More volunteers head to Greensburg / LJWorld.com

Archive for Saturday, May 12, 2007

May 12, 2007

More Lawrence locals head to Greensburg to lend a hand

The outpouring of assistance to get Greensburg back on the map continues from across Kansas and here in Lawrence as more locals are headed to the tornado-ravaged town to lend a hand. Enlarge video

Greensburg — Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew is helping the city of Greensburg and Kiowa County rebuild their local governments.

"I've been doing anything you can imagine to help them become a functional government," Shew said Friday as he talked on a cell phone from Greensburg.

Shew is one of several Douglas County and Lawrence city employees either in Greensburg or headed there to assist with relief efforts in the aftermath of the May 4 tornado.

On Friday, Bill Stark, a division chief with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical, arrived in Greensburg to serve as deputy to the incident management team commander. Stark will assume the role of incident commander for the entire tornado recovery operation Tuesday through Friday next week.

In addition, six Lawrence police officers will be deployed to Greensburg on Sunday and will stay there for one week. Another 10 officers will leave on May 20 for a one-week deployment.

In addition to four county employees who went to Greensburg this week, four more will join the effort next week. They are Keith Campbell, deputy county clerk for elections; Patty Volle, a dispatcher in the Emergency Communications Center; Jackie Waggoner, director of purchasing; and Mike Perkins, director of operations for the Department of Public Works. They will depart Thursday and be there for a week.

The city government of Greensburg had been operating out of a tent most of the week until it moved into a trailer, Shew said. City Hall was destroyed. The courthouse is still standing, but county services are in a school building in Mullinville, a town 10 miles away, Shew said.

"The county and city workers have lost their homes," Shew said. "We're trying to help them make decisions and become resources for their citizens but still take some of the burden off of them in making things happen."

Shew said workdays start as early as 5 a.m. but end by the 8 p.m. curfew that is still in place. He said he was amazed at the amount of support that has come into Greensburg from across the state and the nation.

"There is a tremendous amount of cleanup that has occurred," he said. "They've come a long way in one week."

Also going to Greensburg next week is Midge Grinstead, executive director of the Lawrence Humane Society.

Seven members of the Douglas County All Hazards Behavioral Health Team from Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center are going to Greensburg today.

The group will offer crisis management services to community members who are tornado victims. The team is trained in on-site crisis response and will be in Kiowa County for four days.

Discussion

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12 May 2007
at 8:33 a.m.

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Pogo (Anonymous) says…

Greensburg, Kansas and Kiowa County Kansas:..hmmmmmm::let's see here as I look on the map:

Just as I thought: Greensburg and Kiowa county have the community
mental health center closest to Larned State Hospital. Now, if our
memory serves us correctly during the time of mental health reform in
Kansas (1993?; 1994?), the town fathers of Greensburg, Kansas and
Kiowa County Kansas and, ultimatley the residents of the town were not
the least bit receptive to allowing those released from Larned and
assigned to their community mental health center reside anywhere near
Greensburg. The infusion of federal housing money under Section 8 was
steadfastly thwarted one time after another; no landlord would rent to
a “crazy person”; and on and on. As I heard it, all those poor folk
were placed in nursing homes right alongside dementia patients; didn't
matter that the Larned releasee was but 24 or 30 years of age. As I
heard it, the people of Greensburg and even the people at the mental
health center didn't want much to do with these newly released
citizens. Let's just say they were not welcomed with open arms.

I hope the people of Greensburg get a whole lot better treatment from
Uncle Sam than what they gave to those disenfranchised Kansans who
depended on the community of Greensburg to give them a helping hand;
but instead got the bums rush or a quick kick in the seat of the
pants along with a sundown probation. Curious how what goes around maybe comes around? Slam us:..then do your research:..
12 May 2007
at 10:05 a.m.

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jcstepmom28 (Anonymous) says…

I am pretty sure the public employees are still being paid by their employers, plus travel, meals and lodging expenses. Either way they are still giving up personal and family time to assist fellow Kansans.
12 May 2007
at 4:22 p.m.

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chic (Anonymous) says…

Disaster Service
Leave without pay may be granted by the Director of the Human Resources and Equal Opportunity Department to faculty and staff who are certified disaster service volunteers for the American Red Cross. Such leave must meet specified criteria related to disaster designation and cannot exceed twenty (20) working days in a 12 month period beginning with the first day of leave.
20 May 2007
at 7 p.m.

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Pogo (Anonymous) says…

Hey Mr_Ramirez:

You said it…..I did not. All I did was to point out the overall mindset of the locals and those in control of this hillbilly town. The townsfolk and their leaders more identify with Oklahoma AND the Posse comitatus than they do Kansas.

While Pogo “feels” badly for the human tragedy; Pogo is compelled to remember what Pogo saw and experienced first hand. Why didn't the “good people” of this place want to give a helping hand to the fewly liberated inmates of Larned State Hospital? Why was their focus to “make a buck” off the back of the newly arrived and unwanted members of their community?

Pogo simply noted that what goes around, comes around. AND, Greensburg is in Bible Thumping territory. Praise the Lord. Right.