To: Commissioner Staff, District Committee Members, Unit Leaders and Executive Board
From: Ed Brandon (SE), George Brunscheen (President), Mike Kreigermeier (Commissioner), Jim Wood (VP Program), John Phipps (Risk Management)
Re: Flood Relief Efforts-Bulletin Number 1
Date: June 20, 2008
The devastation of the Flood of 2008 is simply unbelievable. The stories of the heroic action of individuals and agencies such as the Salvation Army and American Red Cross, and many others, are becoming legendary.
We know that hundreds of Scouts have spent huge amounts of time volunteering both before and after the flood. You are to be commended for your tremendous and unselfish service.
We have many Scouting families, Chartered Organizations, and units that are displaced, or experiencing catastrophic property loss. We request your assistance in reaching out to every possible Scouting related group or family to assess what their immediate as well as long term needs are. This may be difficult to do in short order because of the loss of communication services, but please be tenacious in reaching out to affected units and families, and email ebrandon@hawkeyebsa.org with your findings.
At the same time, we know there is a huge number of Scouting families and units (both locally and nationally) who have offered to help in any way possible. As the requests for help are assessed and compiled, we will attempt to link up units that will ‘adopt’ Scout families, other units or affected Chartered Organizations to provide assistance. This, of course, is not designed to replace any official relief effort from other agencies, but will give Scouts the opportunity to help other Scouts in the short term, while not hindering official relief efforts.
The District Executives will be in touch with each District Committee and Commissioner Staff to begin the process of inventory and assessment, and the link up of units. The range of needs will be broad. Replacement of Scouting equipment and books, basic care needs, or large clean up efforts. Remember that safety is paramount when conducting a clean up or restoration project.
It is strongly recommended that no Scouts (particularly Scouts under 15) be allowed to enter houses or buildings to participate in clean-up, especially if it has not been inspected and tagged, or tagged as dangerous. What ever the clean-up project, it is essential that all Scouts and leaders wear boots, gloves, long sleeves and pants, masks, eye protection and in some cases, hard hats. Every one should decontaminate immediately after your work project is complete. Be sure to bring bottled water (use hand sanitizer before you drink), use the bathroom before you leave (few facilities exist in the flooded areas), and bring a tool kit appropriate for the type of work you are doing (tape measure to figure out in advance how you going to move appliances, wrenches to disconnect things, shovels, etc.)
It is recommended that for the safety of your Scouts that you limit clean up activities to outside areas, parks, etc. SAFETY MUST BE ABSOLUTELY THE MAIN CONSIDERATION WHEN PLANNING SERVICE PROJECTS.
Do not take this lightly...there is an incredible amount of filth, bacteria, contaminants, caustic chemicals, toxins and worse embedded in most surfaces that came into contact with flood waters. Serious illness can result from contact. Before any relief work is attempted, you should ensure that you and your Scouts have up-to-date tetanus immunization.
Mold is a major problem. Slippery surfaces can cause severe injuries. Use great caution in any activity. It is strongly advised that you obtain some assurance of liability coverage or insurance, and obtain waivers for everyone involved before you proceed.
Scout units should not attempt to collect donations of cash. You should develop lists of materials needed by your ‘adopted’ group, and use the Scouting for Food model to notify targeted areas of your collection efforts before you proceed.
So that we can properly document the service that is occurring, I ask that you send regular updates on any service provided. Please email these stories to ebrandon@hawkeyebsa.org We plan to compile these stories into a journal that will remain as a testament to the spirit of Scouting and service here in the Hawkeye Area Council..
A task force is also meeting to focus future Eagle Scout projects on flood relief related work for our traditional partners.
Please send us any thoughts you have related to this process. To Help Other People At All Times...that is the idea here! But be safe! Further bulletins will be released on a regular basis.
Thank you for your leadership