NECHAMA on Righteous Crowd this week!
A NECHAMA volunteer in Lake Charles, Louisiana following Hurricane Delta
NECHAMA
Jewish Response to Disaster
In this week’s Torah portion, Noah, we learn of the story of the great flood and the building of Noah’s Ark. Inspired by this story and Noah’s actions in preparing for the flood, we are supporting an organization that provides natural disaster response and recovery services nationwide. NECHAMA is a volunteer-driven organization whose programs provide direct disaster assistance, training, and other support to affected individuals, families, and small businesses.
Please read our interview below with Development Director, Angela Satcher. Righteous Crowd also supported NECHAMA in 2019.
What is the mission of NECHAMA?
NECHAMA, rooted in the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, provides comfort and hope to communities by engaging volunteers in disaster recovery work.
NECHAMA is relatively unique in the domestic natural disaster response world; there are no stipulations on receiving our services, only priorities based on the most vulnerable and the greatest need. For 27 years, NECHAMA has helped those affected by natural disasters without discrimination, guaranteeing that everyone who receives our services is treated with the same respect and dignity. We are also unique in the care we take to involve the homeowner in work performed; they have the final say in what stays and what goes, delicately salvaging belongings that we can save, sometimes the only possessions they have left.
Since September 1, the NECHAMA team has responded to the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, LA. Just six weeks later, Hurricane Delta ripped through the same area, delivering 115 mph winds, any homes with tarped roofs experienced a whole new slew of water damage. We had completed 29 homes after Laura, many of which will now request return visits to perform more extensive work due to a widening of destruction after the compacted damage caused by Hurricane Delta. There are another 25 families on the schedule and multiple requests for assistance coming in daily. There is even more work to be done now.
What has surprised you about working with NECHAMA?
What has surprised me most about working with NECHAMA, in disaster response in general, is that news coverage predicts donor interest. "Low attention disasters," natural disasters, large and small, that receive little to no media attention will directly impact donor contributions. For instance, Hurricane Laura, the strongest hurricane on record for Louisiana and was the 5th strongest for the U.S., has received very little media play. And in return, donors are shy to respond in support.
What has your NECHAMA response been to COVID-19?
We shifted our usual disaster response to COVID-related programming, including food and supply delivery, the donation and distribution of much-needed PPEs from our warehouse inventory, and consulting. NECHAMA consulted localized organizations in COVID-19 disaster management and created an open-source virtual Volunteer Resource Center for an asset, donation, and volunteer tracking. In partnership with Footprint Project, we built mobile solar stations added to the COVID asset tracker. In collaboration with Presbyterian Homes and Services, we delivered life enrichment kits to 48 senior communities in MN, WI, and IA. And we worked daily with Minnesota Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster to organize and respond to incoming requests for assistance and assets.
What’s a story about your organization that is meaningful to you?
While performing a complete muck and gut on a home with extensive water damage after Hurricane Harvey, we asked the homeowner which belongings he wanted to keep; he responded, just the table. David had remained at his house during the hurricane when a tree fell into the side of his house. Six neighborhood dogs seeking shelter found their way inside and waited out the storm with him. Over the many hours of the storm, the floodwater rose, David and all six dogs climbed onto his dining room table to stay above the rising waterline. There, they all waited out the storm together, waited for help to arrive. When we asked what he wanted to keep, it was only the moldy dining table that saved his life.
Just last month, Rabbi Ethan Katz of NCSY wrote: I am proud to serve as the National Director of NCSY Teen Relief Missions. I have had the privilege of working with NECHAMA for over a decade. I have seen first hand the incredible work NECHAMA has done and how true they are to their name NECHAMA which means comfort. They have provided comfort to thousands of people during their time of need and made a lasting difference to many, many lives in a positive way.
To read more from Rabbi Katz, click here.
To learn more about NECHAMA: The Jewish Response to Disaster, click here.