The Laker/Lutz News

Hurricane Katrina

Disaster expo offers valuable info — and swag, too

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Visitors to the Pasco County Disaster Expo could find answers to nearly any question they had about preparing for a disaster, and responding in the aftermath.

And, they could also load up on all sorts of freebies.

Ralph McCullough, president of the Gulf Coast ARC, says that amateur radio operators can provide a vital source of communication to help keep information flowing during and after disasters. (B.C. Manion)

They could pick up a can of Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli and a gallon of water, courtesy of Pasco County Walmart stores.

At other expo tables, they could pick up a rain poncho, a waterproof cellphone protector, hand sanitizer, a keychain, a notebook, pens, reusable tote bags, insect repellent and bookmarks, among other things.

Throughout the expo, there were people waiting to provide information aimed at helping to prepare for a possible disaster, what to do when a disaster threatens and where to turn for help in the aftermath.

There were booklets, fact sheets and plastic cards chock-full of information aimed at helping, and there were plenty of people on-hand to field questions and provide answers.

Melinda Velez, manager of community impact initiatives for United Way of Pasco County, was on-hand at the expo to remind residents that calling 2-1-1 is a good option when people need information about resources that can help during the aftermath of a flood, high winds or other disasters.

Ralph McCullough, president of the Gulf Coast ARC, was one of the people working a booth. He was there to share how his organization of amateur ham radio operators can help when a disaster strikes.

“We can provide emergency communications back and forth to the shelters, get messages through for medical reasons, general welfare reasons. If the whole infrastructure is down, we can put our personnel into fire trucks, ambulances, what have you,” McCullough said.

That kind of help was provided during Hurricane Katrina and when the Twin Towers went down on Sept. 11, he said.

Pasco County has 37 registered members who were prepared to help during Hurricane Irma last year.

If there had been a direct hit, there were 70 radio operators on standby to help in case the whole infrastructure went down, he said.

Melinda Velez, manager of community impact initiatives for the United Way of Pasco, was at the expo, too, handing out 2-1-1 cards to remind residents that the number can help people find resources quickly to respond to their needs when a disaster strikes.

County officials have plenty of vehicles to use when the area is hit by high winds, flooding or both.

The booth was also giving out a freebie: A small kit containing first-aid bandages and disposable towelettes.

Being prepared is important, Velez said. “Last year was one for the record. Most of New Port Richey was on evacuation.”

Frankie Gulledge, an underground crew chief for the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative Inc., was there, too.

He demonstrated the dangers involved in having contact with overhead electrical lines and downed power lines.

His message? Keep your distance from overhead electrical lines and downed power lines.

Outside of the expo hall, there was an assortment of emergency vehicles, which can clear out debris, drive through high waters and be used in water rescues, among other things.

Useful numbers
These Pasco County numbers could prove useful in the aftermath of a disaster:

Customer service: (727) 847-2411

Emergency Management: (727) 847-8137

Human Services: (727) 834-3297

Pasco County Sheriff’s Non-Emergency Number: (727) 847-8102

United Way: 2-1-1

Website: PascoCountyFl.net

Emergency supply list

  • One gallon of water per day per person for at least three days
  • A three-day supply of nonperishable food and a can opener to open canned foods
  • Battery-powered or hand crank radio, and a N.O.A.A. Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries
  • First-aid kit
  • Whistle to signal for help
  • Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic
  • Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
  • Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
  • Local maps

Other items to consider for emergency supply kit

  • Prescription medications and eyeglasses
  • Infant formula and diapers
  • Important family documents stored in a waterproof plastic container, including insurance policies, identification and bank account information
  • Cash
  • Sleeping bag or blanket for each person
  • Change of clothing
  • Games for kids

Source: FEMA, Ready.gov

Published June 13, 2018

Local man reaches ‘Hall of Fame’ status with relief charity

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When Mike Mira headed to the Noon Rotary Club Zephyrhills meeting nearly six years ago, he didn’t know it was going to change his life.

Mike Mira sits in his Zephyrhills restaurant, with a plaque and numerous $100,000 candy bars. The candy bars signify the amount of money that Mira has raised for ShelterBoxUSA, an organization that provides help internationally to victims of disaster. (B.C. Manion)

But, when the Zephyrhills man heard the presentation from ShelterBoxUSA representatives, he knew he wanted to get involved.

The presentation came about 18 months after the earthquake in Haiti, Mira said.

ShelterBox, which is an international organization, responds to disasters around the world. Trained responders will do an assessment to see what the need is, Mira said.

“If there’s a need, they’ll call for shelter boxes to come in,” he said.

The aid the organization sends is adaptable, based on what’s needed.

Sometimes it sends sturdy green shelter boxes, which hold practical tools and utensils, to support everyday life.

Contents of the box can vary, based on the disaster that occurred and the climate where it happened.

In general, though, each box contains a family-sized tent, solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets and cooking utensils.

In other cases, it sends shelter kits. These include toolkits, ropes, fasteners and heavy-duty tarps that can be used to build a shelter, repair damaged buildings and begin to rebuild a home.

These flooding victims in Malawi are carrying shelter boxes. (Courtesy of ShelterBox)

Again, the kits are customized to suit the needs of the community. Sometimes they include corrugated iron to help make resilient roofing, or even room dividers and mattresses to make warehouses habitable.

In some situations, the kits might also include solar lights, mattresses and water containers.

Sometimes, when families can’t start rebuilding their homes immediately, the organization supplies large, sturdy tents that can withstand extreme weather conditions and temperatures.

When a disaster strikes, ShelterBox Response Teams travel to the area to determine what, if any kind of response is needed, Mira said.

They go by foot, boat, helicopter or even tuk-tuk to get there, according to the organization’s website.

ShelterBox also makes sure the items end up in the right hands, Mira said.

These victims of an earthquake in Nepal are carrying supplies provided by ShelterBox. (Courtesy of ShelterBox)

“If they don’t come in through customs into our hands, we don’t bring them in. We want to make sure they actually go to the people who actually need them.

“That was the biggest selling point for me to get involved in the organization,” said Mira, who recently was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame.

ShelterBox’s history dates back to 2000, Mira said, noting it was started by a Rotary Club.

“They wanted to help people who had lost everything,” he said.

“They came up with a kit. It had a tent. Basically, a glorified camping kit,” Mira said.

Over time, the organization grew into its own separate international entity, which is based in the United Kingdom.

A donkey hauls a cart holding a shelter box, in Ethiopia. (Courtesy of ShelterBox)

There are 14 affiliates around the world, Mira said.

“ShelterBoxUSA is right here in Lakewood Ranch, near Sarasota,” said Mira, who is a lead ambassador for the organization, and oversees the ambassadors in Florida and Georgia. He personally covers Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

Mira has done his part to spread the word, giving more than 100 presentations and raising more than $100,000. For his efforts, he recently became the 23rd person inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame.

The organization also has a location in Santa Barbara, California.

While it responds to disasters in far-off parts of the world, it also responds in the United States, he said.

“After Hurricane Katrina, when federal, state and local government were all pointing the finger at each other, and ‘Who’s problem is this?’ ShelterBox was on the ground,” he said, helping families.

“Superstorm Sandy, we responded. There wasn’t a need for the shelter. But, we left tons of mittens and scarves and hats.

These children and a woman sit in a tent provided by ShelterBox. (Courtesy of ShelterBox)

“We tailor the kits to where they are going,” Mira said.

“After the Japanese tsunami, we put a bunch of winter gloves and hats, and things like that, scarves. If it is going somewhere in Africa, we’ll put extra mosquito netting.”

It costs $1,000 for each shelter box, he said. In 2017, the organization helped 160,000 people, he added.

The organization focuses solely on helping families who have lost their shelter to operate from day to day.

“When the Haiti earthquake hit, the responder from ShelterBox called headquarters and said ‘Send everything we have.’

‘Everything in Cornwall?

‘No, everything we have around the world. We need it all.’

“We sent 28,417 shelter boxes, and an additional 7,000 just tents,” he said.

ShelterBox does not provide food.

“We work with other aid agencies. We provide the shelter. There are other agencies that provide the food, the medicine and stuff like that,” Mira said.

ShelterBox is currently responding in the Caribbean following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Bangladesh following flooding in the north and the Rohingya refugee crisis in the south, and Somaliland where people are displaced by drought. The organization is also providing aid to people displaced by conflict situations in Syria, Iraq, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Mira is proud of the organization’s record.

“We’re Charity Navigator 4-star rated, the highest rating you can get from Charity Navigator.

Anyone who would like to help can go to ShelterBoxUSA.com to donate.

“If there are any organizations who want a presentation, they can contact me,” Mira said. He can be reached at (813) 469-0243.

Published January 10, 2018

‘Dear World’ gives storytellers a voice

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Everyone has a story to tell.

Not everyone has a listener.

But, Dear World gives voice to the storyteller in each of us, with social media as the forum.

Black markers — which the nonprofit organization describes as “messages-on-skin” — open dialogues through personal stories that are universally shared.

Dear World brought its college tour to the campus of Saint Leo University on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22.

Lawson Jolly, left, director of counseling at Saint Leo University, writes a Biblical message on the arm of his daughter, freshman Justine Jolly. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Lawson Jolly, left, director of counseling at Saint Leo University, writes a Biblical message on the arm of his daughter, freshman Justine Jolly.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

More than 300 Saint Leo students and faculty picked up markers to write messages on their face, arms or other body parts. With a few words – less than a 149-character tweet – they defined the emotions and experiences in their lives.

In the next week, participants will receive emails with their portraits. Some have been posted onto Dear World’s Facebook page.

Collectively, all of the stories from the interactive portrait project touched on themes such as love, friendship, racism, bullying, depression, a lack of self-esteem and the death of family or friends.

There is greater understanding when stories are shared, said Katie Greenman, storyteller, photographer and facilitator with Dear World.

“They are speaking not just for themselves, but for others,” said Greenman. “You’ve got to know you are not alone.”

Words have meaning
Freshman Justine Jolly, 18, and her father, Lawson Jolly, shared similar messages of faith.

Across her arms, Justine Jolly chose the words “Forgiven/Romans 5:8.”

“God shows his ultimate love for us by sacrificing his life even when we are all sinners,” she said. “I feel God is the most important part of my life.”

Lawson Jolly, director of counseling at Saint Leo, made his message, “Love God, Love Others.”

“I think about maybe one of the most important beliefs I hold, it’s my faith,” he said. “Jesus asked, what is the greatest commitment? It was to love God and love thy neighbor as thy self. It sums up what I should be trying to do.”

Senior Baylie Cowart looked into the camera and held up her arms as Greenman snapped her portrait. Three words, one each on her arms and one at her throat, spoke for her – “I’m Not Broken.”

She didn’t give into depression, despite the trauma of losing her stepmother in a death by suicide.

“Instead of being held back by the past, I want to look to the future,” she said. “It inspires me every day.”

The Dear World project helps people be honest with themselves, Cowart said.

“It starts asking questions and it gets a dialogue going,” she said. “It helps the community.”

Dear World started as a nonprofit fundraising event in the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2009. Founder Robert X. Fogarty, then working in the New Orleans’s mayor’s office, asked residents to write a “love letter” to the city – Dear New Orleans.

Since then, Dear World has taken its portrait project worldwide, sharing 50,000 portraits in the languages of the world as of spring 2016. Stops have included Boston after the marathon bombing, India with victims of child slave trade, and a special project to ask people around the world, “How to Say I Love You.”

People are empowered by telling their stories, Greenman said.

“We don’t change the world,” she said. “We take the pictures of those who are.”

Storyteller session
Fostering understanding and common ground were among the goals of the visit to Saint Leo.

A special storytelling session on Sept. 22 highlighted five stories from students and faculty. In a press release, Greenman said, “They were chosen not because they were the best, but because they are reflective of others’ stories.”

Tessy K. Jacques performed “slam poetry” and recited “Midnight Rituals.” Others were Joseph D. Thompson III, a junior from New Jersey; Edson O’Neale, director of student activities; Jamilah Ray, a senior from Orlando; Tiffany Fettig, campus minister and Saint Leo Class of 2016; and Dean D. Everton, a sophomore from Brandon.

In middle school, Collin Valenti often played a game at Applebee’s Restaurant, known as “hoop jones.” Scoring a basketball hoop, brought cheers echoing the game’s name.

The moniker stuck and now as a freshman at Saint Leo, friends know him as Hoop Jones. And, the nickname suits his passion for making up rhymes.

In fun, he wrote #stophoopjones2016 across his arms.

“I’m going to own that (name),” he said. “It’s become such a thing. It’s fun to be the face of your own story.”

Freshman Fabiola Rosado thought about friendship when she wrote “I’ll Be There.”

“My friends come to me for advice,” she said. “I talk to them and give my best advice. I listen to them.”

Sophomore Michael Williams writes lyrics from phrases that pop into his mind. A failed romance, and a song he wrote, were his inspiration for “With Time, Comes Change.”

“I spiraled into a place I don’t want to be,” Williams said. “After the pity party, I tried to find out who I am and grew a lot. It’s nice to see (Dear World) does this.”

Junior Dallas Jasper liked the message that Dear World sends with its portraits.

“I kind of had to think about myself, for a few minutes,” she said.

She is on the Saint Leo volleyball team. One day aboard the team bus, the coach asked his players to pick words to describe how they want to be seen.

Jasper chose “confident,” and for Dear World, she stuck with that word as her message.

She sometimes didn’t feel sure of herself, but she said, “I’ve tried to work on that. I’ve become more competent with my self, embracing that.”

The Student Government Union, Campus Activities Board, Student Activities, Multicultural and International Services Office, Residence Life, and Counseling Services sponsored the event.

To see portrait photos, visit Facebook.com/dearworld/photos.

Published October 5, 2016