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Minuteman

May 4, 2024


May 3, 1999... Moore, Oklahoma was devastated by a large "wedge" tornado.
As the storm built in strength and began to approach metro-OKC... it made a turn towards the east... northeast... when before it had traveled somewhat more northerly. So, instead of sweeping west of the metro... it was beginning to cut across diagonally... and downtown Oklahoma City was in the path.

Every local television and radio station was broadcasting the imminent danger... and residents were becoming informed by friends and neighbors and building managers. Sirens blared and blared. Conflicting winds had formed a tornado that was so strong... and so wide... that every broadcaster began saying... very calmly... but very firmly...
"Get underground. You must get underground. Get shelter and put as many strong walls between you and this storm. You must do this NOW."

The city watched in horror as the tornado cut across the lovely suburban community of Moore like a lawnmower... leveling everything in its path... and its path was wide but south of downtown OKC. And... the city watched as it hit an elementary school... then a shopping center... moving towards Tinker Air Force base. It turned northerly again and seemed to be Tulsa-bound.



It was historic devastation... for many miles.
Hundreds of residents lost their homes.
People were killed in their cars as the tornado crossed a major highway.
The disaster was very sad... and very humbling.

A church was selected as a center of relief and refuge. Homeless residents... sat and slept in the pews... and behind the scene... in the cafeteria and storage buildings... the relief was being received from a long line of cars and trucks with supplies of food, water, clothing, and household goods. Volunteers were sorting the donations by size, style, and purpose. I had some items to contribute and also had organizing skills... and so I went to offer what help that I could.

For about an hour... I helped to match pairs of old shoes and put them on their designated tables. Volunteers were becoming more plenty... and so I looked for some other way to help. I found the desk that had been set up in the church foyer... and I asked the woman who was fielding people as they came to the church... if there was anything they needed that was not being donated... nothing too expensive. She said "itch cream" and "underwear for a small child."

I drove to a nearby variety store and bought several kinds of these... and took them back. When I returned... a child was waiting at the desk to take the items into the sanctuary. I asked the woman at the desk... why anti-itch cream...? She said that when the tornado tore into the houses... it sent fiberglass insulation shooting through the air like needles... and it was embedded in peoples' exposed skin.



April 27, 2024... a large tornado tore through the Oklahoma town of Sulphur.
I watched videos of the aftermath... from a homesteading channel... and two other channels coming from that small town region. All three were popular channels with a large fan base... and they were relatives and friends of each other. As they brought their equipment and manpower to the clean-up effort... they recorded the stories.


As one blogger drove through the town of Sulphur... I happened to see a relief trailer... a box trailer... maybe 12 feet long... and had to stop the video to read the print on the side of the trailer... "Minuteman"... it said... "Minuteman Disaster Response." I had never heard of this relief group. I know that there is a group that brings a cooking trailer to disaster scenes... to provide meals for rescue workers and victims. I had seen a boat group from Louisiana... called the Cajun Navy... rescue flood victims in Texas.

Those who remember the flooding of New Orleans... will remember the house-to-house searches for victims with search codes spray-painted on the doors of houses. Families were desperate to find out the well-being of their loved ones. It was organized chaos.

One of the Sulphur, Oklahoma bloggers gave the name of an account that had been set up at the local bank... to help the victims of the tornado.


I have avidly watched disaster after disaster... over many decades...
and time and time again... I saw FEMA and the Red Cross responding... or perhaps NOT responding... to the call for help. Red Cross is International. I saw again and again... thousands of people wanting to reach out to help the victims... and being thwarted... unable to discern what fund-raising was legitimate... or what was needed... if their donations would even get to their intended purpose... or how they could provide labor and assistance to the community.

I thought... "huh... surely this could all be better prepared for... better organized."
And so... I will... at this time... offer my own organizing skills to the effort.
This is just to get the idea started. I have no expertise in disaster relief.



Every town or county should have a website all set up to respond to disasters.
The site must be official and part of the state's disaster plan.
Each square-mile area would be described and given its own link on a map.
Each state would have a bank account... already set up and easy to find.
There should already be a local committee who can step in and determine how those donated funds and supplies would be dispersed... and the guidelines would already be determined by the priorities.

People in each community can go to this website and volunteer ahead of time.
Someone who has equipment or chainsaws or trailers... can discreetly post what help they may be able to give. Some people can only offer limited help... but help is help and the work can be hard and dangerous.

The disaster coordinator can use this database to contact local resources and labor. All it would take is a phone call... and the disaster relief machine could start clicking. The food would be delivered from the kitchens of restaurants... or sandwich shops... and meals would be put together with the donated funds... perhaps already donated and sitting in a bank account. Sleeping arrangements could be offered to out-of-state power workers... at hotels or apartment complexes.

Damaged trees and greenery could be sorted out from other debris... to be turned into mulch or lumber at a local mill... sorting the incoming debris... to salvage metal... or photos... whatever can be salvaged of the destruction.

The "disaster relief machine" could be ready to start its motor and handle all situations. Residents can post in their section of the website...
"The Tom Brown family and home are alive and well." ... or...
"John, Jane, and son Bill Smith are safe. Daughter Kathy is in hospital with a broken arm. Their home was destroyed."
And then John Smith would go to the "I Need..." page of the website, and fill out a form listing what his family needs... short term and long term.

The director of emergency services
will already have a staff trained to organize requests.









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