Joplin, A Quick Story...

chefdennis · May 29, 2011

Ok it will probably be longer then quick, but here goes...

The destruction here is like nothing i have ever seen..yea i have seen tornado's and their damage..as a kid i lived on the edge of the path of the Palm Sunday Tornado in Toledo.
1965: Palm Sunday Tornadoes

And later as an adult seen friends homes destroied by another in the early 70's in toledo...I have never seen anything like this..

Anyhow..I has dinner to night with a guy that is one of the Commanders of a sereach and recovery team of 80 men and 40 dogs from LA..he has 40 of his men he and not sure how many dogs..nice guy..in his late 40s, has been all over the world with his team..he is under the auspices of FEMA while here and when they go anywhere outside southern CA...They have been here since last monday, they brought 74,000 lbs of equipment with them so that they could do their jobs...the numbers he talked about of those they recovered alive and the victims they are now finding doesn't make any difference..but it is staggering...while he talked (and he has been a fireman, emt, and paramedic for over 40 yrs and commander for over 10) you could see that he has barriers to what he lets in, but you can still see and hear in his voice pain and then a adeinalin rush...listening to him and watching his facial expressions, you can see that this is bad..not as bad a 9/11 or katrina (both of which he and his team were at) but still bad...he descripted the main area of damage as a 3/4 wide mile long "skid mark"....he said you can judge the anount of damage to an area by the damage to OLD trees...those trees here are striped bare..the whole residenual area will have to be bulldozed and pushed away before anything can be rebuilt...I can't get into the residenual areas, they won't let you unless you have a reason, and that is good..i do have some pictures along I-71-b of the business district that i drove through..its bad...

This man was talked about things that we don't hear about, then he talked about finding a CAT today..he said it was in an attic and it was as scared as any person would be...he got it out, turned it over to the animal control people, but not before he feed it part of a sandwich he had....

I asked him how long he and his team would be her...his answer was pretty stark...he said their primary job is to find people alive and once that is pretty much over they leave..today they recovered 4 victims...they are leaving monday...

Now he and his team are not the only sereach and recovery team here, he made that clear, not wanting to give the impression he and his team were special...his feeling was his team and him are just like you and me , they are just doing a job and nothing more....Thank God for people Like Commander Jim and his Team for Orange County CA...Thank You Commander Jim and you Team of Professionals...

Me and my truck, hopefully will find something to do and a way to be of service Sunday and Monday..

One other thing, Take the time to give thanks for what you have, no matter what it is, some more then others, Thank your God or Higher Power..I know these people will recover over time, but for the life of me, i really have no idea how..and i know i would never want to be in a place myself to have to figure it out....

dieseldiva · May 29, 2011

Thank you for that report, Chef. Please keep us posted on what you're able to do and of course, about the people you meet along the way.

chefdennis · May 29, 2011

Diva, 1st thank you for the facebook link for what was originally going to be a "counter protest" to face off with the WBC group...well the organizers turned it into a "Peace Rally' and it was something to see...there were literally thousands of people lining Range Line Rd going for a mile and then around the corner and down to the local college...hundreds of motorcycle riders and pickup trucks full of guys that those from WBC just didn't want to confront...BUT..no one that i encountered was interested in even discussing those from the wack job chruch..they were all there to show their sopport for the town and people of Joplin...

I found the organizers real early in the morning and I was the drop point for food, water, cloths, hyigene products and dog/cat food...we mad 3 runs in all 2 loads that covered 10 ft x3 ft of my load floor and 1 that covered 8ft by 3 ft...delivering that stuff to distribution centers..

The last load went to VFW Post 534...great people helping the city...I met the commander of the post and several of the people behind the curtains that were doing the intake and stocking and distribution of all the stuff coming in...They have my phone # and will be calling me since my truck was the biggest they have had come in, most are PU trucks...the TT's are going to the bigger organizations...so i look to be doing something again tomorrow...Oh and they fed me real good also..

here is a few more pictures of the rally, and other stuff:

scottm4211 · May 29, 2011

Dennis how did you and your truck get put to work? Did someone just decide to make use of your truck? Nice job.

chefdennis · May 29, 2011

Scott, DieselDiva posted that facebook link in the westboro thread in the soapbox...well after I read that, thats when i decided to come down here and help if I could..thats storys up already...but know where they were meeting and figuring they would be there early to get things going, I just showed up and offered my old broken down body and the truck..and we went from there...

One thing i will say is that Greg is right...if you want to do something like this, try and make arrangements before you get into town...this place is over flowing with people from all over offering help and helping...but in alot of instances, the powers that be, have no plan for people that just walk up...I talked to 4 guys that drove in from tulsa to cut trees, they were turned away....yes they finally found work ( i mean there are trees down everywhere) but you canjust walk up and start cutting...you don't know what has been cleared by sreach and recovery...they don't want you in places wgere they haven't already been and made sure there was no one buried....thats just one thing and there are all kinds of things that need to be taken into consderation...so yea it is beat to try and at least make a connection befor arriving and let them know your you have to offer, get a name and a place to showup...then chances are you will be put to work...beyond that..I can tell you that being told "we don't need you" is like a kick in the teeth....you can see that the people need help, but you are helpless to help until things get worked out...I came out ok on that end after a slow start, and the VFW and a few other organizations have my name and contact info and they know i will be here all day and night on monday...so we will see what that briings...

But yea, take gregs advise...try and make connection before you arrive at a disaster with the thought of helping....NOW, that being said, if you are delivering supplys into an area, chances are they will put you to work asap if you are open to that....

One other thing....these people that I have come in contact with that live here, have been sooo gracious...while they appreciate what you are doing, they can't stop thanking you, personally i felt honored to help, but they wouldn't have any of that...i have feed, offered more drinks and food then i could possibly consume and these people need this stuff....but they are sharing with those that have come to help....

And the kids....the "goth kids', those with the green and purple hair...joplin as a pretty sizeable "alternative" society it looks like...but those kids were everywhere helping.....as were alot of other kids....from track teams to church groups to the highschool sports teams, they are all pitching in to help...and college kids from out of town.....

You know i am the 1st to biotch about entitlement programs ( iam not going political here) and yes these people will get gov assistance and they should, but when you look around at ths place and the people helping people...thats how it was back in the day before the government figured they could do it better and started "fixing things"....we live in the most charitable country in the world, we step up to help others at a moments notice....thats how is should be and for that WE are blessed....its just too bad that everyoe doesn't see the need daily and help their neighbor all the time instead of in these kind of situations...if we did, the we could tell the gov to leave their hands off..WE will take care of it and WE will be fine.....but that is another story...

And to those of you tat are offering to help Maniac in this thread:

http://www.expeditersonline.com/for...rum/48011-tornado-relief-logistical-help.html

My hat is off to you.....

chefdennis · May 30, 2011

Ok, I made a few calls this morning after not hearing anything...seems it has slowed today with the holiday and they expect it to get back to normal in the morning...not sure what normal is, but i was thanked for my help and made to feel that they have the situation in hand for a while...

So i am heading to the east towards the Dexter MO area figuring i should be in a better area to get a load tomorrow...

A few thoughts, yeap greg is right, if you have the idea to do something like this, make a few connections before hand

People in need are real genuine and thankful beyond what you would think

People that face really hard challenges for the most part don't just throw it in, they move forward and help each other

We are a great country full of people willing to travel great distances to help others

It is easy to look passed what we each have and not consider the Blessings we have

The human spirit is not just about self.....

I know for the most part none of the people I had contact with will see these post here, but Thanks you all for your kindness, willingness to help and your sense of life to move forward even to the point of telling people that offer to help, "we will be fine" when it is obvious that help is what you need....but you are busy helping others...God Bless all of You...

paullud · May 30, 2011

chefdennis said:
You know i am the 1st to biotch about entitlement programs ( iam not going political here) and yes these people will get gov assistance and they should, but when you look around at ths place and the people helping people...thats how it was back in the day before the government figured they could do it better and started "fixing things"...

The attitude of the victims makes the biggest difference. I refused to send money to Katrina charities because of their attitude of sitting back begging for others to save them and to top it off they stole 3/4 of a billion dollars from taxpayers with fraudulent claims. I would enjoy helping the people of Joplin, or the people of Cedar Rapids and Nashville after their disasters. When you are willing to help yourself the best that you can and fall back on emergency assistance from the government only when you need it you are going to be better off.

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scottm4211 · May 30, 2011

Katrina was different. The people there were treated worse than animals for the most part. It looks like the response has changed for the better after these storms hit.

xiggi · May 30, 2011

The destruction in the pics is amazing. The trees shown do not have one branch left on them.

paullud · May 30, 2011

scottm4211 said:
Katrina was different. The people there were treated worse than animals for the most part. It looks like the response has changed for the better after these storms hit.

I respectfully disagree, they ACTED worse than animals and it caused people to decide not to send money or want to help them as much.

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Turtle · May 30, 2011

paullud said:
I respectfully disagree, they ACTED worse than animals and it caused people to decide not to send money or want to help them as much.

Wow. Those people were ignored for days before they even had a chance to ACT like anything. When help did arrive, it was an incompetent afterthought. New Orleans was left on their own, but they had no resources to do anything. The police and fire were just as devastated as everyone else in that town. FEMA was in charge, but they had no command and control whatsoever. Three days after Katrina, FEMA had hundreds of firefighter volunteers lined up for search and rescue, but instead of sending them to New Orleans, they sent them to Atlanta for two days of training in important subjects as the History of FEMA and Sexual Harassment. Meanwhile, people in New Orleans are drying, literally, of thirst, because of a total lack of food, water and sanitation. They were, by any criteria you choose to apply, treated like animals, except animals are usually treated better than that. What happened after Katrina is a national embarrassment. We can send massive aid and personnel to help out with a tsunami or an earthquake at any point on the globe, and at a moment's notice, but we couldn't even get drinking water into New Orleans for 10 days.

The response to Joplin and the other recent disasters are a direct result of just how badly we as a nation and as individuals reacted to Katrina.

paullud · May 30, 2011

Turtle said:
Wow. Those people were ignored for days before they even had a chance to ACT like anything. When help did arrive, it was an incompetent afterthought. New Orleans was left on their own, but they had no resources to do anything. The police and fire were just as devastated as everyone else in that town. FEMA was in charge, but they had no command and control whatsoever. Three days after Katrina, FEMA had hundreds of firefighter volunteers lined up for search and rescue, but instead of sending them to New Orleans, they sent them to Atlanta for two days of training in important subjects as the History of FEMA and Sexual Harassment. Meanwhile, people in New Orleans are drying, literally, of thirst, because of a total lack of food, water and sanitation. They were, by any criteria you choose to apply, treated like animals, except animals are usually treated better than that. What happened after Katrina is a national embarrassment. We can send massive aid and personnel to help out with a tsunami or an earthquake at any point on the globe, and at a moment's notice, but we couldn't even get drinking water into New Orleans for 10 days.

The response to Joplin and the other recent disasters are a direct result of just how badly we as a nation and as individuals reacted to Katrina.

Wow I guess you believe the whole George Bush hates black people thing or you just get your information from bad sources. The Coast Guard flew in right behind the storm so help was there right away. Now there were a lot of citizens that sat there and couldn't figure out why the government didn't give them piggy back rides out to a waiting limousine before the storm hit and they were told to leave. There was a short delay in the federal government response but that was due to their wonderful Democrat governor giving out bad information so those pesky Republican leaders in DC weren't able to take any credit, but even with that happening help was there quickly. I am not going to say things couldn't have been run better but when you have idiots like their governor playing politics first you are not going to be able to run things efficiently along with it being a first for our country. New Orleans was a cesspool of crime and scumbags before the storm so it wasn't like they fell that far.

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Turtle · May 30, 2011

You guess wrong on both counts. Although, I may indeed have some pretty bad sources, or an incredibly bad memory, as I cannot recall (or find online) where anyone, much less "a lot of citizens" that sat there waiting on a limousine to take them out of harm's way. So on that point I bow to your superior sources.

As for the quickness of the response, clearly you and I have very, very different definitions of "a short delay" and of "help was there quickly". Three days after Katrina there was no control and no effective help at all. It took another week just for things to become organized, and even then it was tenuous at best. We had more people from the US mainland on the ground to help with the Haiti rescue and recovery within 36 hours than we had in New Orleans after 10 days.

"I am not going to say things couldn't have been run better but when you have idiots like their governor playing politics first you are not going to be able to run things efficiently along with it being a first for our country."

No one is blameless, from local, state to federal governments. All levels of government let those people, and a nation, down, starting with the mayor who really screwed up royally by refusing to issue an evacuation order until it was far too late to get most people out, telling people everything was fine when it wasn't, refusing to use a bazillion school buses as evacuation transport, and then telling people to go go registered shelters like the Superdome that had nothing in the way of food, water and sanitation or generator fuel.

Do you know how long it took to get water to the Superdome? It wasn't "quickly", I can tell you that. It was three days. Three days without food, water, or sanitation for thousands of people. The first delivery of water was enough water for barely 10% of the 15,000-20,000 people in the Superdome. Another 9000 people in the convention center next door, another registered shelter, were completely ignored for three more days after that. They were eventually told to just head up I-10 on foot to higher ground.

Incidentally, the Superdome was used during hurricane Ivan and hurricane George, so it wasn't exactly a first. But city officials refused to stockpile emergency supplies like they had for those two previous emergencies, stating flatly that they didn't want to make it too comfortable at the Superdome since it was safer to leave the city altogether. "It's not a hotel," the director of emergency preparedness for the St. Tammany Parish said in an interview with the Times-Picayune.

These people were treated like animals, and you blame them for their reaction. Still wow.

paullud · May 31, 2011

Turtle said:
You guess wrong on both counts. Although, I may indeed have some pretty bad sources, or an incredibly bad memory, as I cannot recall (or find online) where anyone, much less "a lot of citizens" that sat there waiting on a limousine to take them out of harm's way. So on that point I bow to your superior sources.

Well I consider tens of thousands a lot and yes they did just sit there waiting for the government to take care of their every need otherwise they would have left the city on their own.

As for the quickness of the response, clearly you and I have very, very different definitions of "a short delay" and of "help was there quickly". Three days after Katrina there was no control and no effective help at all. It took another week just for things to become organized, and even then it was tenuous at best. We had more people from the US mainland on the ground to help with the Haiti rescue and recovery within 36 hours than we had in New Orleans after 10 days.

It could have been run better but these people expected the government to run their lives so when you get a slower response time from a huge bureaucratic machine instead of doing it yourself any help you get you should thank God for not complain and demand more help. Again the Coast Guard was there at the tail end of the storm so that was fast FEMA not so much.

Do you know how long it took to get water to the Superdome? It wasn't "quickly", I can tell you that. It was three days. Three days without food, water, or sanitation for thousands of people. The first delivery of water was enough water for barely 10% of the 15,000-20,000 people in the Superdome. Another 9000 people in the convention center next door, another registered shelter, were completely ignored for three more days after that. They were eventually told to just head up I-10 on foot to higher ground.

The Superdome had 3 days worth of food and water stockpiled before the storm hit. There were 3000 people at the convention center from what I have read. The issue with the sanitation came up later after the systems were overwhelmed and there were multiple complaints about the floors being covered in drug paraphernalia maybe some flushed it instead causing the problems. You act like being told to head to higher ground is a bad thing.

These people were treated like animals, and you blame them for their reaction. Still wow.

I would not look at someone stealing food from a grocery store in that situation and say they are a bad person but when they are looting things like TVs, stereos, and other things that they had no reason to take that is an issue. People doing interviews demanding help instead of asking when they were warned well ahead of time there could be an issue, please remember hundreds of thousands did evacuate so the whole idea that they had no time doesn't work. The murders, rapes, drug issues, and reliance on the government to save them before, during, and after Katrina is an issue. The majority of the people there never acted like responsible human beings at any point so there is no reason to act like they were treated as a lower class. I know it sounds brutal but these people put themselves in that position so I can't sit here and feel bad for them and as stated before the attitude of the victims make a big difference to me.

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greg334 · May 31, 2011

What happened after Katrina is a national embarrassment.

Yes it was a national embarrassment not because we didn't get aid to them but rather because we as a country decided to not hold their elected officials accountable for the slow response to the disaster and allowed them to reelected those who did the damage.

We made excuses for those who put themselves in harms way by ignoring the warnings, we allowed money to flow in with no accountability and we still hear how they need more.

N.O. is worst than Detroit on so many levels with what still is going on. They still have a housing problem, they still have a levee problem and what we should have done was move everyone out of there and let the water take the place over.

Pianoguy · May 31, 2011

With respect to Joplin the building codes department should make it mandated that any and all structures being rebuilt have a hardened storm shelter below ground with a pinging gps system if it's covered with debris after a tornado.

That picture of the bank with just the poured concrete walls of a vault standing unscathed should be a good starting point. If the homeowners cant afford it then a community shelter should be made available.

It didn't seem like anyone learned anything since that F 5 that was almost rated an F 6 that mowed through Oklahoma city in the late 90s. You cant be above ground in those storms. Its not the tornado itself its all the junk in it crushing everything.

Turtle · May 31, 2011

paullud said:
Well I consider tens of thousands a lot and yes they did just sit there waiting for the government to take care of their every need otherwise they would have left the city on their own.

Brilliant deduction. These people were told to sit tight and then at the last minute were told to evacuate. Most of them had no money, no cars, and no way out. Those who did have the means left earlier.

The Superdome had 3 days worth of food and water stockpiled before the storm hit.

For 5000 people.

There were 3000 people at the convention center from what I have read.

3000 initially, and buses eventually showed up that could take 3000, but there were many more than that.

The issue with the sanitation came up later after the systems were overwhelmed and there were multiple complaints about the floors being covered in drug paraphernalia maybe some flushed it instead causing the problems.

No, the issue of sanitation came up immediately when the sewer system was flooded and all the toilets backed up.

You act like being told to head to higher ground is a bad thing.

In the context of what those people were told, yes, it's deplorable. They were told to sit tight that help was coming, even that buses would come and take them out of there. That never happened. So they say there for days with no food or water, and then were told, 'Now that you're well rested, <snort> you can walk. So start walking.'

I would not look at someone stealing food from a grocery store in that situation and say they are a bad person but when they are looting things like TVs, stereos, and other things that they had no reason to take that is an issue. People doing interviews demanding help instead of asking when they were warned well ahead of time there could be an issue, please remember hundreds of thousands did evacuate so the whole idea that they had no time doesn't work. The murders, rapes, drug issues, and reliance on the government to save them before, during, and after Katrina is an issue.

When people feel abandoned and desperate, they will do desperate things, sometimes wholly irrational things, like looting a TV, looking for anything that might be of value. Unless there is some kind of control, like we've seen at Joplin, it'll happen every time. There was no command and control in New Orleans. None.

The majority of the people there never acted like responsible human beings at any point so there is no reason to act like they were treated as a lower class. I know it sounds brutal but these people put themselves in that position so I can't sit here and feel bad for them and as stated before the attitude of the victims make a big difference to me.

Wow. You are rationalizing not helping those people, because they didn't deserve to be helped. That's just awesome.

Turtle · May 31, 2011

greg334 said:
What happened after Katrina is a national embarrassment.

Yes it was a national embarrassment not because we didn't get aid to them but rather because we as a country decided to not hold their elected officials accountable for the slow response to the disaster and allowed them to reelected those who did the damage.

No, Greg, that may be why you're embarrassed, but it's a national embarrassment because we failed to get aid to them. I guarantee you that 10, 20 even 30 days after Katrina, that this nation was not embarrassed because we as a nation allowed the local officials to be reelected. <snort>

paullud · May 31, 2011

Turtle said:
Brilliant deduction. These people were told to sit tight and then at the last minute were told to evacuate. Most of them had no money, no cars, and no way out. Those who did have the means left earlier.

No they were given an evacuation order that was voluntary which also became mandatory later with time to react still given the fact more left and the short distance they needed to move. How can they have no way out? There were plenty of cars swallowed up in the water on top of the fact I saw plenty of able body people running around with TV's and other electronics on the news and they were able to get to the Superdome so how can they have no way out if they can run while carrying a TV.
You also need to keep in mind they only needed to make it a short distance to be safe and I do realize there are some that could not get our like the elderly and handicapped and I think they should have been given assistance in getting out.

For 5000 people.

I am not going to say you are right or wrong as far as some of these numbers go because it depends on where you get the information from. There are to many sites trying to make the other side look bad and I heard there was more food than what you are saying from a site that is anti-Bush.(not that I am a fan of Bush)

Wow. You are rationalizing not helping those people, because they didn't deserve to be helped. That's just awesome.

I have different views than you, I believe that a human life can have different values. It has been brought up in other posts about people that will kill a burglar in their house, I agree with this, that person's life has less of a value than the homeowner or the homeowner's property. When you turn your city into a crime infested cesspool and then demand we help because you didn't take care of yourself, I will place a lower value on your life than that of a member of the Coast Guard, police department, or fire department risking their life to save some lowlife. To me a person needs to contribute to the human race for their life to have value and I don't even mean anything big like saving children from a burning building or being a doctor or soldier. It can include those things or even something like the guy that goes to work in a factory, a worker at Walmart, or even some knucklehead that drives a van around making deliveries. It is hard under my views to have no value to society yet the people of New Orleans did it and there are others that do it everyday.

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Turtle · May 31, 2011

You're lumping an awful lot of people into a single category that fits a particular image or stereotype. Not that it matters, but there's a term for that. Just look at the exaggerations... Tens of thousands were waiting for limousines, everybody in New Orleans was carrying around a TV, there were cars there, so they could have gotten out (never mind the fact that many of them didn't work, and most people didn't own a car, I supposed they could have looted one, tho), you saw plenty of able bodied people, but assume there were no sick, injured or handicapped people.

I have different views than you, I believe that a human life can have different values.

Well, I'll give ya that one, we certainly have different views on the value of life. I think all life is precious, that is shouldn't be taken, or dismissed, lightly, and you clearly think only a certain kind of person has value, one that lives their life in a manner in which you approve. All I can say is, wow. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you, but only if they're deemed worthy. It's kinda catchy.

Maybe my problem is I know some of these people. The very same good-for-nothing, low-life dregs that were waiting for those limousines, desperate and hungry, unable to help themselves. 97 people crammed into two buses leaving New Orleans without a clue where they were going. They ended up in my town, and were temporarily housed in a Boy Scout camp, church camp, donated trailers and RVs, and in people's homes. They were given help. A handful have since moved back to New Orleans, something like 20 of them, but the rest have remained in our town, with jobs and everything. A regular bunch of society contributin' folks just like you and me. These are the same people who's lives have no value in your eyes, and you'd have just as soon left for dead because they had no way to help themselves. Our town is better off because of them. Fortunately, we got to them before, ahem, others left them alone.