by Lin Stone
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The deeper we get into the latter days the more natural disasters seem to be coming up on our radar screen. Because of its foresight, dedication and organizational skills the Church has been pulling good press from the actions of its volunteers. Even more important, the people being helped get a chance to see the Saints in action and notice immediately that this is a physical, and spiritual involvement. The way we work together, the way we care for each other while working, the thoughtful way in which we treat their property, makes our unit level disaster recovery efforts one of the best missionary tools we have going.
When our crew showed up at one place and said we were there to help, nobody believed us. They waved at their devastated world as if just deciding where to start was too much for them. We asked if it would be okay to begin brushing and one of them nodded. We had been working for about thirty minutes then this little girl, maybe 5 years old, came out and began working with us. Gradually four grown men and two women pitched in. "There is just so much, so wrong." Yes, we have met that feeling too many times. It is natural. It is normal. We understand. Ever since I joined the Church in 1976 I have been doing community work, clean up, haul out, disaster recovery projects -- and just plain lending a listening ear. Surprisingly enough, that last kind of disaster support can wear you down the most, if you are doing it right. Oh, sure, anybody can listen absent-mindedly then go off for a weekend on the town and never notice a load. When you actually share someone's grief on a spiritual level they can feel, it will hurt you just as much as it does them, but this kind of listening can also cut their anguish in half, so it is worth it. For team leaders, the three first steps to the recovery process are; Share, Suggest, and Serve. Did you notice that "Shove" isn't one of those steps? Oh, how much it hurts to endure some "superior being" pretend to listen when actually they are just waiting for the victim to shut up so they can begin shoving victims and priceless personal possessions around to fit their superior needs to get their job done. Rural areas frequently get left in the lurch by Government entities. When LDS Disaster crews show up they are very much appreciated. Last Saturday I was with a work crew helping one rural (I guess you'd call it a community) area. Four families -- with young children -- had been without power or water for 35 days. The mother of one family began stopping everyone that came down her dirt road to tell them how wonderful the "Mormons" were for coming to help.
The Latter-day Saints have always strived to be ready for disaster before it strikes, and offered to help their neighbors that had sustained the most damage. Today stakes are organizing so they can move in as local units in a very timely manner. After an on-the-spot evaluation, if the damage is too extensive for local units to handle alone the Bishops call on the Stake President, and from there up to the Region, and then on up to Church Headquarters if necessary. Reports are prepared at each level so that the Prophet can be reassured with all the information he needs about the situation. This is the third time this one fire has been heaped up this big and then burned down, before noon. With a large crew, dedicated to getting the job done, disaster scenes can be cleaned up in a hurry. When we promised to bring in a portable generator and get the water running, several of them cried. No problem, we said. Can we put on a new roof too while we are out here?
With good, PREVIOUS organization, it seems that in any unit of Saints there are enough varied skills resident to do just about any task, but when more help is needed, it only takes a minute or so to reach back to the stake and have the right kind of help called in. In the recent Louisiana hurricane cleanup efforts there were several out of state wards outstaffing, and outworking whole stakes. One distant ward had shown up with 30 trained, prepared and efficient crew members. How in the world did they do it? "Every month we have a real training project where we go out and actually help someone (out of the Church) do some major clean up. You do that every month and the enthusiasm really begins to build. When the real thing comes along we are already a team, and we are ready to work. We have the way, the means, and the desire. We can hit the ground running." That's in addition to their regular work projects, by the way. This next table reveals some of the most important concerns that should at least be addressed in forming a Disaster Control office at your stake or unit level, and may be taken as a blue print from which to write your own unit's master plan. |
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