Wildland fires have realigned the stars for hundreds of people this summer, but not in a good way. And I can only speak from our combined backgrounds and experiences. However, I think there is a boatload of lessons we learned that might help those trying on our shoes for the first time. I also think that others whose shoes we are wearing have even more to offer. Because, you see, the wholesale devastation caused by wildland fires may present “insurance like” outcomes, but they fall horribly short of exposing its real treachery at the victim’s level. So, I’m going to give some of our most important insights, and hope others will do the same to fill in where we cannot/did not. This may be vital to the understanding and recovery of our unfortunate kinfolk.
Short of food, shelter and medical needs, nobody can know the survivor’s personal needs. It’s important to ask them about what they need right now and later. They may be stuck in the moment, but most are already trying to dissect their next move.
Donations are invaluable, but donating merchandise in need of repair only adds frustration to insult. Very few victims of widespread disasters have the tools and/or skills to make dysfunctional items usable. Please only donate items in good working order.
We can’t count how many times amazing people stepped up with equally amazing donations that we had to turn down because we had no way to store them. Yet, down the road several weeks, when storage and the need were both at their prime, the offers had been withdrawn or forgotten. If you are going to be one of these amazing people (by the way, in this area, if you are, you’re quite popular), find out who needs what … then be prepared to hold onto your offer until it can be appreciated. By the way, good working hand tools and basic building materials are a good example of this type of item.
Often simple communication (including the internet) is the most limited. Usually, victims are the least informed and most in need of contacting others from family to insurance agencies. Cell phones have minimized this process, but not eliminated it altogether. As well, it is very emotionally difficult to make those often confidential connections in a tent city and busy shelters. Availing a private and quiet room with phone and computer access (or amateur radio network) can really make a difference.
Food donors (including food donation centers), think your donations through. Yes, the shelters do their best to feed us, but not everybody can take advantage of those meals (for a variety of reasons). We were graced with well-meant cans of food without a way to open them; pasta without sauce or spices; unwanted food neither the donor nor their dog would eat; food that needed a pot and a spoon, but no pot or spoon available; food that needed to be heated, without a way to heat it; food that needed refrigeration without a fridge; etc, etc, etc. We don’t want to disgrace the donors. For us, this was a reality. For the donors, it was a simple misunderstanding of our reality. The intent was always acknowledged and appreciated, regardless.
Think about where your donations go. It was a grand slam when over $100,000 was donated to the Red Cross to help us. Yet, we saw almost none of that money. And they weren’t the only organization that took advantage of donations. Now these organizations truly care about you, and work on a recovery scale that can boggle the mind, offering mass care unavailable anywhere else. But to be blunt … particularly in areas like ours, where money pours in for disaster relief, we double as “cash cows” to fund their organizations. They have their own way of deciding who gets what. We got $100 in shopping cards, some low quality garden and cleanup tools (some were broken prior to receiving them), drinking water, meals when we could attend, medications and damaged glasses replaced. But when you compare what we got vs. what was donated to them for us, it was next to nothing. That is to say, it did not cover insurance deductibles, finding long-term housing, fuel for running around getting your life back together, lost wages so mortgages on destroyed homes could be paid, timely communication needs (or any long-term needs), long-term medical care, computer repair or replacement, dependable transportation (including clean air filters so our vehicles run like they should), storage for donated items, property recovery efforts (e.g. removing burned remains of your home, hazmat issues on your destroyed property, restoring wells, septic, or other private utility services), etc. We definitely need the resources provided by organizations like the Red Cross, but donors need to think about where they want their money to go before giving it away … funding a relief organization, or directly helping a victim with larger concerns.
Entertainment. Being stuck in lousy accommodations for extended periods of time scream for relief. Small, simple, and indestructible toys for the young ones (e.g. frisbees, Nurf footballs, etc) are invaluable. So are books, music devices with headphones, playing cards, board games, and, of course, headlamps and batteries for after hours.
In short, the needs of the victims are as wide ranging as the victims are themselves. One size does not fit all. If you can’t get involved in their lives at their level, then consider joining a group that does. If you want to fund the victims, follow the money and see if it’s where you want your money to go. And if you have nothing to offer but moral support … hugs will always be in demand!
If the victims are in communities anything like ours, they are in for a very wonderful surprise indeed.
Vern Matthews