Helping those who need it most
When a natural disaster tears through communities, it doesn’t discriminate based on affluence, race, or socioeconomic status. Anyone in its path is affected. When disaster response teams arrive on scene, they have limited time and resources to respond to the community’s needs. How do they decide who needs their help the most?
The International Rescue and Relief (IRR) team had to make that decision in their disaster response to Fort Myers, which was heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian. During the first day of their response, the team quickly realized that they were not serving the most vulnerable. Everyone deserves help after a disaster, but some have more access and ability to help themselves than others. The purpose of the IRR team’s response was to focus their resources on those who have the least ability to help themselves.
Kayleigh Hilyard, the planning section chief, and Caleb Bonilla, the deputy PSC, immediately started searching for solutions. “At first it seemed impossible to find the people who needed our help the most in a city this big, where do you even start?" Bonilla explained. "But our goal in IRR, and I think even our responsibility, is to help those most vulnerable.”
They discovered a resource called RAPT or Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool. This resource identifies the most vulnerable and overlooked communities in an area by organizing and compiling database information including income level, age, minority groups, and many other demographics. They found that many neighborhoods, such as Dunbar and Tice, had not received the same help as many other communities. RAPT confirmed that these communities were low-income, mostly minority groups who lacked the resources to complete restoration efforts themselves. This was exactly the information the team was looking for.
The team already had a long list of sites and homes to send groups to. Hilyard and Bonilla acquired addresses through Crisis Cleanup, which is a website designed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that allows people to submit requests for help during a disaster. They then cross referenced each address they acquired with RAPT’s database. This way they could evaluate which of their leads was the highest priority and least likely to already have access to disaster support. After determining the highest priorities based on reliable data, they went on foot to visit each neighborhood. They talked with neighbors and created relationships to truly understand the need.
Bonilla explained the importance of this new strategy. “Tools like RAPT have enabled us to find those communities that are often overlooked and to help people that otherwise may not receive any relief.”
The survivors of Hurricane Ian have shown their strength. As IRR continues to locate and help these resilient communities, the team is continually learning how to be better first responders. “One major thing I can take away from this response is that we have the capability and responsibility to help those who often go unnoticed during disasters," said Hilyard. "The planning tools we utilized during this response helped us to better serve communities that may feel neglected during disasters such as Hurricane Ian, and I believe they are a vital component of the planning process that should be implemented in future responses."
You can support the Union College response to Hurricane Ian and future disaster through the link at the bottom of the page.
The video report of the Hurricane Ian cleanup work
Last day of work — Saturday, October 8, 2022
Saturday was the last day of work for the IRR team in Fort Meyers. On Sunday, the drove back to Southern Adventist University, and after a night's sleep, will continue on to Lincoln on Monday.
Managing the operation — Friday, October 7, 2022
Adam Anderson, the team's operations chief, joined one of teams working with chainsaws on Friday morning to clear some large trees.
Meanwhiles, the rest of the command staff continued to work at HQ to manage all the logistics of the response.
The planning chief, Kayleigh Hilyard, and her deputy, Caleb Bonilla, spend their day calling homeowners of potential sites, clustering site locations, organizing team personnel, creating an incident action plan for the next day, and troubleshooting any site or logistical problems that arise while teams are in the field.
The logistics chief, Hannah Wood, finds her busiest times in the mornings and evenings before and after teams leave for work assignments. She organizes gear for teams, makes sure they have adequate food and water resources, and coordinates vehicle pick up and drop offs for all teams and their sites. Even though they aren't working in the field, they are still a vital part of our team and there would be no operation without them!
More yards cleaned and people helped — Thursday, October 6, 2022
Union College students teams completed work on another eight sites — tarping roofs and operating chainsaws for debris removal. They continue to be impressed and inspired by the residents who "are going through tremendously hard times while working tirelessly on the restoration of their community."
Please continue to support the disaster response efforts of the International Rescue and Relief team by contributing using the link below.
Before and after photos
Here are some before and after photos from the team's work on Wednesday.
Clearing at the coast — Wednesday, October 5, 2022
On Wednesday, the IRR teams were able to complete work at 11 sites in addition to the eight sites completed on Tuesday.
One team had the opportunity to go work on the coast in one of the hardest-hit areas. Electrical poles leaned at 60 degree angles and power lines laid on the ground. Due to the storm surges where water levels rose almost 20 ft in some areas, many boats had settled in the roads, on top of cars, and even some on houses. The team cleared a lot of trees with chainsaws and helped clean up the home of a community member who had weathered the storm aboard his boat. He was not able to evacuate because a building collapsed on his truck.
Other teams worked at sites cutting and clearing fallen trees and cleaning up and tarping damaged roofs.
On Tuesday, a team worked with the Florida National Guard counting supplies and helping to manage resources (see pics).
One team also made an appearance on the Today Show. Check it out here.
Please continue to support the disaster response efforts of the International Rescue and Relief team by contributing using the link below.
The work begins — Tuesday, October 4, 2022
The disaster response team began working at several locations on Tuesday cutting down trees, clearing debris off roofs and mucking out houses.
After almost 30 total hours of driving, they arrived at their base of operations in Fort Myers, Florida, on Monday evening. Upon arrival, the team was able to join up with two partner organizations: 2serve and Gideon Rescue Company, a disaster response organization run by some graduates of the international rescue and relief program.
Please continue to support the disaster response efforts of the International Rescue and Relief team by contributing using the link below.
Heading for Florida — Sunday, October 2
Read news coverage
With breaking hearts, the nation has followed the progress of Hurricane Ian. Few of us have the ability to do more than watch and pray as natural disasters strike. But for Union College’s international rescue and relief students, a hurricane is a call to put their education to work.
On Sunday morning, Union’s Disaster Response Team (DiRT) will leave for Fort Myers, Florida where they will spend a week helping in any way they can. The group is comprised of 25 students and five alumni, and in addition to being trained EMTs, most team members hold search and rescue certifications. They are coordinating with Gideon Rescue Company, a disaster response organization founded by Union alumni, and Adventist Community Services who are operating in the area at the invitation of the Florida National Guard.
The team expects to primarily cover roofs with tarps to prevent further damage, help residents clean out destroyed homes and remove fallen trees — the all-important work of picking up the pieces. However, they are prepared to pivot to other roles if requested after arrival.
“This is not training anymore,” said Adam Anderson. “This is the real deal.” The senior from Randolph, Ala. recalls participating in the hurricane response last year in Grand Isle, La., “I was confident in my skills, but I had never used them in real life before. That’s when I had to step up and be a leader for my team and think for myself. There’s no textbook for this.”
From Louisiana to Malawi, Iowa to Haiti, nearly every year Union College students are called upon to help those whose lives have been torn apart by disasters. They offer their energy and skill freely, but they can’t do it without the generous gifts of Union’s alumni and community.
When heading into a disaster zone, the first rule is not to become part of the disaster. That means bringing in all of the food, water and equipment necessary to be self-sufficient and effective. That doesn’t just take great organizational skills; it also requires money. Union’s Disaster Response Team is funded entirely by donations from alumni and friends who empower students to learn, serve and lead where they are most needed. Please give below to ensure the success of their mission in Florida and wherever they are needed next.