Hurricane Relief - What Would You Bring? 534
andyring asks: "In a few weeks, I will be going with a group from my church down to some of the hardest-hit areas in Louisiana and Mississippi to volunteer in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. We will be there six days, and have 10 people going so far. At this point, I don't know much more than we'll be in either Slidell, La. on the northeast shore of Lake Ponchartrain, or Pass Christian, Miss., right on the Gulf Coast near Gulfport/Biloxi. Not knowing what we'll be faced with, and having somewhat limited room for supplies, tools and equipment (probably a U-haul trailer), what would you bring on a journey such as this? Any Slashdot readers between Lincoln, Neb. and the New Orleans area interested in contributing to our effort, such as donations of equipment/supplies/tools/etc?"
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
what would you bring? (Score:5, Informative)
take a brick wall, baseball bat (Score:5, Informative)
You'll need a brick wall to bang your head and a baseball bat might help with federal officials. I volunteered, I rounded up some donated equipment for wireless ISPs who flocked to the area, and they totally got the run around from FEMA. A group of twenty five traveled to Kelly AFB on their own dime to lay in a phone system for evacuees and SBC had done the deed two days before they got there. FEMA coordination indeed!
If you're doing bricks & mortar stuff you'll probably get a lot further, but the technology relief stuff is just a joke - its going to be total pork barrel for the Haliburton sized companies of the world.
Good luck!
Boots not shoes. (Score:5, Informative)
Bring what you need to sustain yourself... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Hmmm (Score:5, Informative)
They do not require any batteries, picks up AM, FM, and Shortwave, designed to withstand "harsh conditions", and is powered by solar and/or wind-up. That and if you purchase one they automatically donate another to the Freeplay Foundation [freeplayfoundation.org] to help orphaned children in Africa.
Next step up would be to have a ham license so you could talk back. Although...in an emergency I'm not sure how strict the FCC would be if you didn't have one.
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:4, Informative)
Combat Boots. Sure you look like a goth poser, but I have personally spent several days in my jungle boots including showers, walks and drinking with no ill effects.
(dry your socks, but otherwise the boots never let me down)
Off the top of my head (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Another good website (Score:4, Informative)
Very clever using a katrina domain name. Good reminder to all of us to be cautious of donation sites. Just because the site says it is for Katrina does not mean it will be honored.
For those wondering what the troll is about, the link redirects to lemonparty.org. And for those who are lucky enough to not know what that is but curious, it is a site that contains a picture of three older guys performing homosexual acts on each other. NSFW and quite disgusting.
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:5, Informative)
As far as tools and things, here's the (non-definitive) list that I would reccommend:
-Shovels (1 per person, round point)
-Crow bars/wrecking bars
-Breaker bar (looks like a giant steel pole with a point or chisel on the end)
-Hammers (lots)
-Nails (several boxes each of 8 penny, 16 penny, 16 penny duplex)
-Good cordless tools with plenty of backup batteries (I'd reccommend at least 18 volt if you can get them, get enough batteries that you can charge at night)
-Generator if someone owns one already (very handy)
-Wheelbarrow or two
-Sawzall or equivalent tool of destruction (2 if you can get them)
-LOTS of good leather gloves (go for full leather, do not get fabric-backed or cotton jersey. They just won't stand up. You can get decent leather gloves here [yahoo.com] at $22/dozen)
-LARGE water cooler - I'd reccommend a good Rubbermaid or Igloo jobsite cooler with associated plastic/foam glasses
That's a good start for a list. If you want more advice drop me an email with SLASHDOT in the title at the email addy on my account. I've done quite a lot of this sort of work before. Wish I could come with you but I'm stuck here
Safety Supplies (Score:5, Informative)
Worksites are dangerous. I can only imagine the carnage if you set loose a bunch of weekend warrior office workers with power tools and hurricane-damaged buildings. Make sure you have someone experienced in the type of work to provide a full daily orientation, along with tool and worksite safety training, and supervision to ensure that you don't injure yourselves. You don't want to add to the problem by becoming a burden on local medical resources, rather than helping out as you had planned.
You need some idea of what you'll be doing before you can properly plan. Will you be clearing damage, and demolition? Then you'll want chainsaws, chop saws, wrecking bars, etc. Will you have electricity (generator or powerlines), or will you want to bring as many gasoline powered tools as possible. But most importantly, you need some people who know what they're doing. Plan your work. Prethink each task before starting it. Stop and think (Exxon safety slogan) during each task.
Re:Essentials (Score:3, Informative)
- Warmth / Shelter
- Clean water
- Signalling
- Food
Food last because you can survive for a long time without it. But the area is now past the point where basic survival is the problem, rebuilding infrastructure is another matter. What would you put first in a prioritised list of infrastructure? Personally I'd say sewerage then electrical power.Re:Hmmm (Score:3, Informative)
Mosquito repellant and sunscreen. Lotion. A hat/cap/visor. Sun glasses, if you are so inclined.
Gloves and boots. Goggles might be handy, depends on what sort of labor you plan on doing.
A journal and pen. Not a PDA and stylus, a real book and a pen. You may want to make notes for your memoirs and you don't know when you can get to batteries or ac power. A camera would be good too. take the cell phone camera just in case though.
Some trashy novels. You may have some boring down time.
Canteen/thermos. Depends on how used you are to heavy labor, if that is what you'll be doing.
Multi-Vitamins. Mega doses, just in case.
Satellite uplink phone with modem/ethernet attachment for the laptop so you can stay in touch with Slashdot. And the porn sites.
Single dollars for the stripper bars that are reopening in 'Nawlins. They were some of the first businesses to reopen. Life is getting back to normal
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:5, Informative)
Biggest problem you'd probably run into is enough time to break them in. It takes about a day or two of walking before they're really comfortable (Although non-broken in Red Wing shoes/boots seem to be at least as comfortable as a cheap pair of boots.)
Although I suppose the most important thing to have down there is a contact... someone who knows were help is needed, where to get supplies, knows somewhere you can stay, etc. Without knowing someone, you won't be able to actually get anything productive done, possible even just getting in the way. Red Cross, local churches, or government organizations may be the best place to look for contacts if you don't have any yet at this point.
Besides that, lots of fresh drinking water (for you and for people you are helping), non-perishable food, basic hand tool kit. Make sure to pack enough toiletries for yourself. A good reserve of hard cash for gas on the way, plus buying those things you forgot is also a must.
Our church list may help... (Score:5, Informative)
rice, soy sauce, ramen noodles/soup packs, pre-sweetened drink mix (Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, Gatorade, etc.), shovels, rakes, and hoes.
I was down there helping my brother and family, and here's some things I would suggest:
Those are the things I used the most often when I was down there. Most of all, don't approach the coast with a feeling of dread. Unlike what the media has portrayed and focused upon in a few areas in New Orleans, the attitudes of the people there are upbeat and industrious, if a little haggard. The physical destruction is as bad or worse than portrayed on TV, but the "people" situation is much more positive. Mississippi Coast'ians (I'm one of them) are survivors.
BTW, thanks for the help on behalf of those directly affected (I live several hundred miles inland and so wasn't affected). FEMA is doing a fantastic job, but the job is so large that churches and other volunteer groups are needed to fill in the gaps. For instance, my grandmother had an Indiana church group clean out several pecan trees that were down in her front yard last week. We couldn't find an available crew to hire for it, and they just showed up out of the blue and did it for her! It really makes a difference.
BTW, parts of Slidell should have power now, and I know Picayune has full power (15 mins. from Slidell on the MS border). If you need accomodations, check with First Baptist of Picayune, and they may be helpful. I noticed from their website that Beatrice in Nebraska is the adopted "sister city" of Picayune for the disaster, so you may can use resources from both those cities if you need it. Beatrice Link [ne.gov]
You're not only doing God's work, but that of a fine American. Thanks.
The only thing you need...Portable Athiest. (Score:1, Informative)
Leave it to an athiest to think that the bibles they bring aren't for their use. You bring technical books, and science fiction to read on a trip. They bring their bibles, and other religious material to read on theirs.
"It's very typical of christians to seek out folks who're really suffering, and offer them help in a veiled attempt to bring them "into the flock". Not saying that's you, just making a general observation."
And it's *typical* of slashdotters to make uninformed and ignorant comments. Not saying that's you, just making a *general* observation.
Tips from an old soldier (Score:3, Informative)
-A stout bag that you can carry on your back
-2 1quart canteens and 1 2quart canteen plus water purification tablets
-One set of outer clothes (Definately long pants and a light long sleeve shirt). Army style clothing is really the most usefull. It has been perfected over the years.
Army style jungle boots. They have holes to let the water drain out. I wouldn't use goretex boots. They keep your feet to hot and keep the water in.
-One set of underclothes for each day. Lots of wool socks. Cotton is worthless when wet.
-A mosquito net and lots of 100% deet insect repellant. The mosquitoes are really bad. Also bring some hydrocortizone cream.
-one full days worth of food
-Ear plugs for sleeping next to generators.
-Notebook and several pens/pencils
I'm sure there's other stuff I left off, but this is a meager start at least. Louisianna this time of year is still pretty hot. Sleeping outside sucks. The mosquitoes are bad. It stinks because everything is so warm and moist. It would be a horrible place to live if it weren't for the people. They are very genuine and kind and really rather pleasant to be around.
My List (Score:3, Informative)
We spent most of our time cutting up fallen trees. We pretty much destroyed every "homeowner" chainsaw in a few hours. Don't even bother bringing those. The only ones that made it were commercial Stihl ones. The same with any handsaws, axes, etc. It's just too hot to do that sort of physical work. There was a huge amount of work and we could have used almost one chainsaw per person.
On the other hand, if you're going to have people inexperienced with chainsaws, bring some trauma dessings. Dead serious. I saw a lot of very close calls and chainsaws are a huge cause of post-storm injuries. Spend some time up-front and really go over chainsaw safety and technique. A lot of the close calls came because of someone getting a saw stuck and doing crazy things to try to free it.
What we learned was to focus on just cutting trees that could make a difference. Don't burn out clearing all the debris out of a few yards. There'll be time for that later. Just clear their driveway, electrical feed, any trees right next to the house, anything on a car or building, etc. I was amazed that one and two weeks later there were still people with their car trapped under or behind a fallen tree.
We also used plastic sheeting and roofing nails to do temporary roofing repairs. Ladders, hammers, etc. If you can get plywood, tar paper, etc., you could do more permanent work, but you'll run into problems as unlicense contractors.
We brought a lot of water to hand out, but there were very few takers. Everywhere we went had plenty of water. Everyone could have used more ice and coolers (even the cheap styrofoam disposables). Anything you can bring to occupy children will be welcome. The church we base-camped at had sort of a hurricane relief festival going on all weekend. Food vendors (free), donated clothing and supplies, children games, chainsaw sharpening and repair (free), etc. It was very well received.
Sleeping in a hurricane zone is rough. No way around it. A generator and an oscillating fan help a lot. Any sort of shower system would help.
A thing that was in short supply was reliable information. Find out where the local resources are and spread the word.
You need to make sure that your volunteers are insured. Any real volunteer organization will carry workman's comp for their volunteers. If you're going with Southern Baptist, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Salvation Army, etc. make sure you're covered.
Re:Everything you will need for 12 days, plus (Score:2, Informative)
Hurricane Supplies (Score:2, Informative)
The areas that can not take power are so destroyed that all that really needs to be done is to have the debris cleaned up from the lot. you might even have to help tear the entire house down.
If you do come here to help, bring enough materials, raw goods, supplies to sustain YOURSELF, As if you don't then you'll be a strain on the little (if any) resources available locally.
Bring heavy steel-toed shoes, work gloves, latex/rubber gloves, dust masks (it is stinky and mold spores are abundant), basic first aid supplies, gel hand-sanitizer, baby wipes (few hotels are available, so bathing will have to be done with baby wipes - it's gross, but you get used to it), water for drinking (it is still very hot, in the 90's with high humidity), gatorade, soft drinks (our safety & health advisors recommend 1 soda, 1 gatorade/sports-drink, and 4 waters in the time between meals), non-perishable food items (canned cheese!!!, granola bars, protein drinks (that don't require refrigeration), crackers, cookies - remember, you're trying to keep enough calories in you to keep going - no "heavy" meals every day, whatever you can bring to eat that will not spoil, and enough gas to get you "out of the zone" and back on your way home.
You might also want to consider a tent, sleeping bag, etc... Whatever you'd normally take camping.
Don't forget sunblock & bugspray (with DEET). The gulf coast area is very sunny and hot during the day and very buggy at night.
Tools you'll need to bring - electric saws (circular and reciprocating), chain saws, shop vac's, TRASH BAGS, shovels, an axe, whatever else you want.
Trust me, if you come ready to work (which is what most people still need is just somebody to HELP THEM) somebody, somewhere, will tell you what to do.
If you really can't find work, let me know as 4 out of 7 of my family members have houses that are severely destroyed. I'll find something for you to do.
GET A TETANUS SHOT (Score:4, Informative)
Not jungle boots (Score:4, Informative)
Also, jungle boots won't provide much protection from debris. You need the steel shank and toe cap mentioned in other posts. Dropping stuff on your feet is a MUCH bigger risk than wet feet. You're not going to be stuck wearing these boots for days on end, so forget about trench foot. You'll be able to take them off at night, dry your feet - take talcum/baby powder along, for precisely this purpose - and pack wet boots with newspaper overnight. Helps them retain shape, and absorbs a shitload of moisture.
As well as good boots, and you'll want to ensure that they're well broken-in, strong gloves. The advice given about full leather gloves is good. If you can find out what your local fire department use for cutting people out of car wrecks, you won't go far wrong.
Ensure that every person always has on them a pair of latex or nitrile (nitrile are tougher) gloves, a few plasters, and a medium-size sterile dressing. This will provide your immediate-care supplies in the event of an injury. A big first aid kit should always be handy, but if you're 10 minutes away on the return trip you want to be able to apply pressure to a big wound. Plasters are good for covering blisters, too, until you can deal with them properly.
Also, take a "personal line". That's about three-to-five metres of light rope, which you can use for tying things up, or off, or for lashing boards together to make it easier to drag a bundle of them. A carabiner is nice to have, too.
Lastly, take cargo pants, or better yet army surplus combat pants. They're designed to take punishment (usually they have double layers on the knees, for example), and they have big pockets. Pockets are good. Hard-shell kneepads could also be highly beneficial. If you're kneeling on rubble, you only want to be doing it for a couple of minutes on any given day. After that you'll be crying out for knee pads. The soft ones worn by tilers tear easily, so something like skaters wear is better.
Donating can by trying too... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:don't go (Score:2, Informative)
I myself am from BOTH areas. Having a weekend home in Pass Christian (waveland, MS) , which is around Bay St. Louis, and most of my extended family being from the Northshore area Covington/Mandeville/Slidell, I can tell you from a WELL informed standpoint (screw CNN) that things are NOWHERE near as grim as they used to be. And the best way to help:
bring gloves, a shovel, a dump truck and lots of water. There's shit to be picked up EVERYWHERE.
Telling people to not help used to be a decent response. NOT ANYMORE. You have a chance to make a difference and play a part. You can do it now. I'm posting from Chicago because i had to abandon my law school in New Orleans. I WILL be back in January, and it's going to take help of others across the country to make my home a habitable place again. Thank you and your church for their offer of aid. I've been a volunteer for 9 years now, the hardest part is asking for help when you're used to giving it. We need it there.
What to bring ... (Score:5, Informative)
1. You want it, you carry it. Assume there is nothing available. That means stock up on asthma medicine, painkillers, contact lenses, whatever it is that YOU need. This is before you worry about what to bring to others.
2. Footgear: Ideally you should be wearing sturdy waterproof footgear, boots if possible. Sneakers are a no-no. You can easily twist an ankle stepping over debris, and a nail will pierce thru your sneaker soles as if it is not even there. Plus you don't want to get your feet wet in that kind of environment. Carry extra socks and foot powder too.
3. You can't carry too many batteries or too many ziploc bags.
4. Carry some wet wipes, these are very handy and can be used for many things. Get a couple packs with something like aloe vera and a couple with clorox, lysol, etc.
5. Flood areas, especially in the south, have terrible mosquito control issues. Repellent sucks but still beats the alternative.
6. Unless you have solid housing arrangements, that is, unless you know you are sleeping at an air conditioned room, find a mosquito net. Sure, it will be hot as hell, but I would rather be hot and without bug bites.
7. Fluids! Unless specifically arranged for, you have to assume there is no drinking water available. When Hurricane Hugo struck Puerto Rico in 1989 I had to drink warm coke for about 5 days. We had plenty of stuff to drink, but we were told to not trust water, period.
In my case the worst was the lack of electricity and potable water. Our house was hurricane-proof, so if it flooded all we had to do was hose down the walls (cement) and floors (marble), repaint and replace furniture and appliances. That means that once the flooding receded we could go back to clean the house and make it habitable again instead of having to stay at a shelter and risk getting sick.
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Hmmm (Score:5, Informative)
This is in response to your comment but largely addressed to the submitter -- maotx, please don't take the "you" personally in all of this. :)
It's my feeling that every geek should get their ham license. It costs $14 and it's good for 10 years. The study guide for the technician license is published by the arrl [arrl.org] and it's called "Now You're Talking". Given that most geeks already know ohms law and how to handle simple wavelengthfrequency conversions you've almost passed right there. Beyond that there's a lot of really obvious stuff ("Why should you wear a hardhat and safety glasses when helping someone work on a tower?" "Er. To protect my eyes and my head..." ). The exam is given in a multiple choice format -- any answer which includes the phrase "control operator" is correct.
Even if you know jack-shit about radio you'll come close to passing just by picking the "correct-looking" answer off the test. SAT style guesswork. Large portions of the exam can easily be gamed: they publish all of the questions, right answers, and wrong answers which will appear on your exam. The hardest part (unless you're really good at rote memorization) is probably memorizing the beginning and end frequencies of each of the bands. This is easy to game because of all of the answers which will appear on your exam only one of them will have the correct width for the band. AA9PW [aa9pw.com] has practice exams on his website. Try it and you'll be amazed at how close you are to passing right now. A single night of study will bring you up to a passing mark.
Don't try and skip on the exam and operate without a license. If you're seriously putting together a convoy to go into the area you can easily get a licensed operator to come in with you and handle any radio contacts on your group's behalf. If you don't know a ham then look up a local club on the ARRL -- or call a local fire department or hospital and ask for the contact information for the local ARES/RACES group. Odds are one of them would love to go down with you -- and will be an extra set of hands. The HAM you get to go with you will probably have a lot better emergency equipment than your group will -- and will have already spent a lot of time drilling for emergencies.
73 DE KE7EWX
Additional Things you might need (Score:5, Informative)
You haven't clarified what exactly you'll be tasked to do (rebuilding/helping the refugees, cleanups etc.) Still, I'll chip in with a few more suggestion, keeping in mind all you have is a trailer.
- Blankets: handy for a lot of things.
- Plastic Tarulins (and a roll of the heavy duty plastic sheets)
- Some ropes (the synthetic tie down ropes get a couple of rolls, and some hauling ropes (sythetic or natural fibre ones)
- Lots of (gaffa? or duct tape) very handy.
- Brooms and rakes.
- Spare boots and socks (unless you can obtain them locally)
- A ladder, I would recommend a Folding ladder: can be made into a step ladder or a long one.
- Drinking water containers (and water if you can, minimum 4 litres per person per day since you'll be "working" in a hot/humid place)
If you restrict the trailer to only equipment, you'll have a decent amount of essential tools/supplies for tasks in disaster areas. I'm assuming for a group of 10, you'll be going in a convoy or at least a bus. Keep personal gear in your cars and spare the trailer for equipment and tools.
One piece of advice I'd give you though. Working in disaster areas is not easy, especially when you are dealing with people who have lost a lot. Although it is easy to "say it", try not to get overwhelmed by the scale of things. Concentrate on your immediate tasks, and forget everything else while doing it. Also, it may not come naturally, you should appoint a "team leader" if you don't already have one. Makes running jobs much more smooth.
Good luck,
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:2, Informative)
from a rural perspective, this is called a BOB (Score:3, Informative)
Anyway, from a suburban or rural perspective, in the survival/preparedness community we call this "move on a moments notice" a BOB, or "Bug out Bag", or the portable reality backpack to be descriptive.. It has to be made individual, a everyones needs are different, and your geography and local climate conditions (winter/summer, etc) vary.
I prioritize in this sequence, based on human need, as opposed to luxuries: water-food-shelter-security
water-you NEED water, both stored and a very good filtration system. I see one poster mentioned katadyn already, they are good, and there are others on the market, online or the better camping stores
food-the best quality that is portable is the higher end mountain climbing food, you get the most calories and nutrition for the weight, but it's expensive. Cheaper, as mentioned, granola bars, raisins, nuts, chocolates, beef jerky, etc, whatever floats your taste buds and is light, requires no preparations to eat, and will give you some energy and protein for working. MREs are "OK" as far as they go, I personally don't like them (ate up all mine already, no desire to replace them) but they are functional and store a long time. I'd rather eat a can of sardines and some granola.
shelter-your first area of shelter is your clothing, so you have to pack what is critical, good quality socks, gloves, heavy pants and shirts, coat or jacket, etc. After that, any of the huge variety of lightweight tents (a tent with a weather fly is the best), and a lightweight but comfy sleeping bag
security-big variable, but critical. In an emergency situation you will be 'on your own", so really think about that. You will need to be able to defend yourself, possibly hunt for food. You'll need tools for these purposes, and YMMV what you might be comfortable with in that regard. You WILL need some good knives, as in multiple. You just will. One multi blade with gadgets, one sturdy belt knife, and another backup lock blade folder should work.
After that it's really "salt to taste". I have small medkits, radios, flashlights, sewing supplies, etc in my bags. Socks. did I mention extra socks? Your feet are critical because that's your ride, take care of your feet. Put in some soap and other hygien action, and don't neglect that, blisters will form and you don't want infections, so stay clean as possible.
I live rural and am very rural oriented so I have things others might not, like snares and small traps, lightweight fishing tackle, lightweight cooking supplies, etc. This is a serious long time interest of mine since i wa a teen and we got wiped out by a blizzard and national guard helos dropped food down to our 'hood. made an impresion on me how fast it can go from civilization to "you're on your own, Sparky!" so it's evolved for me over the years. I have done several eXtreme duration backwoods treks and done the grizzly zogger routine for months at a time in all weathers. Kinda fun really once you get in the groove. Personally I have found one of the more useful tools is just a medium weight axe, just amazing what you can do with one. If you twisted my arm and said "one tool only" that's what I would grab. Second most useful is a bic lighter. Ya, you can do any number of boy sprout schemes to build fire, but you can't beat a one dollar bic. Does wonders for the old morale to have some hot rabbit or trout instead of cold bugs and raw minnows when the stress level is at the "OMG" level. Real nice to stretch out in front of a small cozy fire instead of shivering in the mist. And don't forget some salt and pepper packs! Get extra when you score fastfood and slip them into a ziplock. (B
Re:Essentials (Score:2, Informative)
I would add:
Co-ordinate with a local group/Church or other organization. You do not want to trespass while trying to help.
You are there to help them, offer to do what they need done, not what you want to do. Remeber that you are a guest, literally in their home.
Bring a little Gaorade, but mostly water. Lots of water. Consider 'allocating' water to each person so it is easy to see if someone is not drinking enough.
Pack all supplies in good plastic tubs. Keeps things dry in unexpected afternoon showers and makes them easier to pack.
Sun screen (SPF30 or more). Use often. Repeat.
Insect repellant (Deep Woods, waterproof is good). Use often. Repeat.
A good 1st aid kit. Extra gauze for pressure bandages. Treat even minor injuries promptly!
Imodium (or equivolent).
Rope. Cheap rope for bundling or securing things in the wind and some good stuff to hold trees/structures as they are cut or torn down. Also handy for passing tools up and down ladders.
Canteen on belt or camel back. It is very nice not to need to remember where your cup of water is, or which cup is yours. Drinking water must be convenient.
Some head cover. Large with large brim is good.
Personal LED Flashlights. One large 6v lantern battery type flashlight for group/rally point or emergency. They can be seen for miles.
1 or 2 pints of alcohol. Disinfects and can help if someone gets too much heat.
Personal rolls of toilet paper (don't weigh much, if they are needed there is no substitute).
Waterless soap (with and without anti-bacteria). Wash before eating anything.
Alcohol towlettes, easy to carry, dozens of uses. Cold, but for wiping your face.
Pain killer of your choice, best to have some in fanny pack. Clean hands before use.
Camp stove(s) and fuel. I prefer the propane fuel. (Hot coffee can make a world of difference that 2nd morning).
Hand can opener.
Some small personal treat (special food or snack). Great after a hard day on the ride back to hotel/washup location.
Leave all but 1 set of ID and 1 credit card home (no purse, wallet or keys). You won't need them. Cell coverage is spotty and should be reserved for local/emergency use.
Fanny pack or small back pack for personal hygene/comfort items.
If you will be in standing water, consider wearing only clothes you will throw away (all of them). No safe way to disinfect them (remember your children).
Lawn Chairs (put these in some shade or first thing build some shade).
Gloves. I am fond of the 'fingerless' gloves. Good combination of feeling and protection.
Generic hand tools, pliers, wire cutter, screwdriver, etc. May be needed to repair/maintain other tools.
If you will be there several days yo may need saw sharpening tools/knowlege.
Someone needs to keep any eye on each and every person to prevent problems from the heat/humidity. People who have lived here in Texas all of their lives are dying with no AC. Right in their own homes. Summer here is deadly. Period.
Don't feel bad about getting an early start, arrive on site just at sun up, knocking off around 1 or 2 pm for a late lunch/water/strategy session, and starting again after 4. Don't let anyone make fun of anyone who takes a break because they do not feel well.
Watch out for Fire Ants. Aptly named. You can get hundreds of bites in seconds. They like to live in the ground and in mounds (of dirt or dirt/rubble) several feet above the surface. During the flood they may have moved into hollow trees or structures many feet above ground. I have had good luck with immediately rubbing the bites down with Alcohol, but they still hurt.
If you will have electrical power, nothing I know of beats a reciprocating saw for cutting just about anything. It will cut wood, trees, nails, steel, plastic, aluminum with just a change of blade. Just ot be safe, us the blades for wood with nails, cuts slower but will not break if you hit a nail. Chainsaws are powerful, but if you have no experience, they are dang
The *real* outrage (Score:1, Informative)
Want proof? We got proof.
Search for the word "harassment" in these articles:
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3004197 [sltrib.com]
http://www.gazetteextra.com/katrina_rundle092905.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE
Just google Katrina "sexual harassment" in their news section.
And note: this wasn't some errant agency violating its mandate. This is the liberal, socialist mindset at work, which values "diversity" over, you know, what real people actually want. Want a good doctor? Fuck that. You get a diverse doctor. Want good teachers, police, firefighters, lifeguards, etc.? Fuck no. You get the shitty ones, 'cause we got quotas to meet.
Anyone who has ever asked for sensitivity training can easily find the person responsible for this murderous loss of common sense. It's called a mirror.
Altama mil spec jungle boots w/ steel shim. (Score:3, Informative)
I wear a pair of these when I'm working around nails and debris and whatnot, stepping on nails or sharp pieced of wood is no fun. They've got a steel shim, and it seems to work well though they're relatively stiff. I've stepped on a few nails with them, with no event, thankfully. They also ventilate well enough, which is always nice.
Like you say, it would be a very good idea to look through some of the safety shoe places too. Good footwear might be expensive, but it's worth every penny. Also, in case you're not used to boots, break them in slowly before you've really got to hoof it. Walk around with them at least a few miles a couple days before you get serious, your feet will thank you.
Letter from New Orleans (Score:1, Informative)
Watch out, though. They're probably liberals.
-quote-
The New Orleans Police Department is especially hostile and has been working with Homeland Security and Blackwater (privately contracted armed forces -- basically, official vigilantes) to monitor us and other grassroots relief efforts instead of helping residents recover. There are reports that the the State Health Department is attempting to shut down our medical clinic, despite the fact that we have assisted over 100 people every day, more than any of the Red Cross clinics in the area combined. And speaking of the Red Cross: if you donated to them, you may want to know that they did not reach this area until 3 days ago, and left for Rita just a day after arriving. The Red Cross has also forcefully apprehended urgent medical supplies from our relief network in downtown New Orleans. FEMA is AWOL.
On another level, the Bush administration, EPA, and major media companies have successfully suppressed environmental assessment efforts in southeastern Louisiana, where it is believed an oil spill half the size of the Exxon Valdez spill has emerged. Greenpeace has only been able to document the toxic pollution there by posing as media. We have had two independent assessors with us that have gone to great risk to collect water samples and get them processed, but the results will not be available for weeks.
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:3, Informative)
Basic survival gear list (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Additional Things you might need (Score:5, Informative)
I learned several things while I was there. It is hot, and the work is hard. You simply can't drink enough water. By the end of the day, we would be sucking down a quart of water every 15 minutes, and didn't stop until a couple of hours after the "work day" was over. Keep this in mind.
The Gulf Coast region, with the exception of New Orleans, is in pretty good shape as far as public services are concerned. We were a half mile from the ocean, and were working in a sound building with power and water. I actually didn't make it into the building very often, mostly working in the yard unloading trucks or moving supplies.
Just about everything that was actually on the coast was destroyed. Those houses that were not completely devistated were damaged severely and will need massive reconstruction efforts. The houses just a little distance away from the coast, a quarter to a half of a mile or more, were not destroyed, but still suffered some sort of damage. The wind did some damage to roofs, knocked down trees, fences, etc, but the biggest problem was still water damamge.
Several of my crew left the distribution center one day to help an elderly gentleman "muck out" his house. He was 80 years old, mostly blind (he had 15% vision) and was trying to clean up/repair his home by himself with no tools and no power. He'd sent his wife away because the house wasn't safe to be in.
The houses have water damage. This means that everything that was under 5 feet off the ground was soaked in water, and is now molding and rotting. It has to be torn out and carried to the street for the trash crews to pick up. Furnature, clothing, electronics, bedding, linens, pillows, appliences, TV's,... you name it, it's ruined.
The biggest job is just removing the trash. Once it's gone, the house has to be cleaned with bleach or some other mold inhibitor. Dishwashing gloves come in handy. Once cleaned, it can be rebuilt, and that is a fairly straightforward construction job. Any damaged framing must be replaced, drywall goes up, flooring goes down, trim and moulding goes in.
There is also "yard work" that needs to be done. Some homes have already fixed this problem. They look like nothing has happened. It has been several weeks, so if their house was not too badly damaged, they had time to fix the yard up. Others look like a war zone. There is debris of every imaginable kind there. I could show you some pictures. I found a microwave oven with a crab living in it, next to a torn street sign. 10 feet over, there was a Grand Piano laying upside down.
There are crews that move through the streets with large grapplers and trucks to haul away the debris. They take it to a central point where it's piled up. The piles are HUGE. While I was there, I ate meals along side crews that did nothing but cut up downed limbs with chainsaws. Other crews then moved the cut wood to the street. It's a massive effort.
That they need most is people willing to go and work, and not be picky about the job that needs to be done. I am not a manual labor kind of guy. I'm a computer geek and work in Infrastructure Problem Management, which means that I sit at a desk all day and talk on the phone for a living. Still, the job that they needed at the time involved moving large numbers of heavy boxes. That's what I did.
When you go to help, just do the job that needs doing. Don't worry too much about having everything that you need with you. There are TONS of supplies there. They may not be easy to find, but they are there. People have been shipping tools and supplies to the Gulf Coast area for weeks. What we need are PEOPLE getting involved.
David
Re:Habitat homes (Score:2, Informative)
Wood cluestick (Score:1, Informative)
Take some freak'in ear muffs. If you're anywhere near generators and equipment, they'll be like gold.
Hugo lessons (Score:2, Informative)
- Chainsaws (for obvious reasons)
- Gloves, ear plugs, safety glasses,
- Stump pulling chain
- Tire patch kits, nail puller, pump (there were roofing nails everywhere and numerous flats)
- Tylenol
- Simple toys for young kids (like Barbie dolls and little plastic farm animals)
- Books and CDs/CD players for older kids
Fortunately, we didn't have to deal with the flooding, homelessness and despair that you will surely face...so my experience may not be that helpful. Good luck. My prayers are with you.Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:2, Informative)
Just got my license (Score:3, Informative)
I'm licensed Technician, but I passed all the written exams up through Amateur Extra. I studied pretty hard for the Technician exam, and I must admit that the practice exams over at eHam.net [eham.net] were a great help. I went to the exam session intending only to take the Technican test. I got 100% on the test, so the VEs (Volunteer Examiners) convinced me to take the General test. There's no cost, and they said "it's more of the same kind of question. You'll need to guess a bit on certain ones, but given your score on the Technician exam, you'll probably pass." So what do I have to lose? I took the test, and missed three questions. Repeat the same scenario for the Amateur Extra test. On that, I missed 13 questions, which is barely passing. But in the spirit of pass/fail college couses, D-minus is passing, so I'll take it. (Incidentally, taking the Amateur Extra exam motivated me to go back and review the question pool to see what questions I answered incorrectly and why, so it actually got me to go study some more after the fact.) My credit for the written exams lasts for 365 days, so somewhere in that period I need to learn Morse [g4fon.net] to get upgraded to full privileges.
So I agree with the Parent's statement that you should go out and get your Technician license. It's not complicated, and you should draw confidence from the fact that your survival skills are enhanced a bit. No matter how badly the power or telepone infrastructure is damaged, radio propagation still works.