Many who are still without heat, water, and power following Hurricane Sandy, are looking to the federal government to provide the kind of organized and effective disaster relief that can restore their lives. Can private groups and citizens offer what is needed in this time of crisis?
In Milford, Connecticut, for example, where entire expanses of beach homes have been destroyed by the storm, one family member reports to us that FEMA and the Red Cross were nowhere to be seen. What she did see, however, were “dozens of people in yellow vests helping to gather up all the debris that residents were putting out in the road.” Our observer tells us that these individuals assisted homeowners in clean-up, helping to load town trucks to remove destroyed decks, furniture, siding, and other debris.
Recalling that she saw the same group of people “in yellow vests” helping out after Hurricane Irene last year, she later discovered that the helpers were Mormon Helping Hands volunteers…
When the big flood occurred a couple years back down in the Chehalis valley, 100s of Mormons showed up to help. The people down there actually asked that FEMA get out of the way……..
While a bunch of us were sanitizing salvaged household items about 6 Lympians came down and spent 3 hours making some goulash thing for lunch, stirring the pot and committtee-ing over what spices to add as we continued to work…
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8 Comments!
Those kinds of community organizers are all action and no words. God bless ‘em.
^ When they showed up they worked their asses off and didn’t proselytize or look for any praise…they worked. Then left.
The Lympians got annoyed when we couldn’t drop what we were doing once their vegan free range goulash was done…
Not surprised. And I bet the Mormons helped clean up after the ‘Lympian “cooks.”
I do not trust Mormons as either a religious or a social movement (nor any other religion either — I am an equal opportunity distruster), but I am always impressed with *DEEDS*.
How do I feel about a Mormon in the White House? Let’s move up the swearing in!!!
[besides it is always possible that a Mormon got raised with some positive personal values, unlike some people]
1: & 2: yeah!
^ It was my JR who pointed out Romney’s duties as bishop that turned me to his favor when I was at the time voting against Obama. And it was after attending some bible studies and spending time with a Mormon friend and her fellow ward members that convinced me how fabulously incredible their church structure is and how absolutely perfect a Mormon president will be.
I kinda dig Mormons and have fallen in love with Romney.
Let’s see… They organize themselves to go, get a job done, leave when done; they don’t spend time trying to organize others to do …consensus?
Ach — that’ll never get anyone anywhere.
I have helped clean up after two tornadoes, four fires, and three flooded houses. I fought four fires, three successfully. I never saw any Government agency except the fire department. The Red Cross made coffee. The rest was all volunteers, hired help, and insurance adjusters.
Great linky article! Thanx for posting it!
The last paragraph really struck me, both at the way our country &
society should be functioning and the last sentence:
I’d become so inured to the blizzard of media endlessly talking
about gubbmint intrusion & management of our lives, especially
in times of disasters, that I’d forgotten about Americans helping each
other out!