Disaster Relief

HURRICANE FLORENCE

North Caroline Baptist Relief
11/9/18 Hurricane Florence Update

Feeding Summary
As of today, all big feeding kitchens have closed. At one time, we had 10 large kitchens providing food to Florence survivors at 10 different locations. A total of 1,057,623 HOT meals were prepared and served from these 10 kitchens. We are still feeding recovery volunteers.

Recovery
We have a total of 14 sites that have recovery operations working out of them. We are doing chainsaw, mud-outs, tear-outs, shockwave/sanitation and putting tarps on roofs. Our large Recovery sites with site coordinators include: New Bern, Lumberton, Wilmington, Morehead City, Cape Carteret, Laurinburg, Warsaw, Scotts Hill, Rocky Point, Brunswick County, Red Springs, Whiteville, Elizabethtown and others are being added. So far, over 3800 recovery jobs have been completed. More than 2000 jobs are still open and we need lots of tear out volunteers/teams.  You do not needed to be trained to help! We are so thankful for those who have come to help us!

Supplies
We are also distributing cleaning supplies, non-perishable items/canned food, diapers, baby formula, etc. to more than 20 different Distribution sites from our warehouse in Red Springs.

Long Term Response
This disaster is so big that it will require a long term rebuild response to help get many people back in their homes. We are planning on setting up three different rebuild center sites where we can house and feed many volunteers who will be working on homes.  We plan to manage the rebuilding of homes from these “rebuilding hubs”. This will be a long term response that will take 2-3 years and require thousands of volunteers to help get many people back in their homes.

Thank you for Praying, Giving and Going!

Hurricane Harvey Support

BPAMA does not have any specific information at this point regarding how to support the people of Texas and Louisiana who have been hit so hard by this hurricane.  We are in touch with BP and will provide updates here as we learn about ways to support their local staff.  In the meantime, I'd like to remind everyone that we partner with the Salvation Army and you can help through the following options:

If you are interested, donations can be made by: 

• Sending a check earmarked "Disaster Relief; Hurricane Harvey" to your local Salvation Army office.  Your local branch can be found by putting your zip code in at the following link:  Locate your local Salvation Army office.  
• Donate online at:  Salvation Army 
• Call the Salvation Army at:  1-800-SAL-ARMY.  Be sure to designate the donation for the "Disaster Relief; Hurricane Harvey."

Our East Coast Colleagues Impacted by Hurricane Matthew

Our thoughts are with all of the people from Florida to North Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Matthew.  This storm was extremely destructive with high winds and flooding that reached well beyond the coast.  Pictures of the flooding, stories of downed trees, damaged homes, a homes going over a week without power bring home the scope of this storm.  As in the past, our partnership with the Salvation Army helps reach people in times of need.  As an example, the Salvation Army to date has distributed 211,470 meals, 3,854 food boxes, sheltered 1,293 people, operated 92 mobile canteens, and logged over 40,600 hours from staff and volunteers in the impacted areas.

Donations made to The Salvation Army, specific to the Hurricane Matthew (by indicating in the memo:  "Disaster Relief; Hurricane Matthew") are allocated 100% directly to the hurricane recovery efforts.  When specified for the particular recovery effort, no portion of the donation is allocated to administrative or overhead support.  

If you are interested, donations can be made by: 

• Sending a check earmarked "Disaster Relief; Hurricane Matthew" to your local Salvation Army office.  Your local branch can be found by putting your zip code in at the following link:  Locate your local Salvation Army office.  
• Donate online at:  Salvation Army 
• Call the Salvation Army at:  1-800-SAL-ARMY.  Be sure to designate the donation for the "Disaster Relief; Hurricane Matthew."

BPAMA and The Salvation Army
BPAMA partnered with The Salvation Army (SA) based on learnings from the BP Marketers following the deadly Birmingham, AL tornadoes in 2011.  The SA is a member of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) which facilitates Interagency cooperation while responding to disasters.  This group works closely with EMA and FEMA with a case management process as an integral part of the cross-reference to ensure that services are not duplicated.  

To learn more about The Salvation Army, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

 

"What Can I Do To Help?"

Unprecedented natural disasters over the past few years have placed a spot light on the question "How Can I Help?".   Following devastating events in Marketer communities, BP Marketers reach out to BPAMA asking "What Can I Do To Help?", to answer that questions BPAMA turned to those who have stepped in at times of crisis.  

SpinX Establishes Hurricane Relief Fund

South Carolina-based convenience store chain is assisting employees impacted by Hurricane Joaquin.

October 8, 2015
Greenville, S.C. –The Spinx Company established the 2015 Hurricane Joaquin Employee Assistance Fund to aid Spinx employees who experienced losses caused by the severe and sustained wind and rain of last week’s storm.  Headquartered in Greenville, Spinx has store locations and employees who live throughout the hardest hit areas of South Carolina.
“As a company with 17 stores and over 400 associates in the Columbia and Charleston regions, we felt compelled to help our teammates who were impacted by this disaster,” said Stan Storti, president of Spinx. “We know the recovery will not be quick or easy, but we are committed to helping our neighbors and teammates get back on their feet,” he added.
Spinx has made the initial contribution to establish the fund, and is giving its nearly 1,400 associates the opportunity to contribute and help their teammates via payroll deduction.
“One of our core values at Spinx is to support our community and make it a better place to live, work, and play,” continued Storti. “In this case, our own associates are part of the community that needs assistance, which made establishing the 2015 Hurricane Joaquin Employee Assistance Fund a top priority.”  In an effort to help the communities Spinx serves, the company also dispatched a trailer of Spinx bottled water to the American Red Cross in Columbia for distribution. The 20,000 bottles of water and nearly 1,700 gallon jugs will be distributed by the Red Cross to help meet the desperate need for clean drinking water in the affected areas.

Alabama, April 27, 2011

The Marketer community has critical elements vital to disaster response while the emergency response organizations have the authority and means to access the stricken area.  Following the devastating tornadoes that hit Alabama in April of 2011, BP Marketers in the area learned that partnering with an emergency response organization facilitates the fastest delivery of needs in time of crisis.  In the early hours following the tornadoes Don Holmes with Holmes Oil in Bessemer, Alabama, reached out to his local Salvation Army representatives to offer assistance.  Holmes Oil, along with fellow BP Marketers and their BP Sales Manager, David Welborn provided fuel and chain saw oil to The Salvation Army, allowing the response vehicles to enter the communities directly in the path of the tornadoes and begin searching for survivors.  Marketers outside the area sent fuel, drivers and financial donations to sustain the emergency response teams.  By partnering with The Salvation Army, BPAMA was able to target resources in collaboration with a specific organization partnered with BP Marketers in the area, ensuring the greatest impact possible.  Lack of planning, coordination and partnership by others resulted in resources idling outside the area of impact due to the fact they were not working in collaboration with an emergency response organization who could get the supplies into the impacted area.  The lessons learned from this experience will benefit Marketers, their businesses and their communities in the emergency preparedness and response.  

Planning for the Future

Don Holmes, Holmes Oil  facilitated a meeting between BPAMA and The Salvation Army during which BPAMA learned about the protocol in communities following disasters and how critical the partnership between a Marketer and the emergency response organization is to assist all response organizations immediately following the disaster.  Establishing that partnership in quiet times allows the most efficient response to occur as soon as the need arises.  Your Determination, Expertise and Resources are key to your neighbors recovering after life altering disasters.  

BPAMA has partnered with the Salvation Army to provide a coordinate method of assistance in communities subjected disasters.  As you prepare your businesses emergency plan in case of disaster, consider partnering with an emergency response organization in your area.  Your resources are key to a timely and sustained responss by the emergency response teams during those times of crisis.  

If you are looking for a way to assist in the wake of disasters and do not have an affiliation with an emergency response organization, BPAMA can refer you to the Salvation Army representative in your region.  That relationship will allow you to put the right resources in the right place at the right time to begin the recovery. 

BPAMA Marketers Respond to Alabama Tornadoes, April 2011

To learn more about the response efforts following the April 2011 tornadoes, BPAMA produced a video for Marketers which debuted at the 2011 BPAMA Convention and Business Expo.  To view the video, please click here:  BPAMA Marketers Respond to Alabama Tornadoes, April 2011