When disaster comes, people living in the area are “taken care of” by a wide variety of coordinated agencies and NGOs.  Sent to areas where water, food, clothing, and shelter are made available until they are allowed to return to their home areas.

What’s missing?

Coordinating the vast amount of those local residents who would like nothing better than to do something.  As the disaster rolls from staunching the wound to the beginnings of cleanup, virtually every type of company involved in restoration will descend on that 90 mile stretch of wasteland.

Unfortunately they tend to bring their own people, many of whom travel to the afflicted area.  Maybe they should think about hiring the locals.
They are the ones who have the talent and desire to rebuild their lives, and their towns and cities.  They are the towns and cities.  But sometimes that fact gets lost in the top-down management in any disaster.

I’m just sayin.  From the “bejebus files”:

A group of us local contractors worked as volunteer construction superintendents on a project to rebuild/rehab our local homeless shelter – a very old home + detached apartment (converted garage).  As we struggled to put 22 eager college kids to work on a variety of tasks, we noted that none of the homeless were there.  Families had been moved to another shelter, singles told to come back after 5 pm., even though the detached section wasn’t going to be touched.

Couple of us had the temerity to ask the manager of the place whether she had asked the residents if they wanted to help.  No.  Asked if anyone had experience in construction/remodeling.  Don’t know.  (Anger rising).  Well, did they have any basic tools available, like rakes and shovels, couple hammers, screwdriver set, like that.  After all, they had a 10 x 18′ aluminum shed out back.  No.

So after the workday was over we asked.  Found three people who had worked as laborers, and one who was a professional (drywall).  Found that the families staying there wanted to help any way they could – food, cleaning, whatever – but hadn’t been asked.

At the end of that day, we asked for and got help from the residents for the next three days.  The three with experience actually took over the landscape/hardscape projects.  The drywaller ended up working for one of the board members (major repair project), as well as doing the work on the shelter.  The two families w/kids jumped in to help with meals, cleanup, and painting.  And we mad-dog contractors got together with our local lumber store owner who donated good quality basic tools.  

Anecdotal, but I think a common occurrence when the best intentions are out of square to the real need.

The people of the Gulf Coast are more than capable, and definitely willing to work to rebuild.  Any company looking to rebuild could do a lot worse than hire from a pool of highly motivated, skilled, and anxious people.  All they gotta do is ask.  

On second thought, maybe that should be required.

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