Southern California Wildfire Assessment

Darius and I arrived a few days ago and began viewing the areas affected by wildfire in Southern California. We set out to assess the damage and to review the overall need for volunteer assistance in order to make a decision about whether or not we would deploy to the area. We spent 3 days in Rancho Bernardo and Ramona, two of the heavily damaged areas speaking with residents, city officials and first responders about the situation in the area.

The first day we were here we worked on a home with a family sifting through the remains of their home, looking for a ring somewhere in the ashes. The two men working when we arrived were the homeowner and his neighbor whose home was undamaged. While sifting and hunting for the ring, teams of community members came by to offer masks and supplies, let us know the high school lacrosse team was offering services... the local church up the road was offering help and supplies... a group of kids came by to let us know that instead of
trick-or-treating they would be putting on a neighborhood BBQ... and two young women dropped off brownies they had baked for people working in the community. It was a great experience to see a neighborhood coming together to help those in need.

We are happy to report that although tragedy has struck these communities, they have pulled together wonderfully and are supporting each other in their recovery efforts. The random nature of how the fire moved through the neighborhoods fully destroying many homes, but leaving the surrounding homes untouched has allowed neighbors and friends to help out those in need without worrying about their own homes. Given the relatively low number of homes destroyed and the strength of the local community and government response we have decided that HODR will not deploy in response to the fires in California.

Bill Driscoll Jr.
Domestic Operations Director

PERU: Director’s Project Update

It is almost time to harvest the fruit and it appears the yield for the farmers will be meager. The irrigation canals, which siphon water off the Cañete River to feed the fields, were broken by the recent earthquake. The repairs have been delayed because of the obvious need to focus on housing.

The farmers need water to fatten the crop and yesterday, Project Coordinator Stefanie Chang and 9 other determined Hands On Disaster Response volunteers arrived in Ramadilla, Peru to help. The team will stay in this remote agricultural area for approximately 1 week working on the first phase of rebuilding 500 meters of irrigation canal.

The project is a beautiful blend of our volunteers and neighboring farmers, a Peruvian NGO and the local government. Four days after the earthquake, Anibal, of Yanapasayki was on his bicycle touring communities isolated by damaged roads. His information brought HODR into the program, and HODR encouraged the local farmers and municipal government to participate in their recovery.

This week the water will return to the fields. This week in Ramadilla, people are working together toward a common goal and Hands On Disaster Response is there, helping.

HODR is also participating in the following programs:
Rubble removal to allow for placement of emergency or transitional shelters
Safe space play therapy with children in relocation camps
Ludoteca programs with UNICEF
Food distribution, water and sanitation works with Terre Des Hommes
Beach Rehabilitation
Coordination and distribution of school supplies with UNICEF

Thank you for your interest and support.

Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response

PERU: Project Pisco Update

Work in Pisco is going very well and we have a solid number of volunteers who have showed up to lend a helping hand. Shortly after arriving in Pisco, Marc (HODR Operations Director) had close to 40 volunteers in house and he is on the hunt to find some more living space to accommodate a larger number of volunteers.

We are still welcoming volunteers for this project and as always... if you can make your way to us... we'll give you shelter, food, tools and meaningful work to do in a community that really needs your help. Please email info@hodr.org to find out more about volunteering with us in Peru.

Cheers,

-Darius
Operations Director, HODR

PERU: Project Pisco Video Update

Most of the HODR Operations team is down in Peru right now along with over 40 HODR volunteers and from the video Bill just sent along... it looks like the kind of good hard work we love doing in a very supportive community.

I'll also pass along a note from Suzi Lee one of our hardcore and very wonderful volunteers:

Last Sunday night I made it down here to Pisco, Peru, the hardest hit area after a major 8.0 earthquake struck the region August 15th. This is a blast to let you all know I am safe, well-fed (amazingly so, thanks to the generosity of the locals here in the community), have easy internet access (not even 3 blocks from the Hands On House), but cold, oh so cold. It is going to take some time for my body to adjust to the cold nights and mornings (thank goodness we are going into summer here in the southern hemisphere or I do not know how I would survive), since I have been in South East Asia the last 11 months. BRRRRRR....

Here is a link to what actually happened here in Pisco. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Peru_earthquake.

It is dusty, dirty and hard work shoveling debris and hauling it out onto the streets, but if we do not do it, who will? We have received some help from the locals, in terms of picking up a shovel or a pick axe and "going to town," others seem to offer us help in a different way -- they feed us. Sometimes it is a huge bag of juicy oranges. One time we received three squashed bags of sliced white bread. Many large water bottles, bottles of soda or Inca Cola (the local bright yellow, very sweet soda drink-- a local delicacy but a bit hard to stomach) and little plastic cups just "show up" at the job sites by appreciative home owners. Sometimes we are "forced " to eat an entire meal, when we have just come back from lunch at our Hands On base, where two lovely ladies cook two meals a day for us. The generosity and kindness of the locals is pretty amazing.

HODR Video Update

Assessment Team Heading to Peru

HODR Operations Director, Marc Young will be making a trip to Peru early next week to see if and how HODR can help in the disaster recovery efforts. Long-term volunteer Stefanie Chang who assisted Marc in setting up the Philippines project will be accompanying him and supporting our assessment efforts.
Last Wednesday an 8.0 earthquake struck the coast of Peru killing more than 500 people and causing significant damage. Ica, where most of the deaths occurred is 165 miles south of the capital, Lima.

We expect to have an update next week on a possible Peru deployment, and we are also keeping our eyes on Hurricane Dean.

Bill Driscoll Jr. Joins HODR as Operations Director

CARLISLE, Mass., June 12 -- Hands On Disaster Response (HODR) is proud to welcome aboard Bill Driscoll Jr. to its Operations Staff, to focus on domestic responses. As founder of Persevere Disaster Relief, Inc., Driscoll brings with him two years of experience in disaster relief management.

Driscoll first partnered with HODR during the organization's Hurricane Katrina response in Biloxi, Mississippi. As a full-time volunteer, Driscoll was a critical member of the operation, leading groups of volunteers and providing media support. In January 2006, First Lady Laura Bush presented Driscoll with the Presidential Call to Service Award for his work with HODR.

At the conclusion of HODR's Katrina Relief Project, Driscoll founded Persevere Disaster Relief, Inc. As Executive Director of Persevere, Driscoll coordinated recovery work on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for another year and a half.

Both Driscoll and HODR are excited to be working together once again. David Campbell, Executive Director of HODR, said, "We are impressed with Bill's leadership and effectiveness over the past year and we are thrilled to have him on the team."

Driscoll, a native of Milton, MA, graduated from Boston College in 2005 and brings with him an impressive background in film production and communications.

For additional information on HODR's addition of Bill Driscoll Jr. as Operations Director please contact Bill Driscoll Jr. at bill@hodr.org

UPDATE: Kansas Tornado Relief

Please read the full Greensburg Tornado Project Summary by clicking here.

David: When Disaster meets Poverty…

...help is needed, and appreciated. Typhoon Reming was definitely a major disaster in the Philippines, and the small towns where the average daily wage hovers around $3 and most people live in tiny huts with tin or reed roofs are definitely poor. I’ve spent the first two weeks of January at the Hands On project in the barangay (village) of San Isidro, in the municipality of Santo Domingo, a town near the city of Legazpi, a few hours from Manila.

This is a poor rural area, with surrounding rice fields and fishing as the major food sources. Their homes and livelihood were both affected by a category 5 (highest level) typhoon that struck on November 30th, and triggered massive flows of accumulated sodden ash, called lahar, off the slopes of Mt. Mayon, an active volcano that is 6 miles away from our project site. The lahar flow redirected rivers, eliminated rice fields, mowed down homes, destroyed most trees (including the materials normally used for roofs and walls). Fishing fleets were destroyed and power will be out for months.

The current Hands On volunteer contingent of nine represents four counties (Canada, England, Philippines, and USA) with two first time volunteers and seven alumni. [As of this writing, although 4 of us have left, the count is up to 19, with more expected imminently!] Our house is right in the village, and since our purchase of a generator, has power (and therefore running water) about six hours/day. Our projects have included cleaning the 3 foot depth of lahar from roads, yards, drainage ditches and local schools; clearing, cleaning, and repairing the roof on the local school, and organizing the procurement of materials to replace lost fishing boats.

Last week when we rolled out in the morning with our big orange work carts busting with shovels and tools we usually drew a contingent of twenty or so kids, teenagers and adults to help . We made quite a parade through town and everyone was delighted when school was able to restart. .. Although this typhoon destroyed/damaged almost 300,000 homes and killed 1,600 (about the same ranges as Katrina) it fell out of the news within days – yet the people still need help, and support. They are hard working, friendly and having a tough time getting back on their feet. The devastation is overwhelming. The amount of work to be done is staggering.

Donations will go directly to buy supplies, tools, and materials to allow us to expand our number of projects, for food and housing for volunteers, and to allow us to extend our stay. The rebuilding of boats for example, takes just a little amount of funding, is done mainly by the fishermen themselves with a little boost of fun and interesting work by our volunteers and helps the small fishing villages get back to their livelihood immediately. Helping the stunned people of the Philippines is definitely an incredibly worthwhile endeavor.

Please check out the site, see the photos and project updates, and if you’re able and interested in helping out, go to the donation section for information re giving on-line, or through mail or wire transfers.

Thanks for caring,

David

Darius : My Trip to the Philippines

I am recently back in the US… and very cold! There is about a 70 degree temperature difference between Santo Domingo and here Portland, OR.

My time with Marc and the rest of the HODR volunteers was a great experience and since Marc had things well under control I got to take some time to get dirty and do some good ol’ work.

This project was a hard one for me, and not because I was there for Christmas and New Year, away from my family. But because of how poor the people are in the Bicol Region where we are set-up. While we are only a short term disaster relief organization, I feel good knowing that we will be making a lasting impact in a community and leaving behind means to better themselves for years to come.

Aside from my favourite thing in the Philippines (That being the very delicious Pan De Agua bread, baked daily by our neighbors.) I loved the locals. The kids there have amazingly big hearts and bright smiles. If you like kids, then this project would be the one for you. They are always around, and they are always being helpful. If you’re trying to carry it, tear it down, pick it up, shovel it, cut it, Etc... there is always a young boy or girl who is there to help you.

One of my first days getting dirty, there were two little boys who were only 4 or 5, who used a plastic rice bag to run piles of sand and dirt to a drop off point. They were working hard and running from here to there, but at the same time having a blast. They would crack-up laughing as they ran when one of them turned a way the other didn’t expect.

Being a tall, white, hairy, big nosed, curly haired, green eyed guy also provided never ending amusement for the kids. They liked to look at me and say things like “your nose is so long!” The kids have a playful curiosity and are very welcoming into their communities. I look forward to being back soon and getting to play and work with them again.

The work has just begun for us over in Santo Domingo and this project will require lots of creative hard work from our volunteers. While I was there I got to be a part of cleaning 2 schools and putting up the walls and roof on one just in time to see the kids in their classrooms on the first day of school. We also began our boating re-building project where were will assist the local fisherman in building their own boats and cooperating to rebuild the main livelihood of their villages.

Because the damage is wide spread and the villages were already hurting before the storms, volunteers who are willing to step up and lead mini-projects are hugely important. There are plenty of resources around and ways to help people rebuild... it just takes a lot of effort and organizing to make it happen.

As always it is great too see the willingness of those who take time out of their busy lives to help others. Thanks to all of you for helping us get another HODR volunteer project rolling!
Cheers,
-Darius

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