Helping Hands

I wanted to address a feeling that I find to be common in the aftermath of any catastrophe, and Katrina's aftermath is no exception: namely, the sort of helpless frustration that "average" (ie non-rescue workers, non-medical personnel, etc) people feel when the urge to do something to help, to fix things, to care for people, to make things better is not satisfied by making cash donations to relief agencies.

It is a totally natural reaction when people or animals are suffering and beloved places are destroyed, to want to reach out and help. Personally, I think that one of the strongest arguments for the essential goodness of humanity is the fact that in a time of crisis, there are *always* people eager to open their wallets or their homes, to give time and resources and consolation and love, to the afflicted. There is never a shortage of people willing to help; in most really big cases, like 9/11 in Manhattan or now with Katrina, you'll constantly hear that officials have had to turn away volunteers or that they are asking people to not just show up wanting to help.

(I suppose a cynical person would say that this isn't half so much about the goodness of humanity as it is about people wanting to look like heroes or martyrs, turning a little of the spotlight of suffering upon themselves; and I can't say that there aren't people who cannot resist inserting themselves into every picture of suffering for reasons of mere vanity. But I really believe most people's motives are pure, and hey, if someone does something good more out of self-interest than compassion, I think the ends are what really matter in that case.)

It's difficult to listen to stories of devastation and to know that the best thing to do is the thing that doesn't seem like much. It's hard to resist the impulse to run to the rescue; it's even hard to go about daily life-as-normal knowing that people are suffering and dying. It doesn't feel right, somehow. It feels selfish or uncaring.

One thing we do have to realize is that we're reacting largely to the publicity; the reality is that people are always suffering and dying, just not always in spectacular ways that grab the national attention. We do a disservice to the blessings in our lives if we can never enjoy them because we feel guilty that others lack them. On the other hand, if we have a continual awareness (or are shocked into remembering) that there *is* inequality and hardship in the world, if it spurs us to work for the betterment of the world and to really appreciate all the good things in our own lives, then any guilt feelings become energy better turned towards action than self-recrimination.

But that doesn't really address the frustration of feeling that, in time of crisis, there is more we could do or should do.

I've been thinking about this in relation to Katrina's aftermath. As I said above, I don't think there's any shortage of people willing to help, people who would drop everything and rush down to the Gulf Coast region in a heartbeat and do whatever was needed to make things better. The reality, bitter as it is, is that the leadership of the relief effort is extremely uncoordinated and inefficient right now. There are lots of brave and hard-working people down there struggling under a lack of solid direction. If there's a lack in manpower, what it reflects is a need for more personnel with specific training and experience within the command structure of an organization like the National Guard to be deployed.

And the fact of the matter is that untrained and independent volunteers, no matter how willing to help with any task, are too likely to be unable to deal with the dangerous conditions and need too many resources in terms of training, organization, food, drink, and shelter to make the cost of using them worthwhile.

That doesn't mean there's nothing to be done, but rather that the best time to try to help in a crisis is, paradoxically, when there isn't one. I mentioned in my earlier post the importance of budgeting for disaster relief funds on a regular basis as part of your charitable giving (and the Gentleman rightly pointed out that funds are much better donated to general relief funds than earmarked for a specific tragedy) so that these agencies can be prepared and equipped to move on a moment's notice.

Likewise, if you have a strong desire to help with rescue and relief efforts during crisis times, it's a good idea in non-crisis times to volunteer with an agency that does that kind of work. Even if you're helping with fundraising or administrative work or similar kinds of tasks, you're helping the organization's ability to alleviate crises; but if your desire is to be more hands-on, it's during the quiet times that there is the luxury of getting training and preparation so that you can be deployed to the site of a disaster if necessary. If you want to be even more committed, you can try to get a job with an agency like that so that you can do it full time, or become an EMT or a volunteer firefighter, or join the National Guard. It's definitely admirable to want to commit a significant part of your life to helping others, if that's what you feel called to do.

But if for some reason you don't feel like you can do that kind of work, there are still ways to help. Getting politically active in certain causes is one; every area, every community has its vulnerabilities, and when things are going well, too many people are willing to ignore them, even though it is extremely rare for a disaster to truly come out of the blue and there's usually some warning of potential trouble. The frustrating part is that you might not win. The people in New Orleans who fought against developers draining vital wetlands, or who struggled to get funding to fortify the city against storms and floods, or even who worked to improve conditions for the poorest people in the city-- they lost the battle; their fears were proven valid. But at least they fought the good fight and didn't turn a blind eye to potential problems.

You can start at home by making a survival plan for you and your loved ones in the event that a disaster hits where you live, or if you are caught in one away from home. Paranoid as it may sound, the best way to reduce casualties in a crisis is for as many people as possible to be prepared and ready to get themselves out. (This is in no way intended to blame anyone for being financially or physically incapable of leaving an endangered area, but rather to point out that if you are able to rescue yourself and your loved ones, you are still helping.) If you are fairly well off, or have a big vehicle or other resources, you can include in your plan contingencies for helping some less fortunate folks leave as well.

You can write to your representatives, and choose who you vote for based on their track record in crisis management or their commitment to funding and supporting emergency services. You can write letters to the editor or articles for your local publications (or those in other areas) with information about risks that need to be managed or programs that need funding or the effect of bad legislation on a vulnerable area or community.

In this particular situation, if you are in an area that is experiencing a genuine fuel shortage (like the Carolinas), you can conserve fuel to try to keep it available for emergency or law enforcement vehicles.

And you can keep sharing information, keep checking in with relief agencies to see if there are any new requests you can help with and tell others about, especially once the worst of the crisis has been managed and there may actually be goods or tasks that the general populace is asked to contribute.

If nothing else, you can-- probably when things quiet down a bit-- send letters and cards to the people who were out there on the front lines and thank them for their work and the risks they took. It's their job, sure, but everyone likes to know that people are out there appreciating what they've done.

And honestly, as much as it feels "too easy" to sit in your comfortable home and get online or write a check to give money when a disaster is raging elsewhere, remember that you are doing a lot of good even with a small contribution. Hard cash is a really versatile thing. It means fuel for emergency vehicles. It means food and water for the victims. It means medical supplies and extra generators and transportation away from the most dangerous areas.

The hardest part of any situation like this one, I think, and one that perhaps in part fuels the desire to DO SOMETHING, is accepting that no matter how well prepared you are or how hard you work or how many people pitch in, you can't stop bad things from happening. Sometimes disasters will strike, and by their very nature things will be destroyed and people will often die or be injured. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't work to prevent the ones that we can prevent, that we shouldn't take safety measures or do whatever we can to minimize the impact. We do what we can. But we can't protect the world from everything. In the end, we can do our best, and take comfort in the knowledge that most of the people in the world are basically good and kind and willing to help pick up the pieces when someone else's world shatters.

Comments

[A Gentleman and a Scowler]

Thank you.