Hurricane Katrina Press Releases

Hurricane season ends, recovery continues
     (December, 2005) Though the 2005 hurricane season ended on November 30, increased levels of food distribution continue here at the Bay Area Food Bank.  The people on the Mississippi and Alabama coasts are still struggling, and we are still working to help them with the food and supplies they need. Thankfully, immediate needs are being met now that the majority of communities have power and water services restored to all but the most severely damaged homes.
     Having just finished the most active hurricane season in history, it’s time to look back on the season.  Last year, suffering the impact of Hurricane Ivan and seeing the other Hurricanes crisscross central Florida, Food Bank staff thought we had seen the worst. Not so, Hurricane Katrina was a worst-case scenario. But, many forget that by the time Katrina struck, a record breaking number of early storms had already been recorded. The Bay Area Food Bank staff was just completing support related to the July landfall of Hurricane Dennis which caused significant damage as it came across in Navarre Beach, and continued through portions of Santa Rosa and Escambia County, Florida.  We distributed over 120,000 pounds of food through our Pace, Florida warehouse following Hurricane Dennis with the last community distribution occurring on August 20th. Then along came Katrina.
     Hurricane Katrina was a new challenge for the Food Bank, and the network.  Coping with damage to both our facilities, the loss of use of the Gulfport Subsidiary, and the shear scope of the disaster caused the staff of 24 to take on a workload routinely handled by three times their number while also dealing with damaged homes on a personal level. Yet, the staff was able to distribute over 4 million pounds in the first 30 days following the storm, begin the rebuilding of their damaged homes and maintain a positive spirit. Hurricane season ended 90 days after Katrina’s Mississippi landfall. Weekly requirements have gradually declined from the 1 million plus pounds per week in disaster supplies to the 200,000 pounds per week range. While the 7 million pounds of food we’ve distributed has been invaluable to recovery, it remains difficult to gauge the next phase of Katrina recovery. We are still working through over 20 Mississippi organizations ensuring people have the food and supplies they need. But a new wrinkle as entered the picture. Katrina devastated the 13 Casinos on the Mississippi coast which employed members of 15 to 20% of the households in the area. Most Casinos were able to cover wages for 90 days after Katrina. And, while three Casinos will reopen before January 1^st, the others will not be able to continue to pay employees and are months away from reopening. We will now see a surge in unemployment, causing additional people to need assistance in the coming months.
     This Christmas season is going to be very difficult for many families. Still, we consistently see evidence that America cares. Toy drives small and large, Holiday meal programs and a host of other creative efforts show America’s concern every day. The New Year holds great promise for improvement with the arrival of building supplies, organization of volunteer construction teams, rebuilding and reopening of businesses and passage of Government recovery legislation to help with road and bridge repairs. Unlike New Orleans, the people of the Coast were able to stay close to their home, they’ve returned to whatever is left and are working hand in hand with their neighbors rebuilding communities. I am confident the support of America’s Second Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network, as well as all the donations provided from across the America are going to help us maintain our support to the community until the task of rebuilding is done.

For additional information contact:
Shearie Archer or Anita Havel, Bay Area Food Bank – 251-653-1617 sarcher@bayareafoodbank.org or ahavel@bayareafoodbank.org

September 22, 2005
(Email update to the directors of the food banks of America's Second Harvest)

Hi All,  
     It has been 25 days since Hurricane Katrina. I figured I’d send another update on our work here along the Gulf Coast before Rita makes landfall and creates a whole new set of problems for the network.
     The food bank passed the 3 million pound mark in distribution earlier this week and has an additional 1 million pounds of food inbound from the efforts of the network staff. In addition to the 132 donated loads from the network, (over 100 have already arrived), we’ve had 10 USDA disaster loads, 6 Oprah donated loads, and approximately 10 direct loads from other donors. 5 of the original 6 loaned staff members will have departed by tomorrow and we have received new staff from Oregon , San Jose , Sacramento and Colorado which is maintaining our strength. To all who have loaned staff members, thanks! They’ve each pitched in and done terrific work, sometimes nothing like what they came to do, in helping us distribute over 5 times our usual rate. We have also received 8 FEMA funded temporary employees who are being trained on various warehousing duties to help us in the long haul recovery effort. 
     For the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast the relief effort is largely complete and we are now in the recovery effort. That means many of the hot feeding sites are standing down, people are camped on their property or in some form of temporary shelter. The next few months will continue to require expanded food distribution because those living close to the edge financially are now waiting for financial assistance, water and power still needs to be fully restored and then commercial businesses need to restock. As a result, most of the 140 different organizations we’ve distributed to will be shifting from constant distribution to periodic mass distributions, probably on weekends, as those people in the disaster area restart jobs or assist with clean-up during the week.  
     Damage estimates become more and more refined every day. It appears that this storm has affected our Mississippi/west Alabama service area at approximately 3 times the level that Hurricane Ivan impacted our Florida/east Alabama service area last year. That translates to somewhere in the range of 80,000 people significantly impacted out of the coastal Mississippi population of roughly 300,000. Where New Orleans is largely a displaced persons relief effort due to flooding, our service area has much of the population in place but in vastly substandard living conditions. I can report that our two person Gulfport SDO, Twelve Baskets, amazingly escaped significant damage in spite of the buildings on either side being destroyed. The Branch manager, Jennifer Knue is back at work getting the building cleaned and waiting on the return of water and power-still weeks away. Unfortunately her assistant, Brenda Williams suffered a total loss of her home and has had to move in with one of her children’s family, an all too common situation.   
     I’ll close this update by saying that support from Mike and Al’s staffs has been outstanding in what has to be the biggest challenge the network has ever faced. Two examples of their effort; to get rental Reefer trucks on site to increase our direct distribution, the Chicago staff had to go all the way to Iowa before they could find available trucks. And, when I identify a particular need, such as a request for a supply of Pedialyte in case intestinal problems should develop among returnees, the staff finds the item and gets it to us. There is no doubt that the Chicago staff is clearly focused on doing their best to get us through this disaster. Doug O’Brien’s staff is helping cut, no eliminate, red tape in getting USDA food to each of us to assist with emergency distribution. 
     This morning the local NBC affiliate featured the food bank with a lead in that essentially said, “there is one area organization that has worked effectively since Katrina struck” and closed with a comment that the one thing not found anywhere at the Food Bank was “Red Tape.”  We got the credit, but it is the entire network that can take pride in the statement.  

Dave Reaney
Executive Director
Bay Area Food Bank

Katrina blows away Food Bank's budget

     ( September 13, 2005) The Bay Area Food Bank is depleting the organization’s operational budget to the tune of $25,000 per week while helping feed the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  The Food Bank’s 21 county service area includes the eight southern-most counties in Mississippi, all of Coastal Alabama and the four western Counties in the Florida Panhandle (struck by Hurricane Dennis in July and Hurricane Ivan last September).
     “We are looking at a cost of $100,000 per month to support impacted areas in Mississippi and Alabama long term.  We receive very little direct funding to support our disaster operations.   Most people think that if they support Red Cross than they are also supporting the Food Bank.   NOT SO.  While we work closely with the Red Cross and redistribute excess food they identify, we do not receive any funding from Red Cross campaigns.   We also do not receive funds from FEMA or any other governmental organization for hurricane relief efforts,” according to David W. Reaney, the Executive Director of the Bay Area Food Bank and a retired Army Colonel.  
     COL Reaney explained that the Food Bank is still trying to recover the $65,000 spent to distribute 1.5 million pounds of food to the Alabama and Florida victims of Hurricane Ivan in September and October of 2004.   Only half of those funds have been recovered through the joint United Way of Southwest Alabama and Community Foundation of Southwest Alabama campaign as well as from United Way of Baldwin County and Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties in Florida. Meanwhile, we have served the Gulf Coast for close to 25 years.  After all is said and done, we will continue our normal operations serving people in personal and financial disaster through our 550 member churches and non-profit agencies.  
     In the two weeks since Hurricane Katrina, the Food Bank has distributed close to 2 million pounds of food in Mississippi and southern Alabama. Our branch facility in the Pensacola, Florida area has started supporting four church shelters set up to feed and house displaced persons, mostly from Mississippi.  We elevated our support in Mississippi because our Subsidiary warehouse, Twelve Baskets Food Bank, located in Gulfport Mississippi was in the heart of the Mississippi destruction. Although the structure survived, it will not be operational for some time due to location, lack of power and the need to clean out significantly damaged product.  While we continue to contact our 50 agencies along the Mississippi Coast to restart their distribution, we continue to supply distribution sites set up by local churches, the National Guard or any other group helping people in need. 
     As a member of America’s Second Harvest, the Nation’s Food Bank Network, we receive four or five truck loads of food and disaster relief products daily with over 90 truckloads, (over 3 million pounds) already identified for our distribution effort. The USDA has provided 6 emergency loads, most arriving this past weekend and we’ve received two diverted Red Cross loads of shelf stable milk and Frozen Chicken. 
     To help with what has become a five-fold increase in work we have support staff from six other Food Banks and two trucks. Ft Myers has sent a Reefer and warehouse worker (Andrew). Waterloo, Iowa has sent a Driver, Jeff (handling the Fort Myers truck). Kansas City has sent a truck and driver, Rusty. Columbus Georgia has sent a Driver, David. The New York City Food Bank has sent a volunteer coordinator, Ray. And, Concord, CA has sent an operation’s Manager, Steve.
     A local Baptist church, located about six miles from the warehouse, has hundreds of volunteers sorting food and making food boxes with loaned equipment. They are making up over 1,000 boxes per day and load them into smaller truck/trailer loads going to rural communities or neighborhoods. Volunteer organizations providing medium-sized trucks are diverted to them for box pickups while the warehouse handles pallet-level distribution with our trucks and a number of large trucks in the area from a wide assortment of disaster relief organizations and churches.  This process allows volunteer groups to distribute food in parking lots to large groups or house-to-house depending on the local situation.  
     ”Recovery following a hurricane is a long process when the community agencies themselves are also in the disaster area and to put Katrina recovery in perspective” according to COL Reaney, “only about 60% of our west Florida agencies have been able to return to helping the community since Hurricane Ivan struck 12 months ago and some are still recovering from Hurricane Dennis which struck in July. At the same time, our distribution in west Florida since last September has increased 50% because of increased need and I expect a similar situation over the next year with our Mississippi service area and with need in our Alabama and Florida service area related to displaced persons.” 
     So far, in addition to the millions of pounds of food, we received a $25,000 grant from America’s Second Harvest to help with the immediate upsurge in activity/costs we’ve experienced and will experience in the coming weeks.  Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale has provided the Food Bank $10,000 we’ve received a generous donation of $10,000 from a local businessman as well as additional funds from a host of individual donors.  What the Food Bank really needs now is money to cover the cost of rental equipment, fuel, boxes and a host of other items to continue supporting disaster operations according to COL Reaney. “America’s Second Harvest and the entire Food Bank Network are pouring the food into us thanks to the generosity of hundreds of food producers as well as community food drives.”
     Thanks to all for the support and offers of support. It is truly appreciated. You can track the daily progress and find some pictures on the Food Bank’s web site www.bayareafoodbank.org.  If you would like to donate funds please send checks to the Bay Area Food Bank at 5248 Mobile South Street, Theodore, Alabama 36582 or call (251) 653-1617.

(An email sent Sept. 10, 2005 from Bay Area Food Bank Executive Director, Dane Reaney, to the Directors of the other food banks in the America's Second Harvest network.)

Hi all,  
     Knowing everyone is starved for information I figured I’d send something out today to let you know what terrific support we’ve been receiving and give you our perspective as the food bank on the eastern edge of Katrina- nicked by the storm but not in the main area of destruction.
     In the first 48 hours after the Hurricane the Bay Area Food Bank struggled to keep the main facility viable. Our main warehouse received winds exceeding 90 MPH, suffered $75,000 to $100,000 in damage and lost commercial power. A part on our emergency generator worked loose through the night, probably due to the winds, which resulted in our 400 gallon diesel tank blowing out diesel and running dry in 12 hours instead of the usual 40 hours. While EMA/national Guard took a request for emergency fuel, the staff siphoned gas from the diesel trucks to keep the generator functioning about 50% of the time. It was 30 hours before the National Guard diesel arrived. Our SDO located in Gulfport Mississippi was in the heart of the Mississippi destruction. Although the structure survived, it will not be operational for some time due to location, lack of power and the need to clean out significant damaged product. Our Pace, Florida branch suffered minor damage for the third time, (Ivan and Dennis) but had power restored within 24 hours.
     In the first several days 90% of communication with Chicago was via personal cell phone due to line outages, we were lucky to have even that. 50% of the Theodore staff suffered damage to their homes and all but one lost power for times ranging from three to seven days. Yet, all were at work for the first four days after the Hurricane before we could start letting individuals take a day to clean-up their house and find gas. Today all have power, some have tarps on their roofs awaiting repair and FEMA has started picking up the mounds of debris along every curb in town.
     Our 21 county service area includes the eight southern-most counties in Mississippi , all of Coastal Alabama and the four western Counties in the Florida Panhandle (struck by Hurricane Dennis in July and Ivan last September). Calls to our 80 plus Mississippi agencies in the first week after the Hurricane yielded no response. Even today we have had direct contact with only 3 agencies. As a result we distribute based on word of mouth from Sheriff Departments, EMA centers, Red Cross and any other source of information we can find. 
     In the first ten days since the Hurricane, the Bay Area Food Bank has distributed approximately 1.5 million pounds of food in Mississippi and southern Alabama . Our branch facility in the Pensacola Florida area has started supporting four church shelters set up to feed and house displaced persons, mostly from Mississippi .      Checking this morning, the Chicago office has over 50 loads on our arrived or inbound list totaling over 2 million pounds of food and disaster relief products. The USDA has provided 6 emergency loads, most arriving today, while we’ve received two diverted Red Cross loads (UHT Milk and Frozen Chicken). We were also allocated 6 or 7 loads from the Oprah donation. I can not easily count the loads
     We currently have 6 Food Bank staff and two trucks assisting us. Ft Myers has sent a Reefer and warehouse worker (Andrew). Waterloo , Iowa has sent a Driver, Jeff (handling the Fort Myers truck). Kansas City has sent a truck and driver, Rusty. Columbia Georgia has sent a Driver, David. New York City has sent a volunteer coordinator, Ray. And, Concord , CA has sent an operation’s Manager, Steve.
     Daysprings Baptist church, located about six miles from the warehouse, has hundreds of volunteers sorting food and making food boxes with loaned equipment. They are making up over 1,000 boxes per day and load them into smaller truck/trailer loads going to rural communities or neighborhoods- 60,000 pounds yesterday alone. Trucks are diverted to them for box production while the warehouse handles pallet level distribution with our trucks and a number of large trucks in the area from a wide assortment of disaster relief organizations and churches.  
     Knowing that our Mississippi and Alabama service area is only part of the area impacted area should give you and indication of the scope of this operation when you add the other partners involved in this effort. I receive calls from Mike Halligan, Al Brislain, Dan LaBonte, as well as Mark, Stephanie or Mitzi daily to see if there is anything additional we need and check on how things are going. Ertharin contacts me periodic for a “sanity check” as well. We also received a much appreciated immediate $25,000 grant to help with the immediate upsurge in activity/costs we’ve experienced and will experience in the coming weeks.  
     The national staff is also working to determine the long range needs we’ll have as the 1^st phase of relief dies down and we move into supporting agencies trying to restart after their repairs are complete and handle vastly increased numbers of requests for support. To put this in perspective, only about 60% of our west Florida agencies have returned to helping the community since Hurricane Ivan struck 12 months ago next week. At the same time, distribution in west Florida since last September has increased 50% to meet the needs. I expect a similar situation over the next year with our Mississippi service area and with need in our Alabama and Florida service area related to displaced persons.  
     Thanks to all for the support and offers of support. It is truly appreciated. You can track our daily progress and find some pictures on our web site www.bayareafoodbank.org  
    

Hurricane Katrina hits Mississippi coast

     (September 1, 2005) The Bay Area Food Bank main warehouse in Theodore (Mobile), Alabama has stopped food distribution to regular member agencies in order to provide food to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster relief organizations like the American Red Cross.   The Bay Area Food Bank service area extends to 21 counties about 200 miles from east of DeFuniak Springs, Florida to the Louisiana state line.  
     Basically, the Food Bank serves 50 agencies along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and northward to the outskirts of Hattiesburg impacted the catastrophic category 5 storm.   Over 50% of the support provided by the Bay Area Food Bank to southern Mississippi is normally conducted thru a subsidiary called Twelve Baskets Food Bank, a program of Catholic Social Services of Biloxi, Mississippi. Twelve Baskets’ warehouse is still standing, but will not be usable for an extended time.
     Meanwhile, volunteers are joining the food bank staff to build emergency food boxes for distribution to Mississippi and Alabama communities from our Mobile County warehouse stock.  America’s Second Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network, have energized our network of over 200 food banks to support us with additional trucks, staff and food. The first truck of disaster relief supplies arrives on Saturday, September 3^rd.
     Despite some minor damage to the roof of the main warehouse, the Bay Area Food Bank is operational on our emergency generator system.  During the 30 days following landfall of Hurricane Ivan, the Food Bank distributed 1.35 million pounds of relief supplies valued at $2.5 million to over 70 agencies located in 12 counties in southwest Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.   Hurricane Ivan relief cost approximately $75,000. Providing support for Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast is expected to cost $100,000 per month.
     A longer-term challenge facing The Bay Area Food Bank is the economic dislocation affecting the thousands of low-income and working class Gulf Coast residents who will not be able to recoup all of their losses.  Jobs that have disappeared because businesses are closed, homes that were destroyed by high winds and floods, health problems created or exacerbated by mandatory evacuations.  Each loss will require hard-pressed families to dip into income or savings that just doesn’t meet their needs.  Over the coming months, The Bay Area Food Bank will be providing food and grocery products to alleviate the unexpected family budget crises.   The Food Bank is receiving calls for displaced Hurricane victims from Mississippi and Louisiana.  Many have found shelter in hotels in Mobile and surrounding counties all of which we serve.   Refugees from Mother Nature have found themselves running out of funds to continue.  Alabama Governor Bob Riley has opened the doors to schools in Alabama for the children of Mississippi and Louisiana. USDA has declared all the children in the disaster area eligible for free lunch.
     The Food Banks of America’s Second Harvest will provide us with tremendous food support. Organizations and individuals wanting to help the Bay Area food Bank during this disaster can provide a donation of funds or contact us to volunteer their time in helping us serve those impacted in southern Mississippi and Alabama. If concerned individuals would like to volunteer time please contact Jim Brewer at (251) 653-1617.   To make a contribution visit www.bayareafoodbank.org or send to 5248 Mobile South Street, Theodore, Alabama 36582.   For more information, please call (251) 653-1617.

For additional information contact: Shearie Archer or Anita Havel, Bay Area Food Bank – 251-653-1617 sarcher@bayareafoodbank.org or ahavel@bayareafoodbank.org