As residents on the Gulf Coast prepared for Hurricane IvanWednesday, several Muncie residents started to work on providingrelief even before the storm hit.
"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed tocompletion throughout the entire warning area," read the messagesent from Grand Isle Louisiana to Appalachia Florida by theNational Hurricane Center as Hurricane Ivan approached Wednesdayevening.
Ivan is the fourth hurricane to hit the United States since thehurricane season began on June 1, and Hurricane Jeanne might have abrush with the Southeast, Robert Schwartz, assistant professor ofgeography, said.
Indiana might not have to worry about tropical storms orhurricanes, but Schwartz has devoted more than 10 years to theresearch of natural disasters and recently received a QuickResponse Grant from the National Hazards Center. The grant hasallowed him to study how effectively hazard relief programs workpost-Sept. 11, 2001.
"The Red Cross had a lot controversy associated with it after9/11," Schwartz said. "Their disaster relief fund was at an alltime low. I want to see that people are getting the relief theyneed."
His studies will provide information on how to improve reliefefforts.
The American Red Cross response after Hurricane Charley hitFlorida was its biggest mobilization since Sept. 11, Schwartz said.He spent three days in Florida after Charley reached the coast toexamine how the relief efforts were operating.
"They were much more prepared this time than they were 12 yearsago," Schwartz said. "People were receiving food, ice, water andshelter. When Andrew hit in 1992, it took a longer time for therelief effort to be organized. This time there was help withinthree days when previously it took three weeks."
Because President George W. Bush declared the regions threatenedby Charley a disaster area before the hurricane reached them,federal relief mechanisms were able to start moving before thedamage occurred, Schwartz said.
What surprised Schwartz the most about the disaster relief afterCharley was the tremendous amount of aid from local citizens andpeople who didn't live in the area, he said.
Bob Hayes, a retired professor from the department of psychologyand counseling services, is one of those volunteers and is inAlabama. He has volunteered for 30 natural disasters. Hayes hashelped with disaster relief for the past 11 years.
Hayes, who left for Alabama Wednesday night, volunteers his timewith the Red Cross. Thursday night, they were in Birmingham, Ala.,waiting for Ivan, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm.The group will head into Montgomery to set up relief headquarters,he said.
The local Red Cross in Muncie is mobilizing its forces to sendvolunteers to Alabama and Florida. The organization sent two peopleto help with Hurricane Frances and four people to help withCharley, but it plans to send 10 for Ivan, Julie Hankins, directorof emergency services for Muncie's Red Cross, said.
The Red Cross provides a number of services, such as mass care,disaster mental health, family services and logistics, Hankinssaid.
Volunteers drive Emergency Response Vehicles around and handfood out to those on the street, Hankins said. They also feedpeople in the Red Cross shelters.
Family services "meets the immediate emergency needs for food,clothing, shelter and medicine," she said. Logistics distributesresources to the volunteers.
Disaster mental help provides trained counselors to meet withpeople.
"You're in crisis, you've just lost your home and everything init -- you're pretty distraught," Hankins said.
Hayes works with the disaster mental help. Not only does he helpthose affected by disasters, he helps the volunteers as well.
"We support our own workers as they go about working in adisaster setting," he said. "We're there to provide emotional firstaid to them. It's an area where I can use my professional knowledgeand skills and receive a personal reward just by being able tohelp"
While the Red Cross doesn't collect supplies because it doesn'thave the means to transport them, the Center for InternationalPrograms on campus is serving as a warehouse for supplies peoplewant to donate to the relief effort. The center will also airliftthe materials to the disaster sites.
There are 5.8 hurricanes a year, Schwartz said, and thehurricane season, which is currently at its peak, has already seenmore than that.
"Florida has been dodging a lot of bullets for the past 35, 40years, and it seems to be catching up with them," he said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
