Hurricane Sandy – One Year Later

(God bless my sister, Jeannie, for once again stepping in at the last minute to write the blog when I got totally overwhelmed and knew I'd barely make it home before midnight to post. She came up with this post and from it I learned two things I did not know: that Sandy affected 24 states and that my sister worked for the company that  processed federal payments for Katrina. You think you know someone... Melinda)

It’s hard to believe that Hurricane Sandy hit a year ago today. While most of the focus, understandably, was on how hard hit the New York/New Jersey area was, Sandy packed quite a formidable wallop.  It affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard and as far west as Michigan and Wisconsin. 

Not only did so many people lose their homes and livelihoods, but much of the struggle had just begun. As many of us know, bureaucracy is another storm unto itself, and, apparently, dealing with insurance companies, permits, and emergency grants and loans was no different. My heart ached for one survivor of the fires that also broke out during the storm (and which, ironically, no one could get to because of the flooding) who said, "I was here as the fire progressed. And to be quite honest, the experience of dealing with trying to get permits and the insurance was ten times worse than any of that.” Many of the survivors are still waiting for their insurance checks. Money is still the major barrier to getting home and to rebuilding the businesses that hire people. While FEMA has provided more than $1.4 billion in assistance to more than 182,000 disaster survivors in five states, states have been slower to supply key $150,000 to $300,000 federal grants to individual homeowners facing funding shortages as they rebuild.  And let us not forget that Congress also contributed to the delay by waiting three months to approve the $60 billion Sandy aid program.

Having worked for a company that led the process to get federal payments to Katrina survivors, and which worked very hard to be as responsive to the survivors as possible, I know it is difficult to walk that fine line of meeting their needs while still being accountable for every penny and on guard for rampant fraud. In fact, many of the rules are in place largely in response to concerns arising from abuse and fraud in the Hurricane Katrina recovery. But there has to be a better way so that survivors of catastrophes are not victimized twice. Apparently a lot was learned from Katrina re: how to prepare for the storm for evacuations and shelters, but I’m not sure that much has been learned that improves the processing of legitimate payments to the survivors in a fairly easy and quick way.

AmeriCares  has provided more than $6.5 million in aid benefiting more than 450,000 people, including medicines, mobile medical units, and relief supplies; funding to organizations to care for the poor and uninsured patients in hard-hit areas; and grants for emergency warmth and disaster cleanup, mental health counseling for storm-affected children, and help for elderly and disabled survivors stranded in high-rise buildings.

-Jeannie Newman

Oct. 29:  AmeriCares

There to lend a hand

(Today's guest blog comes from my friend Peggy Dold. Peggy and I first met when we were both living in New York and were at Billboard. We lost touch for a bit, but over the last few years have renewed our friendship in Los Angeles, much to my delight.-- Melinda)

When Melinda and I first discussed the idea of my contributing some ideas for her daily blog of charitable giving, I was beyond excited.

After all, we each know of a million organizations that are doing great work for others, most of which, I’m sure, need every single penny they can get.

Nevertheless, it took about two minutes for the vastness of this task to sink in:  there are so many organizations doing such good work that trying to select one is a bit daunting.  Do we give to children, to health, to animals, to people enduring hardship (temporary or permanent), food banks, literacy, education, homeless, international relief, disaster relief, local, global, the environment, civil rights, culture, the arts, health, etc?  

My family is from Oklahoma, and while I never spent more than family vacations and one summer there, I have always felt a strong familial connection to the state.  I couldn’t have been more thrilled when an NBA franchise (the OKC Thunder) moved to Oklahoma.  (Yay! A new NBA team to root for, besides the usual suspects in the big markets.)  In fact, when I left New York City (after living there for almost fifteen years), it was to the Sooner state I went, where I established a temporary home,  where I got to know my wonderful relatives, and where I rekindled my  relationship with the man who is now my husband.

A few years ago, a distant family member, a retired RN living in Oklahoma, was volunteering for FEMA.  While she was working at a FEMA site in Louisiana, she had a freak accident, broke her back, and is now paralyzed.

FEMA airlifted her to Oklahoma City where she endured surgery after surgery, rehabilitation after rehabilitation, and where her family (from near and far, none of whom lived in Oklahoma City), stayed by her side for MONTHS.

It was in this scenario that I learned about the Disaster Relief Team arm of the Oklahoma Baptist Convention.  They found housing for my cousin’s family so that they could take turns to be by her side for the many months she was undergoing treatment in OKC . This was a huge gift to her family as they were hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of miles from their own homes, jobs, and families.

In appreciation for the support this wonderful organization gave to my family during their challenging time, I recommend that Causes and Effect donate today’s gift to the Disaster Relief Team arm of the Oklahoma Baptist Convention. 

I am not Baptist and do not see this donation as donating to a church or to a religion.  Rather, I see a relief team of people who are at ground zero when tragedy strikes, whether it was for my cousin or more recently following the devastating tornado in Moore.   I have no doubt that they know what to do and are working to help those who need it the most.  

-Peggy Dold

Sept. 18: Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma Disaster Relief

Put Those Points To Work....

(Way back in February, I wrote a post about feeling burnt out on filing a blog daily. My friend and Nashville publicist Paula Erickson called me with the suggestion that I turn over the blog to people occasionally and go on vacation.  I was really touched that she took my whining seriously enough to pick up the phone and offer a great solution. It only took me four more months to put it into practice! When I finally asked a few friends to write posts that I could slot in when I was traveling or just needed a break, she was the first one to file a post and she's kept them coming. The one below offers such a creative way to help out friends in need. I love it!-- Melinda)

Charity begins at home. Okay, sure, but in practice that can be a tough one. Ever have a friend or acquaintance who just flat-out needs money? You want to help, but it’s a weird situation, because it’s awkward and unsettling to the friendship dynamic to try to give somebody money. And loaning money to a friend is all kinds of disaster.

In 2010, much of Nashville was ravaged by flood waters. My neighborhood, thankfully, was spared. Many were not. We all helped where we could, many charitable organizations stepped up, and the community outreach was unparalleled.

I had a business friend whose condo was ruined. She didn’t have flood insurance, since she (like many affected) was nowhere near a flood plain. She has a good job, but she, like most people, was not prepared for an unplanned (and immediate) expense of this magnitude. She’s far from indigent, and not really a candidate for charitable funds. She got some FEMA money, but not enough to replace the entire lower level of her townhouse.

Several of us wanted to help, but no amount of casseroles or elbow grease can equate to new drywall, flooring, cabinets, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, etc. Another friend suggested credit card reward points – bravo!!! You can, and we did, cash in points for gift certificates – in this case to Home Depot. Although my friend was hesitant to accept at first, she was persuaded by the very legitimate argument that it was free, and sitting there in our accounts, and we hadn’t paid a penny for it. Win, win.

I know this isn’t about a place to give, but a way to give. It was a great idea that I’d love to share. Help a friend who needs it! I pay $150 a year to have an American Express gold card. I more than get that back annually in reward points.  http://www.membershiprewards.com/HomePage.aspx

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee led the local charge to help less fortunate Nashville residents after the flood of 2010. In the past 22 years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $638 million to community programs and institutions.

July 24: The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee 

-Paula Erickson

Why I started this blog

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