almost unprecedented," he commented. "The Red Cross has a disaster scale of 1 to 5. This has got to be a 9." Huett noted that past hurricane relief efforts have taken years and were not on par with the devastation caused by Katrina. "The hurricane Andrew response took almost three years before we said the Red Cross part of this is done," Huett said. Thus, continuing support is crucial for the organization's unfaltering presence in the disaster area and evacuation centers. About 96 percent of Red Cross aid is volunteer. That leaves about 4 percent paid administrative staff to coordinate assistance. Huett stressed that much of the administrative costs that some donors may be curious about goes toward the transportation and living costs of volunteers while they are in a disaster situation. "How could we possibly ask people to give up three or four weeks of their time and then say they have to pay their own way to get down there?" he questioned. Huett also stressed that although the Red Cross is highly visible during these extreme emergencies, they are also active on a regular basis throughout the year. About three times a day, the agency responds to armed forces emergency communications, they respond to three disaster emergencies a week, and train 800 people in this state a week. Life-saving courses on health and safety are provided around Montana every day. Red Cross blood drives are also an essential part of the organization's life-saving functions. The American Red Cross is mandated by the Federal government to aid in times of disaster, but the organization receives no government funding. During an emergency of this magnitude, the Red Cross cannot cost effectively transport in-kind donations from individuals to the area. In-kind donations are needed on such a massive scale, that corporations like Anheuser-Busch who can stop making beer and can water instead as well as transport it to the area, are most effective. What the Red Cross needs is continued funding. Fund-raising efforts are springing to life daily around the state. Gov. Brian Schweitzer recently announced a Web site that will be continually updated with information on ways Montanans can help those affected by the tragedy. "When there are people in need, Montanans step up to the plate every time," Schweitzer said. "This is a way for people to find information on actions the state has taken and ways they can help our neighbors to the south." Visit the Web site at http://governor.mt.gov/hottopics/hurricane.asp. In addition, the Montana Food Bank Network in cooperation with America's Second Harvest (FEMA designated partner) is organizing donations of water and diapers. To donate, contact the Montana Food Bank Network for instructions at 1-800-809-4752. Gov. Schweitzer also recently signed an emergency proclamation ensuring the availability of Montana's National Guard should they be called to assist in the relief efforts. "The Montana National Guard stands ready to assist with the catastrophe and will respond immediately if requested," he said. "This is a horrible catastrophe and Montana will help in every way we can." Local efforts to help are also taking shape. The Crossroads Christian Fellowship office at the north edge of Bigfork is accepting donations. The Bethany Lutheran Church is accepting donation for Lutheran World Relief. A giant garage sale is planned for Oct. 1 and 2 and the Flathead County Fairgrounds exposition and grandstand buildings from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. All proceeds will be used to aid the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Donations that are clean, usable and marked with a fair price will be accepted at the fairgrounds Sept. 28-30 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. No major appliances can be accepted. For more information on the benefit, call 212-2024 or 863-4039. In times of great need, there are also those who capitalize on other's strife. Scam artists may disguise themselves as charities and solicit donations fraudulently. Investigate charities before you donate. Check out a complete list of charities by visiting www.give.org. Several organizations with active Hurricane Katrina relief efforts underway include: •American Red Cross: www.redcross.org •America's Second Harvest: www.secondharvest.org •AmeriCares: www.americares.org •Catholic Charities: www.catholiccharitiesusa.org •Humane Society of the USA: www.hsus.org •MAP International: www.map.org •Mercy Corps: www.mercycorps.org •Salvation Army: www.salvationarmyusa.org •United Way of America: www.unitedway.org •World Emergency Relief: www.worldemergency.org For more information on the Red Cross you can also call 1-800-HELP-NOW or call the Kalispell branch of the Red Cross at 752-6433.
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