Crisis Recovery International

Things are going well. I am getting ready to leave for Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Tsunami relief is slow and people are still suffering as a result of the disaster. I will see what I can do to help some of those families recover and get back on their feet. In Vietnam I will be teaching in a school. The schools there are pleading for English teachers. They tell me that if the children don't have English skills, they will be out of the job market when they get older. We have developed a program to teach children English in real time over the computer, but I have to go to Vietnam to get it set up. We can always use more donations of money and computers! Keep in touch.

Posted by Roger on 8/3/2007 at 1:09:14 PM EST.
Subject:

Hey Sandy, how are you doing, just interested to see how things are progressing

Posted by Sandy on 7/26/2007 at 11:24:04 AM EST.
Subject: Mobile Home park in Greensburg

I am putting on some pictures of the mobile home park in Greensburg. There are no rentals available in this community and so this park has been built for the residents until they can rebuild their homes. They will sign a rent-free lease for one year. This park is temporary until they can build and move back into their homes. I also included photos of the storm shelters built for the mobile home park residents for severe storms. There are 18 of these storm shelters scattered throughout the park and the shelters are just steps away from their front doors.

Posted by Sandy on 7/26/2007 at 11:23:37 AM EST.
Subject: Mobile Home park in Greensburg

Posted by Sandy on 7/26/2007 at 10:42:06 AM EST.
Subject: Greensburg in the midwest

Greensburg recovery is moving quickly. The town wants to build back eco-friendly and they are working hard to make that happen. There is a film crew here to document the recovery and they are going to stay for the entire time to film. We are working out of a tent and we have had all kinds of critters come in. We had a little bird fly in, toads hopping on the floor, squirrels who want to be fed (and we do), and there is a colony of snakes under the floor but they don't bother us. I put some pictures in the photo gallery so you can see what the midwest looks like. I also included the first modular home put back in Greensburg. Take care, Sandy

Posted by Sandy on 6/24/2007 at 10:03:21 PM EST.
Subject: Greensburg recovery

Greensburg recovery is continuing at a fast pace. The birds and squirrels have come back to the area. Trailers are being brought into the area and a trailer park is being built for the residents of Greensburg. The trailers are temporary while they rebuild their houses. Right now demolition is keeping up at a fast pace. The houses are being demolished and hauled away. Basements are being removed and the holes are being filled in. The town will have a different look when it is rebuilt. The school in the picuture has been leveled. I put in a couple of pictures so you can see the area around Greensburg. It is harvest time and the wheat is rolled up in fields around the area. And finally, there is a picture of their temporary hospital.

Posted by Sandy on 6/10/2007 at 9:25:50 PM EST.
Subject: Greensburg

Well, its been a month since the tornado. The town is being leveled, one house and basement at a time. The first thing that reopened was the liquor store, then the post office, and then the quick shop. The police do not have check points anymore and are not stopping traffic from going through the town. Hwy 54 goes right through the middle of the town and it is now reopened. There is a lot of traffic going on the Hwy and it is going very slow. People are stopping to look at the damage and take pictures. Some of the emergency vehicles are pulling out of town. The Salvation Army has been feeding us because there is nowhere else to eat. They are also getting ready to pull out of town. FEMA is developing a large mobile home park which is going to hold 200+ residents. Our work is beginning to slow down some because nearly everyone has applied for help. The wind blows constantly. I come home from work every day with dirt in my eyes, ears, hair, and my clothes are covered with fine coating of dirt. One day the wind was blowing so bad we had to wear N95 dust masks to try to keep out the dirt and any other contaminants in the air; like asbestos. I am enjoying my work here, but it is challenging because of the outside environment. Take a look at some of the pictures on the Photo Gallery page.

Posted by Sandy on 6/1/2007 at 9:57:03 PM EST.
Subject: Flags at Greensburg

It is always interesting to me how flags are used at disasters. They pop up like magic and then disappear just as quickly. Every time I go down the street there are flags at different places. Take a look at the photo gallery to see some of them.

Posted by Sandy on 5/30/2007 at 10:32:57 PM EST.
Subject: Greensburg tornado

The curfew is still on in the city of Greensburg. Residents can only be in town from 8 am to 8 pm. I put a picture of the Town Hall in the photo gallery. Everything around the building was demolished by the tornado, but the 100 year old town hall is still standing. The area around the building is where we have all the agencies parked. Agencies from local, state, and Federal government are all here, including the Salvation Army who is feeding us. There is nowhere else to eat in the area as the town is gone. It is interesting to me that frequently in disasters people fly American flags. I have some pictures of flags I will put in the gallery. Also, notice the yellow house standing and everything around it is gone. It is always interesting how tornadoes skip some buildings.

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