Travel to Help Tornado Victims

 

Stacey Wittig was in tears after watching coverage of the tornado that swept through Minneapolis last month. The 57-year-old resident of Flagstaff, Ariz., realized the twister had hit the neighborhood where her parents grew up and where she'd spent time visiting her grandparents and favorite great aunt.

Not content to follow the relief efforts online, Wittig began researching and planning. Within a couple of weeks, she was in northern Minneapolis, talking with victims, serving food, and helping with the recovery.

With widespread damage and casualties in Minnesota, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and other states, this spring marked one of the most devastating tornado seasons on record. Like Wittig, thousands of volunteers have used their vacations to visit areas affected by the storms and help victims with recovery and rebuilding.

Although the storm season may be over, the need for help will continue for many months, even years in some areas. In Alabama, for instance, numerous tornadoes on April 27 killed 238 people across the state and left almost 10,000 people homeless. In Joplin, Mo., a single tornado on May 22 killed 139 people and destroyed almost 7,000 homes.

"The following months are incredibly important to the recovery," says Jody Herrington-Gettys, director of domestic disaster relief for Operation Blessing International (right), a charity providing strategic disaster relief in 23 countries on a daily basis.

"As the media spotlight wanes, usually the volunteers do, as well. Full recovery will take years, but it is the pace of rebuilding that will determine whether residents stay and rebuild or relocate. Volunteers are critical to providing resources, especially to people who cannot afford to rebuild, serving as a catalyst in their recovery."

Looking for a memorable summer trip that will make a difference in people's lives? Consider planning your own disaster relief trip to a tornado-ravaged area.

Reasons to Go

Like Wittig, many volunteers have planned tornado relief trips because of their connections to affected areas. In addition to her family history in Minneapolis, Wittig felt drawn to help there because the tornado hit an impoverished African-American area, and she's long been a champion for civil rights.

"I have done a lot of short-term mission work on Indian reservations and in Africa," she says. "I thought 'If I can go all the way to Africa to help my black brothers and sisters, I can certainly get to Minneapolis and come alongside my black brothers and sisters there.' I'm a baby boomer who in the late '60s thought that our races would be reconciled by now. So I went to do my part of that dream."

Shannon White (left, with daughter) of Mt. Kisco, N.Y., also planned a tornado relief trip to connect with a place from her past. A graduate of Auburn University in Alabama., she hadn't been back to the state since graduating in 1981. "These storms made me want to connect with people I know," she says. "I did so first on Facebook and then by phone."

Within a few weeks, White traveled to Alabama with her 12-year-old daughter to help with relief efforts.

In addition to reconnecting with the past, other travelers want to return the favors of strangers during their own time of need. In the wake of this spring's tornadoes, three chefs from New Orleans -- Greg Reggio, Hans Limburg and Gary Darling -- were reminded of Hurricane Katrina and the volunteerism they witnessed in its aftermath. They formed "Three Chefs, One Mission" and staged trips to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Joplin, Mo., to feed people affected by tornadoes. They fed more than 1,000 people during both trips.

"We remember the devastation that we faced and how much other communities reached out to help us during [the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina]," Reggio says. "It's something that you never forget. For me, it was a chance to give back to the communities that helped us in our time of need after Hurricane Katrina. A chance to say thank you." Whatever your reason for going, taking a trip for disaster relief is likely to affect you as much as those you help.

"Volunteering during a disaster is a life-changing event," Herrington-Gettys says. "It's hard to describe how rewarding it feels when you engage with someone who has completely lost all hope and all belongings, and then seeing that person transform into knowing he or she can rebuild their life. It's very emotional; these people will remember you forever because you gave them hope during the worst time of their lives. Volunteering is giving the single greatest gift you can give to another person -- our time -- whether it is one day or three days or a month."

Easy Online Planning

In these days of social media, planning a disaster relief trip can be a cinch. Before going to Alabama, White connected on Facebook with a sorority sister who lives in Birmingham. "I had not been in touch with her for 30 years, and yet she loaned us her house while she was away for the week and did some research for me," White says. In addition to making the personal connection with her old friend, White found out about local volunteer opportunities through another Facebook page, Toomer's for Tuscaloosa, a group started by Auburn graduates that "does phenomenal work on a daily basis," she says. "I began to see the [type] of work that was out there."

Wittig also used social media to plan her trip. "I went to Facebook and searched 'Minneapolis tornado,'" she says. "I wanted to find an organization that had its roots already planted in the neighborhood." She read through the comments and found two organizations that were local and had earned positive comments. She emailed one, God's Prayer Center, and asked if they could use her skills.

On the Ground

Natalie Scholberg, who helped organize a trip to Joplin for a group of volunteers from her church in Colleyville, Texas, says there were numerous tasks that needed to be done each day. "Each morning we had the choice to work at [a relief center] loading supplies and assisting residents with 'shopping' (all free) for groceries and household goods, or we could go out to assigned home sites," she says. "At the home sites, we shoveled rubble and debris and cleared tree branches."

In hard-hit Pratt City, Ala., White and her daughter visited people at their homes or on the street, sharing their concern and delivering a carload of items donated by their friends and church members in New York, including $500 worth of gift cards. "Our jaws dropped when we saw the area," White says. "We drove around and stopped and met people who were surveying their homes. They were grateful for our presence and for a small token of good wishes, sometimes a $40 gift card to Wal-Mart. Our work here was listening to stories. It was extremely moving for both of us."

In Minneapolis, Wittig packaged food, listened to victims' stories, and helped update the relief center's website and Facebook page. "Because I am a writer, I offered my expertise in writing web content, interviewing people for web postings and helping with getting the word out," she says.

Get Started

To plan your own trip, start by conducting research to find a nonprofit, church or other organization you can work with. "Going through a trusted volunteer organization is critical to the success of your volunteer experience," Herrington-Gettys says. "A trusted organization will not only have a great reputation nationally, but will be plugged into the community, having built a relationship of trust with officials, emergency personnel and residents. Most importantly, experienced volunteer organizations provide organized work projects, experienced volunteer management, tools and the resources volunteers need to maximize their time and to meet the needs of residents most efficiently."

And when you take the leap, get ready to be surprised. "Don't go in with your own expectations or plans," Wittig says. "Stand alongside the victims and follow their lead. Sometimes just showing up and offering emotional support is what is most appreciated."

Keep reading: 7 Ways to Aid Tornado Relief This Summer

SecondAct contributor Nancy Mann Jackson is a freelance writer based in Alabama.