Agencies: Help by giving, not going

A local man says this area could temporarily house and help thousands of victims.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Give, don't go.
Officials of local relief agencies say the only way to safely and effectively assist victims of Hurricane Katrina now is through financial contributions.
The local exception is Phantom Fireworks, which will have three trucks at the Ice Zone in Boardman today to accept donations of nonperishable food items and other supplies. The company will take the donated items to staging areas in outlying areas, however, and not directly into affected areas.
"Fireworks season is over and we have trucks just sitting here empty, so we thought we could use them to help the victims of Katrina," said Jim Winner, spokesman for Phantom Fireworks. "We got a wish list and we will take the trucks to areas like Dallas or Nashville -- wherever they tell us to go."
Items being taken
The company will place three trucks at the Ice Zone in Boardman today beginning at 10 a.m. They will accept food items such as peanut butter, bottled water, sports drinks, crackers, boxes of cereal, snack bars such as granola or protein bars, canned goods, paper products, plastic silverware, cups, plates, bowls, etc. and personal hygiene items.
Winner said all bottled items must be plastic bottles only. Any canned goods must have pull-tab tops because there is no electricity to power can openers. The trucks will remain at the Ice Zone until they are full, he said.
Although thousands of people want to help the victims of Katrina, launching an independent relief effort is a bad idea, said Jackie Bell, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Trumbull County Chapter in Warren.
"We've had a lot of calls from people who want to go and help," she said. "They're doctors, nurses, physical therapists. But Red Cross disaster volunteers have to be trained by the Red Cross. I tell them if that is where their heart is, then get the training and they will be ready to respond to the next disaster."
Give monetarily
Bell also said that financial contributions are the only type of assistance the Red Cross is asking the public for right now. The Red Cross and other relief agencies involved in the massive effort cannot deal with donations of food, clothing, furniture or other items now.
Well-meaning volunteers planning to pack up a bus or van full of volunteers and supplies and head to the hurricane-ravaged areas should stay home, she said.
Major James Foley of The Salvation Army Mahoning County Area Services in Youngstown agreed.
"People should not go down there on their own expecting to help," he said. "If they do, they are going to be turned away and be frustrated and distraught that they made a long trip for nothing. Volunteers are not allowed in those areas without an official affiliation and proper clearance."
Bell said Red Cross disaster volunteers do not go anywhere unless their help is requested by the national Red Cross. She said people who go to the area uninvited might become victims themselves, either of direct effects of the hurricane or the victims of crimes committed by desperate or opportunistic people.
Foley said a $100 donation through The Salvation Army will feed a family of four for two days and provide them with two cases of drinking water and a household cleaning kit.
He said that no local Salvation Army disaster response teams have been activated yet. He said the Salvation Army Southern Territory has 400 vehicles at its disposal and is set up to serve 500,000 meals per day.
The Salvation Army is also using its emergency radio network, The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, or SATERN to answer inquiries on the whereabouts of Hurricane Katrina.
Foley said anyone seeking information about loved ones in affected areas or amateur radio operators interested in becoming part of the SATERN network can find information at the SATERN Web site.
Brian Corbin, executive director of Catholic Charities Services, said Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown is collecting money for recovery efforts. He said Catholic Charities' agencies are responding, but emphasized Catholic Charities USA is unable to accept contributions of food, clothing, blankets or other relief supplies.
Michael Iberis, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, said food banks across the country affiliated with America's Second Harvest Network are in disaster response mode to assist affiliated food banks in the direct path of the storm. He said at least 10 food banks in three states and hundreds of their local food pantries and emergency shelters are affected.
He said financial donations from the public and the corporate community will go directly to helping Second Harvest food banks maintain or resume operations.
Another way to reach out
Meanwhile, a Youngstown architect wants to mobilize the Mahoning Valley's efforts in a much different way.
Laurance Truthan has been a victim of flooding and several tornadoes, and he understands the devastation and the potential for widespread illness and disease that can follow such storms. He believes the best response is to evacuate victims from the area, and the Mahoning Valley could be a safe haven for thousands of Katrina's victims.
Truthan wants local politicians and community leaders to work together to use the area's empty schools and dilapidated hotels, apartment complexes and single-family homes to provide temporary housing for the hurricane victims.
"We have to get people out of there before the disease starts to spread," he said. "We can get federal money to help these people by renovating places here much cheaper than they could rebuild there. We can use the airport here to bring thousands of people here and they could stay together until they can return home."
Truthan said the Valley's educational facilities, public transportation and medical facilities could handle the influx of more than 2,000 families, providing immediate relief.
The Valley could use its resources to provide jobs and job training. The influx of people and the work needed to rehabilitate structures would create jobs, he said.