Disaster Relief

Disaster relief has been a niche market I have been involved in since Hurricane Katrina. I, like so many others, thought that because there was so much damage in MS and LA that we could just go down and "get'er done". Not so! I, and many other contractors like myself, invested large amounts of money in equipment and time, but when we arrived in Louisiana it wasn't as easy as all that. I was fortunate. I met the second wealthiest man in Mississippi who took me under his wing and introduced  me to the "good ole boys club" of storm debris cleanup. My family and I ended up spending seven months in Mississippi.

Since then I have worked every major storm and most lesser ones. Hurricanes, ice storms, flooding and tornadoes; anywhere FEMA goes, we go. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about making money from other people's misfortune, but when we start removing downed trees and clearing roads - helping people get there lives back to normal - it's a good feeling and people are always so thankful for what we do.

I am always amazed at how times of distress bring out the best and the worst in people. Greed in the form of through the roof rates on home repair or tree removal; or even worse, looting, is a major problem. This is more than offset by neighbors working together and the American Red Cross and other civic leagues bring meals and water to residents and contractors. Church groups begin to show up soon after the storm ends. I have seen literally hundreds of these groups on any given day hard at work, helping people they have never met. The white 15 passenger church van pulls up in front of a residence, the doors are  flung open and out pour old and young alike. They remind me of ants as they trundle limbs and debris from the yard to the curb and within a few hours the place is clean and they haved moved on the next location.

This past year was very busy for us. I started with the F5 tornado that hit Alabama, went from there directly to Springfield, MA to work the tornado that hit there on June 1st. After a short break from that storm I then spent two months in Rode Island following TS Irene and, oddly enough, went from there directly back to the same neighborhood in Springfield to help cleanup the damage done from the Halloween snowstorm that devastated the trees in half of Mass and CT.




My #1 man Tedd Flagg w/ his truck "Fred"



 As my involvement in this market has grown, and as many of the guys I know have been interested in working storms with me, I have begun running a crew. I'm proud of my crew. I demand excellence and my crew always comes through for me. We do quality work, look out for each other and have fun in the process. Working seven days a week from sun up until sun down, it's easy for tempers to flare. I make sure that we share the good and the bad equally and address any problems immediately. I have had a number people comment on how well my crew works together...this coming from people who are used to seeing the "every man for himself, anything goes, it's all about the money" attitude shown  by most of the other crews.

Mark

One of the real highlights for me last year was having my oldest son Mark, who was 15 at the time, work with me. He was with me from start to finish. He learned to run a chainsaw and a rake, both with equal skill. (I'll let you guess which he liked better) He also began training on my Hood 8000 loader. He is one of the best flagmen and groundmen I have ever used. Even after long hours and longer days, his work ethic and attitude never faltered. He was liked and respected by the other guys and the FEMA monitors and accepted their good natured ribbing with a smile. I'm looking forward to having my other two boys join the crew as well.



Thomas, me and Ben, Cranston, RI







As my responsibilities grow, I spend more time doing this (left) 

and less time doing this (right).

Because disaster relief is something I can do for a short period of time and produces a substantial amount of income, my plan is to keep that part of my equipment and business and if necessary return to the States from Honduras to work a storm. Most storm work is over and done within 6 weeks. All that may change after we get to Honduras and get settled in, but at this point because we have chosen to not go the route of being supported by donations, I still need to provide for my family's needs. This is one way to do that.

Tornado debris on Central Ave., Springfield, Ma   June 2011