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07/30/2013 05:01 PM EDT
This is a nice summary of the work AmeriCorps has been doing in Galena, Alaska. They are working very hard to assist in recovery efforts after this spring's flooding along the Yukon.
In spite of the hardships, they are enduring in "the bush" - Galena is only accessible by boat or plane - they are making the most of it: "We get to talk to amazing people, do work we can be proud of, be fed moose and salmon, swim and boat on the Yukon, watch a wood-fired blacksmith forge in action, stay up till midnight to see the sunset, and play with the dogs that may be as numerous as the people. "
Like their page for regular updates and photos of their progress.
http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash3/211029_293224267488992_710782218_q.jpg
Yukon AmeriCorps Response
While there is no typical day working here in Galena, Alaska we thought we'd provide a glimpse into the work we've been doing. The Operations Crew here on the ground in Galena starts our day with a morning briefing on work orders for the day then we break into teams of 3-4, load up tools and PPE, and head out on Tiger Freeway. The work assignments generally fall into two categories: muck & gut and debris clean-up/removal. When we muck and gut a house, the goal is to get it ready for contractors to replace/rebuild anything damaged by the flood. We take out insulation underneath the houses (which are almost all up on pilings)...not as easy as it sounds...to get at the insulation you have to get boards off and some of these homes could be hurricane-proof the way they were built! So we get the insulation on the ground and then we step on it to squeeze out the massive quantities of water still being held in there. Then we cut the vapor barrier to release yet more water and we try to stand at just the right angle to not get soaked :) Then we crawl around in the mud in our Tyvex suits to clean up the huge mess we've made. Next we move to the inside of the house. We take out the water-damaged wall insulation, flooring, and subfloors if there is a mold problem--we cut around the perimeter with a circular saw then pry it up and haul it out. We take out drywall and paneling then remove gazillions of screws from the studs. We remove the appliances and take apart the bathrooms. If the materials have been barged in, we replace insulation as well. For debris clean-up we've done everything from moving snow machines and ATVs out of the brush back to the roadside to wading into flood-created lakes in a resident's back yard and pulling in their personal belongings to emptying out caches (sheds) and bagging up trash. Whatever job we do, we almost always leave behind a giant heap of trash at the roadside as our calling card. It's not all mud, sweat, cold showers, and mosquitoes though. We get to talk to amazing people, do work we can be proud of, be fed moose and salmon, swim and boat on the Yukon, watch a wood-fired blacksmith forge in action, stay up till midnight to see the sunset, and play with the dogs that may be as numerous as the people. Sam runs laps around the airport. Nick, our giant, picks up 200 lb tanks by himself. If something can go wrong it'll happen to Henery. SoCoe gets songs stuck in our heads. Megan cooks dinner for 30 people every night. Haz speaks Spanish with a traveling Russian man. Not a bad work assignment. Ernie and Sarah work like dogs to line up projects, coordinate with partnering organizations, meet with community members, solve the ever-changing logistical challenges we face here (limited resources, borrowed vehicles, no roads out, etc), keep 18 people safe and sane, help make our weekly day off fun, do massive amounts of government paperwork, and keep this whole operation going. They're amazing and without them this deployment would not have gone as well as it has. Every day we work toward the recovery effort to make this community habitable again so elders and children can come home. The devastating floods that tore through Galena on May 26 left many people homeless. Our time is going fast here in Alaska. We're working as hard as we can and continue to power through work orders (current # completed: 34). The clock is ticking for the residents of Galena because winter is coming. Wish us luck.
In spite of the hardships, they are enduring in "the bush" - Galena is only accessible by boat or plane - they are making the most of it: "We get to talk to amazing people, do work we can be proud of, be fed moose and salmon, swim and boat on the Yukon, watch a wood-fired blacksmith forge in action, stay up till midnight to see the sunset, and play with the dogs that may be as numerous as the people. "
Like their page for regular updates and photos of their progress.
http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash3/211029_293224267488992_710782218_q.jpg
Yukon AmeriCorps Response
While there is no typical day working here in Galena, Alaska we thought we'd provide a glimpse into the work we've been doing. The Operations Crew here on the ground in Galena starts our day with a morning briefing on work orders for the day then we break into teams of 3-4, load up tools and PPE, and head out on Tiger Freeway. The work assignments generally fall into two categories: muck & gut and debris clean-up/removal. When we muck and gut a house, the goal is to get it ready for contractors to replace/rebuild anything damaged by the flood. We take out insulation underneath the houses (which are almost all up on pilings)...not as easy as it sounds...to get at the insulation you have to get boards off and some of these homes could be hurricane-proof the way they were built! So we get the insulation on the ground and then we step on it to squeeze out the massive quantities of water still being held in there. Then we cut the vapor barrier to release yet more water and we try to stand at just the right angle to not get soaked :) Then we crawl around in the mud in our Tyvex suits to clean up the huge mess we've made. Next we move to the inside of the house. We take out the water-damaged wall insulation, flooring, and subfloors if there is a mold problem--we cut around the perimeter with a circular saw then pry it up and haul it out. We take out drywall and paneling then remove gazillions of screws from the studs. We remove the appliances and take apart the bathrooms. If the materials have been barged in, we replace insulation as well. For debris clean-up we've done everything from moving snow machines and ATVs out of the brush back to the roadside to wading into flood-created lakes in a resident's back yard and pulling in their personal belongings to emptying out caches (sheds) and bagging up trash. Whatever job we do, we almost always leave behind a giant heap of trash at the roadside as our calling card. It's not all mud, sweat, cold showers, and mosquitoes though. We get to talk to amazing people, do work we can be proud of, be fed moose and salmon, swim and boat on the Yukon, watch a wood-fired blacksmith forge in action, stay up till midnight to see the sunset, and play with the dogs that may be as numerous as the people. Sam runs laps around the airport. Nick, our giant, picks up 200 lb tanks by himself. If something can go wrong it'll happen to Henery. SoCoe gets songs stuck in our heads. Megan cooks dinner for 30 people every night. Haz speaks Spanish with a traveling Russian man. Not a bad work assignment. Ernie and Sarah work like dogs to line up projects, coordinate with partnering organizations, meet with community members, solve the ever-changing logistical challenges we face here (limited resources, borrowed vehicles, no roads out, etc), keep 18 people safe and sane, help make our weekly day off fun, do massive amounts of government paperwork, and keep this whole operation going. They're amazing and without them this deployment would not have gone as well as it has. Every day we work toward the recovery effort to make this community habitable again so elders and children can come home. The devastating floods that tore through Galena on May 26 left many people homeless. Our time is going fast here in Alaska. We're working as hard as we can and continue to power through work orders (current # completed: 34). The clock is ticking for the residents of Galena because winter is coming. Wish us luck.
07/30/2013 09:02 AM EDT
July 30, 2013: Administrator Fugate addresses the crowd at the DHS Public-Private Partnerships Conference in Washington, D.C. The Administrator's biggest point: understand the context of how businesses and governments operate so you can ask the right questions when solving mutual problems.
If you're on Twitter, you can follow the conversation from the conference by searching #PPPConf!
If you're on Twitter, you can follow the conversation from the conference by searching #PPPConf!
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