ARKANSAS: Project Mena Update
HODR’s Project Mena is lean and mean with an appetite for clearing tree and debris in the wake of April 9th’s EF-3 Tornado in Mena, Arkansas.
Project Mena is a one-moth project ending on May 15, 2009 that has seen 19 volunteers lend a hand thus far. The project size and length maybe be small compared to some of our larger past projects but the results have been anything but for the 17 households we have assisted during their recovery.
The HODR chainsaws have been busy felling and/or “bucking up” over 132 tornado-damaged trees. Debris-strewn yards and farms have been no match for the power of our motivated volunteers, who often times end up battling the elements and the occasional patch of poison oak vines. Our team even dismantled and sorted, by hand, a nearly 200 foot long barn that had been pushed over by the storm. The farm’s owner, an older man, would not have been able to tackle the demolition on his own. Like a battalion of “army ants” HODR volunteers methodically demo’d the barn in a matter of days.
Volunteers have also secured blue tarps to several leaking rooftops until a permanent roof repair can be made and provided people power to the Adventist Community Services Disaster Relief distribution warehouse.
Many thanks to the Calvary Baptist Church that has recently begun feeding our team every other night with delicious meals. The Mena Church of God continues to graciously host our team, providing a base of operations and home away from home for HODR in Mena. Thanks!
We plan on continuing to help Mena recover until May 15th. If you’re interested in volunteering with us (and don’t mind working in the rain – the weather doesn’t always cooperate!) we would love to see you in Mena. Email info@HODR.org to volunteer, or support Project Mena with a tax-deductible donation.
Thanks to all the volunteers, donors and community members who have helped HODR help the people of Mena!
Click here to visit the Project Mena photo gallery
Bill Driscoll Jr.
US Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
Follow my micro-blog from Project Mena here for the most up-to-date info of what we are up to on the ground in Mena.
ARKANSAS: Announcing Project Mena
On Thursday April 9th an EF3 tornado tore through Mena, Arkansas leaving in its wake a 14.5 mile path of destruction damaging over 600 homes and affecting thousands of lives. In response, HODR sent an assessment team to survey the damage and has been in the area since early Sunday morning. After speaking with local officials, other response organizations and touring the affected community, we would like to announce the start of Project Mena. Due to the localized nature of the damage and the overall response from the community and other organizations, we anticipate the duration of this project will be 30 days (ending on approx. May 15, 2009).
We would like to thank the Mena Church of God for opening their doors to HODR, donating space for us to run our operations. At this time the workload consists of tree clearing and general debris removal with occasional work on affected roofs. As the recovery develops we anticipate expanding our programs to match the needs of the community; to keep up to date on project progress please follow our twitter micro-blog for the latest news, and click here to view photos.
We’d love to see you in Mena! For those interested in volunteering please email Tom at info@HODR.org with your planned arrival and departure dates and read the Volunteer Info to know what to expect.
If you can’t make it please consider donating to HODR to support our work – become a Monthly Donor and your monthly gift of any amount will be matched through August by an anonymous donor – or you can donate directly to support our Mena Response Fund!
Bill Driscoll Jr.
US Operations Director
ARKANSAS: Mena Tornado Assessment
Mena, Arkansas was struck by an EF3 tornado at 8:10 PM on 4/9/09. Area reports at this time estimate that there are about 100 homes destroyed and 600 damaged.
HODR is sending an Assessment Team to the area to evaluate the needs and potential for a HODR recovery project.
If you’re interested in volunteering with us in Arkansas, if a response project develops from the assessment, please email Tom at info@HODR.org so we can gauge potential volunteer interest.
Follow the US Team at twitter.com/HODRopsUSA and check www.HODR.org for updates as information becomes available.
Pure Hope: HODR 2008 Year in Photos
A collection of memorable Hands On Disaster Response photos taken during 2008.
CLICK FOR VIDEO: Pure Hope: HODR 2008 Year in Photos *
(*For Best Viewing: After the page opens be sure to click on the “Watch in HD” link found on the bottom right corner of the video)
Click Here to see the entire set of the 2008 Year in Photos on Flickr
2008 was a very busy year for Hands On Disaster Response.
The year began with two projects already underway: our earthquake response project in Peru was winding down and our cyclone response project in Bangladesh was just beginning.
In the spring we answered the call to help Gassville, Arkansas and Newton County, Missouri after destructive tornadoes and in June, when massive flooding struck Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we launched a four-month response through which more than 2000 volunteers jumped in and lent a hand.
In August and September Haiti was pummeled by four tropical storms and hurricanes that devastated an already struggling nation. Our hurricane response that started in October and continues into 2009 is helping people to dig out and rise up.
Whether removing rubble in Peru, building a home in Bangladesh, or gutting out a house in Iowa, HODR was there helping families around the world rebuild their lives.
MISSOURI: Project Newton County Final Report
May 19 – June 16, 2008
Project Newton County (PNC), HODR’s second micro-deployment, was launched in response to an F-4 tornado on May 10, 2008 that spanned the entire 30-mile length of Newton County, Missouri. The storm cut a 1/4-mile wide swath of destruction through parts of the towns of Newtonia, Granby, Racine, and Neosho. Approximately 460 houses were affected by the tornado, 200 of which were completely destroyed or left uninhabitable having suffered major damage.
Chainsaws, Pliers and Home Demo
Twenty-one HODR alums and first-time volunteers traveled to rural Missouri and lent a hand to area residents trying to salvage their homes and move forward. Volunteers were engaged in a range of projects including debris cleanup, tree removal, home demolition, repairing and re-roofing a house and farm fence repair. Over the month-long project volunteers contributed 3,960 hours of service and assisted 200 households in the recovery process.
In addition to destroyed or damaged homes, many farmers in the area were overwhelmed by the damage done to trees and the fences they landed on. Many fields used for grazing were also littered with fiberglass insulation and other debris harmful to animals. Volunteers were quick studies at the art of properly repairing barbed wire fences so farmers could return livestock to their fields and begin a normal life again.
Teamwork
During PNC HODR collaborated closely with AmeriCorps St. Louis (AC-STL). Together we lived and worked out of the Newton County Operations Center and joined our administrative and field teams almost everyday. PNC continued this successful partnership that originally formed during Project Gassville when we transitioned the Gassville Coordination Center over to AC-STL.
One of our largest contributions to the recovery of Newton County came in the form of our database that was used to track work requests from those affected. The utilization of our database resulted in a more organized and effective response.
The Newton County Emergency Management Agency was also a major part of PNC’s success. They opened their doors to HODR and let us set up our volunteer housing in their building for the duration of the project.
Back-to-back Projects
By project’s end we accomplished all that we had set out to do. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of HODR volunteers, AC-STL members, and other response groups Newton County’s progress was ahead of schedule by the second week in June. The accelerated progress allowed us to comfortably exit a few days earlier than planned to head to Iowa where we quickly began Project Cedar Rapids in response to a major flooding event.
Project Newton County was a small but effective HODR project. The efforts of volunteers helped restore normalcy and speed up the recovery and rebuilding process for a number of local farmers and families that were in need, having a major impact on the lives of those that we assisted. PNC would not have been possible if it were not for our dedicated volunteers and donors who make helping others possible.
Bill Driscoll Jr.
US Operation Director
Hands On Disaster response
USA: Hurricane Ike Assessment Update
Our Hurricane Ike assessment team evaluated damage and response levels in the coastal communities of both Texas and Louisiana. We assessed the needs that are present now and those that may arise in the coming weeks. In order to obtain the most accurate information possible, we met with numerous area emergency officials, church pastors, mayors, community members and representatives from other responding relief organizations.
Read more
USA: Hurricane Ike Assessment Announcement
USA: Hurricane Ike
USA: Project Cedar Rapids 60-Day Report
60 Days in Cedar Rapids = 1300+ volunteers, 225 homes and let the drywall’n begin!
Read more
Hurricane Gustav: Update 2
Due to the levels of reported damage HODR has not deployed an assessment team to the areas affected by Hurricane Gustav and do not plan to at this time. If we become aware of a significant pocket of need and/or damage we would consider sending a team to assess the situation.
We are currently engaged in a successful flood relief project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa until October 25, 2008. From Project Cedar Rapids we will continue to monitor the other storms on the horizon and their impact in the coming weeks.
