After the Tornadoes: How You Can Help

One thing you often hear from people who’ve seen a disaster up close is that images from televisions, the internet and newspapers don’t come close to doing it justice. Another thing witnesses say is that after seeing such devastation for yourself, you feel like you have to do something to help.

Both those things are absolutely true, I recently discovered.

I grew up in western Massachusetts, and as I drove yesterday to Holyoke to visit my parents, I decided to take a detour through downtown Springfield. I had no agenda; I suppose nothing more than curiosity about what the tornado devastation was really like, after hearing reports from friends and family members (all of whom were unaffected, thankfully), compelled me to see it for myself. My good friend Pamela drove home from work with the tornado about 100 feet from her car at one point and said it was more terrifying than she’d ever be able to put into words; my brother described the aftermath as “something you’d see in Missouri or Afghanistan.”

I was actually born in Springfield but never spent much time there growing up, so it took me awhile to find the areas hardest hit. I made a few turns in the downtown area and suddenly—there it was. Streets cordoned off and diverted. Buildings leveled. Homes destroyed. A bed, still partially made, on a sidewalk. I could continue to try to describe it, but in this case, words are only words. Seeing really is believing.

As I surveyed the scene around me, where I happened to park my car caused me to refocus my purpose entirely. I ended up right next to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, which, a volunteer outside told me, is providing temporary shelter, food, clothing and the like to people affected by the tornado, in addition to its usual tasks of housing and advocating for animals. Their building sustained some damage, but all staff, volunteers and animals are safe. The house next to it, however, was thoroughly demolished and the whole street in general, badly hit.

Until my brief conversation with the volunteer, coupled with the images before me, I certainly wasn’t thinking in terms of posting information on a local news website based in a community some 80 miles away, but after taking down the shelter’s information, it was all I could think about. I thought about the countless times other disasters had occurred where I had the vague thought of wanting to help, but couldn’t always find the information I needed before I lost momentum, and that other well-meaning people must feel similarly stymied in such times. I ran my thoughts by Patrick Clark, the Acton Patch editor, who quickly agreed that there may be many people on our end of the state who want to do something, but don’t quite know how to go about it.

Once that happened, I went in search of some photos to post (I only had my phone camera with me) and Pamela sent me those of Kayla Motto, a friend of her daughter. I called Kayla to ask her permission to use the photos, and learned that her house, located in the Island Pond Road area, had largely been spared, but that many homeowners around her had not been so fortunate.

“Our house is in OK condition compared to many around us, and we feel thankful we have somewhere to live,” said Kayla, a 20-year-old college student, adding that on the night the tornado hit, what would have normally been a 10-minute walk to her home took her and her friends two hours, during which they climbed over piles of debris in the pitch dark.

We in the Acton area also had some pretty frightening weather that night, and there but by the grace of God, the universe, or simply the weather patterns, were we spared. What if we weren’t, though? Wouldn’t we all feel better knowing communities 80, 90, 100, 1000 miles away wanted to help us?

Many organizations in the Springfield, West Springfield, Westfield and Monson areas are looking for donations to continue providing help to tornado victims. These include:

• American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter, 506 Cottage Street, Springfield, MA 01104 (or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10, the charge to appear on your cell phone bill)
• Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, attn: Virginia Webb, 171 Union St., Springfield, MA 01105
• Open Pantry Community Services, Inc., 287 State St., P.O. Box 5127, Springfield MA 01101-5127

According to information on the Tolland, Ct. Patch site, to help with tornado relief in Monson, Mass., donations are being accepted by the following organizations:

• Food and supplies donations: Monson First Church, 3 High St., Monson, MA 01057, 413-267-3312
• Monetary donations: "Monson Tornado Victims Relief Fund" c/o Monson Savings Bank, attn: Malissa Tatro, 146 Main Street, Monson, MA 01057

Also, check www.masslive.com for updates and additional information on organizations looking for donations. As well, please consider 'recommending' this story on your facebook page to help circulate it.

Author’s note: I want to sincerely thank Pamela Hervieux and Kayla Motto for the coordination efforts that made it possible for this story to go from inception to completion in a matter of hours, and Patrick Clark for agreeing to post it.