Volunteers still needed for Port Orchard tornado recovery, rebuilding

Chris Henry Kitsap Sun

Published 11:25 PM EST Dec 31, 2018

Tornado volunteers from Westcoast Fitness in Port Orchard finish cleaning tornado victim Tonya Pettit, center, front yard on Thursday, December, 27, 2018, on Serenade Way in Port Orchard. Pettit said they did a fantastic job.

Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

PORT ORCHARD — Volunteers stepped up in force within 24 hours of the Dec. 18 tornado that destroyed or seriously damaged dozens of homes, with initial work focused on clearing debris and salvaging belongings.
Many more Good Samaritans, some from as far away as Seattle and Olympia, stood ready to aid in rebuilding the neighborhood off Bethel Avenue that was hardest hit by the tornado.
Nearly two weeks later, long-term recovery efforts are just getting underway, and volunteers are still being recruited.
The Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church on Friday took over coordinating volunteer recruitment and deployment, which was initially handled by Team Rubicon, a national disaster response organization.
More: South Kitsap tornado victims begin long-term recovery efforts
The United Methodist Emergency Response Team has been involved in events around Washington state, including the Okanogan Complex Fire in 2015, flooding in Spokane County in 2017 and (in an advisory capacity) on the 2014 Oso mudslide.
The group's job is twofold: to register volunteers (including people who may have initially signed up but who haven't yet been assigned to a work team) and to re-evaluate homeowners' needs, said Kathy Bryson, early response team coordinator for the group, which is operating out of Port Orchard's Christian Life Center.
People wishing to volunteer must be 18 years or older and will be asked for identification.
More: Port Orchard Tornado: Efforts to cleanup damage continue
All specialties of skills and trades are welcome, along with unskilled workers. Debris removal remains the focus of current recovery efforts, so volunteers with heavy equipment for tree removal and excavation are in demand.
The UMC group will pass the volunteer roster and list of needs on to the county's tornado recovery committee that will send volunteers in teams where needed.
Emergency officials appreciate the generous hearts of community members but discourage spontaneous or unaffiliated volunteering, said Dave Rasmussen, spokesman for the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management. Homeowners should be wary of individuals unfamiliar to them or tradespeople who show up unannounced or unsolicited to do work, he said.
More: Looters may have struck house damaged by tornado
Volunteers registered through the proper channels will receive vetting and supervision that protects both the workers and the homeowners, Rasmussen said. And the effort will be more effective.
"We don't want to promote people to go in without any connection or support for their own safety and for coordination purposes and liability issues," Rasmussen said.
Carl Borg, who chairs the tornado response committee, said volunteers who enter a disaster area without adequate support — food, water, tools and protection, for example — can hamper emergency response efforts.
Kitsap County has learned from the Port Orchard tornado that in the event of a major disaster, such as an earthquake, it needs to immediately deploy a volunteer coordination system that can get the right people with the right skills to the right place at the right time.
Anyone wishing to volunteer for the Port Orchard Tornado response should visit the Community Recovery Center at Christian Life Center which is open 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (including New Year's Day) and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Volunteers and people affected by the tornado can call the center at (360) 710-6657.
United Way of Kitsap County, unitedwaykitsap.org, continues to collect donations for the Port Orchard Tornado Recovery Fund, which directly benefits people affected.
Hold off on donating household goods until emergency officials have established a mechanism to receive, store and distribute them, Borg said.

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