The Crimson White

10 Friday, April 27, 2012

NEWS

The Crimson White

Tuscaloosa Service plays major Forward lays role in city’s rebirth groundwork for recovery

By Taylor Holland | News Editor

CSC EVENTS

By Mazie Bryant Staff Reporter mrbryant@crimson.ua.edu

In one of his first press conferences following the storm, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox told residents the recovery process wouldn’t take days or weeks. It would take months and years.

Since that time, 99 percent of the FEMA-estimated 1.5 million cubic yards of debris caused by the tornado has been removed, thanks in part to volunteers from across the city and the country.

At last count, more than 24,000 volunteers have logged more than 220,000 hours of service through the Tuscaloosa Area Volunteer Reception Center since last April’s tornado, said Kim Montgomery, volunteer coordinator supervisor for the TAVRC. The numbers are impressive, Montgomery said, adding that the volunteers working to rebuild the city have astounded her day in and day out.

“They’ve shown a great commitment to our community,” she said. “We’ve seen so many volunteers who are committed to the ongoing process; volunteers that are going to go past the anniversary. They have a mission to stay the course.”

Throughout the recovery process, Montgomery said students from the University of Alabama have been the core of the TAVRC and its efforts.

“It’s difficult for people with families and jobs to volunteer during the week,” she said.

“During those times when families and professionals have other priorities, it’s really shined a light on the commitment students have. I think UA students have been unmatched

HOW TO HELP West Alabama Food Bank When: Mondays, noon to 2 p.m.

Volunteers will sort donated food and conduct mobile food pantries.

Contact: Jade Watters jawatters@crimson. ua.edu in their efforts.”

Likewise, the Community Service Center on the UA campus has seen many students volunteer in all aspects of the rebuilding process.

Wahnee Sherman, director of the CSC, said that although there is really no way to know just how many volunteer hours have been logged through the organization, students have helped with everything from debris removal to rebuilding.

“Our students have been invaluable throughout this process,” Sherman said. “So many of our students were helped by others, so it was only natural that they would want to continue to help others. I knew they would seek out ways to help this community. Through something like this, students become even more connected to the community that is their home.”

Sherman said she hoped the CSC’s focus on recovery, through numerous events such as Hands On Tuscaloosa,

Boys & Girls Club of Tuscaloosa When: Tuesdays, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Volunteers will assist in classrooms in a local elementary school.

Contact: Tara Youngblood tsyoungblood@crimson.ua.edu

Tuscaloosa’s One Place at Matthews Elementary When: Tuesdays, 3 to 5 p.m.

Volunteers will assist with arts and crafts projects at an after school program.

Contact: Paige Bussanich pmbussanich@crimson.

its Family Weekend Service Project and others, has led to an increased spirit of giving overall.

“We have tried to really focus on understanding what the nonprofits in our community need and how our students can help with those needs,” she said.

“We’ve continued to try to make sure our students can be that kind of resource to the organizations in this community who have been and continue to help people who need help in the Tuscaloosa area.”

Since April 27, Sherman said students have been good about helping out wherever and however they are needed, which has prevented the CSC from having any problems gaining volunteers and resources for nontornado related work.

“I think the thing that sticks out the most is that our students truly want to make a difference in this community,” she said. “I think they understand the community in a way that they didn’t

before April 27, 2011, and they feel more connected to the community. That has driven their desire to want to give back.”

Andres Mendieta, student director of volunteer outreach and public relations at the CSC, said he has been exposed to the many issues that plagued Tuscaloosa before the tornado through the work he has done since last April.

“Before the tornado, I thought of volunteering as simply helping those less fortunate than myself,” Mendieta said. “Now, I see those that I volunteer for more so as neighbors and fellow citizens. People of all socioeconomic statuses were affected by the tornado and we are all victims together. The tornado really put into perspective the relationship I’ve had with my fellow man.”

Both Montgomery and Sherman said their respective organizations plan to continue with the city’s recovery process indefinitely.

Counseling, community mend emotional wounds

By Melissa Brown Senior Staff Reporter mbrown104@crimson.ua.edu Long after the tornado receded and the rubble settled, the April 27 tornado continued to tear through people’s hearts and minds.

Many students and residents affected by the tornado have dealt with ongoing psychological and emotional injuries as physical wounds have healed.

“The stress, the anxiety, a lot of grief and loss issues can culminate in affecting a person’s mental state,” said Larry Deavers of Tuscaloosa’s Family Counseling Service.

Master’s student Jessica Trull said she had always been frightened of storms and was always certain she would die in one. She huddled in the bathroom of her University Village apartment on April 27, listening to the roaring of the twister and debris flying around. Though she escaped unharmed, she still calls it her “worst nightmare.”

Trull can remember the weeks following that day vividly, when she spent time at her parents’ home to cope with the immensity of the situation.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Trull said.

“I stayed busy so I wouldn’t have to think about it or focus on it. My mom would try and help me, try to make me take Nyquil. But I didn’t want to go to sleep. I felt like I couldn’t help when I was asleep.”

Though separated from Tuscaloosa, Trull sought solace in talking with others via the Internet.

“I turned to social networking,” said Trull, who used her blog to organize donations for victims. “I just tried to spread the word and just let people know. I didn’t feel so separated and alone because everyone else was talking about their experiences.”

Holly Prewitt, a counselor at UA’s Counseling Center, said Trull isn’t alone with leaning on peers to cope. The Counseling Center hosts a weekly Tornado Recovery and Support group.

“When they share their stories, it makes them feel like they weren’t the only ones that went through it,” Prewitt said.

“Someone else understands exactly what happened to them.

They are usually able to identify how their situations are similar.”

Deavers said as time passes, the Family Counseling Service deals less with grief and more with stress relating to residual effects of the tornado.

“What we’re seeing lately is people who are facing a new living situation, different than what they were living before,” he said. “There are some people who are still living in a hotel a year later. Those kinds of stressors can really drain a person’s emotional or mental resources.”

Deavers said the Family Counseling Service treats clients who are dealing with crippling uncertainty.

“Their living situations, their income [are] things they may have taken for granted prior to the tornado. But now it’s ‘Where am I going to be in

WHERE TO GET HELP • Family Counseling Service – office@counselingservice.org; (205) 752-2504 • UA Counseling Center – (205) 348-3863 a month?,’” he said. “People really get a sense of security by having stability in their life.”

Though Trull’s apartment sustained minimal damage and she was physically safe, the psychological trauma she experienced is long lasting. Now she avoids situations that might trigger painful memories from that day.

“It still terrifies me when I hear the sirens, even though I know it’s just a test,” she said.

“The perfume I was wearing during that time – if I smell it now, I will start crying. The aftermath, when we came out of our buildings - why did nothing happen to me and and something happen to them? It’s hard to cope with those questions.”

Deavers said the anniversary might be a time that people revisit those painful questions, depending on the person.

“It really comes down to their own perspective or attitude about it,” he said. “Some people may very well say this is a milestone, we’ve survived a year. A lot of people there might have frustrations when they think that it’s been a year, and certain things haven’t been fixed.”

For Trull, coping with the tornado means not contemplating the one-year anniversary.

“I don’t know how I’m going to feel in that moment,” she said. “Maybe overwhelming sadness, but that’s such a useless emotion to feel. I’ve really just been trying not to think about it.”

Prewitt said many students are apprehensive about tornado commemorations, fearing flashbacks of painful memories.

“I think clients see it as a milestone, that they’ve reached a year past the tornado,” she said. “But most plan to be with family and friends instead of being out in the community.

That’s where they get their comfort. They don’t want to relive it. They want to think it as a year has gone by, and I’ve survived.”

Deavers said people would naturally begin to reflect strongly on the memories they have coped with as the anniversary approaches.

“Sometimes reflecting can be good, but sometimes, people can get so caught up in reflecting that it’s very depressing,” he said. “The key is to mentally acknowledge that you’ve survived a year, that things are different and will never be the same. Memorialize it for yourself, but don’t allow it to consume you.”

After the storm destroyed or damaged 5,300 homes and 350 businesses in 12 percent of the city, city officials created the Tuscaloosa Forward Strategic Community Plan to Renew and Rebuild.

Meredith Lynch, the public relations coordinator for incident command of Tuscaloosa, explains that this plan was developed on the premise that through well-formulated planning, decision-making and community collaboration, Tuscaloosa can be an even stronger city.

Since the tornado, the city has issued over 290 permits for repairs and new construction of commercial buildings and over 2280 permits for residential buildings.

However, the Tuscaloosa Forward team has encountered several setbacks in their continued quest for recovery.

Tuscaloosa’s Director of Planning and Development Services John McConnell found that pre-tornado zoning regulations, which control the overall pattern of development of properties, hindered quick rebuilding.

Enacted in 1972, the old regulations were designed to produce a suburban pattern of land development similar to the University Mall, including spread out areas with large parking lots and landscaping.

“In some cases, those very restrictive suburban rules that were established 40 years ago made it difficult to reconstruct some of the homes and businesses to their pre-tornado status in the impacted areas,” McConnell said. “Realizing that changes would be needed in order to help people get back on their feet, we worked diligently to draft and adopt new codes that were less restrictive.”

These new commercial codes, which allow greater flexibility to property owners, were adopted on Jan. 17, eight months after the disaster. However, new residential codes are still being developed and are scheduled for adoption near the end of May. Ken Fridley, the department head of civil, construction and environmental engineering at the University, believes the new zoning will prove beneficial to the city.

“It gives us the opportunity to step back and reform parts of town using modern innovations instead of working with what was in place many years ago,” he said. “It takes time, but from an engineering standpoint, it’s good to take things slow and make sure decisions are backed up with resilient structures. In the end, I think we will have a stronger community because of it.”

Similarly time consuming, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and the city council elected to hire a consultant to revise old floodway maps after the April tornadoes.

Tuscaloosa Storm Drainage Engineer Chad Christian explains that as a member of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, Tuscaloosa’s flood maps, which needed updating, restrict development within the flood-prone areas of the city.

“In most cases, this will result in reduced or eliminated floodways, which will unrestrict private property and allow more redevelopment versus the old maps,” Christian said. “The vast majority of affected landowners will benefit from increased developable area and reduced flood insurance premiums. The tradeoff, though, is that the map revision process is time-consuming and requires public notice and lengthy public comment periods.”

Although the hired consultant finished his report that more accurately represents the floodplain conditions, city officials are still waiting on the review and approval of these revisions by FEMA. The owner of Krispy Kreme, which was located on McFarland Boulevard before the storm, encountered several problems regarding the old flood plain maps. After his business was blown away, Evan Smith discovered that the land it used to sit on was considered unreconstructable due to its location in a floodway.

Smith hired an expert to assess his property, proving that the land was not actually located in a floodplain.

The expert was consequently hired by the city to redraw the flood maps.

Although the process lasted much longer than he expected, Smith broke ground on the construction to replace the destroyed doughnut shop on April 20. Smith realizes there is no reason to get angry for the delayed recovery.

“At the end of the day, I wasn’t happy,” Smith said.

“Every month, we thought we had jumped the last hurdle, but then there were still more to come. We jumped a bunch of hurdles, but I couldn’t be mad at any particular entity — not Walt Maddox, not the city council. There were too many issues to complain or point my finger at one person.”

To fund the necessary procedures that accompany the rebuilding process, Tuscaloosa has been given a Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery from the federal government.

John Brook, incident commander for the city of Tuscaloosa, believes that without this federal help and the preparedness of city officials in maintaining reserve funds for difficult financial times, the city would have experienced serious challenges in the road to recovery.

However, the city is continuing to search for other methods of financing the near $250 million in unmet needs and warns of not relying on a speedy recovery.

“I think we all must understand that ‘recovery’ is not a measure of how fast you restore buildings to their prestorm state. When 12 percent of your city is destroyed, it is not just buildings that are gone; you lose community,” McConnell said. “A community is made up of much more than a group of buildings.

A community is a complex human ecosystem that has collectively grown and connected over a lifetime. It is simply not something that can be replaced in a year or two.”

RECOVERY BY THE NUMBERS • 290 permits for repairs and construction of commercial buildings have been issued • 2280 permits for residential buildings have been issued • $250 million in unmet needs remain for city recovery