Neenah Volunteer Answers the Call for the Second Time for “Sandy”

Posted on February 27, 2013 by American Red Cross Northeast Wisconsin Chapter

Harvey Lorenz and Nick Cluppert 2

Harvey Lorenz, Disaster Volunteer, from Neenah,  is leaving on Thursday for New Jersey to assist on his second National Deployment for Hurricane Sandy.

Harvey deployed to New York back in November. He will be assisting as a supervisor in the area of Financial & Statistical Information. When asked  what motivates him to go out on deployments:

 “It is just a calling I feel comfortable answering.  I know there are people that have it a lot worse than I do.  I’m just happy I have the time to devote to this.”

(L-R) Harvey Lorenz completing his paper work with Nick Cluppert, Disaster Services, Regional Manager, Training & Development

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Local volunteers play key role in national Red Cross disaster responses

Posted on October 5, 2012 by American Red Cross Northeast Wisconsin Chapter
Written by: Andy Thompson l News-Record Editor

Harvey Lorenz (right), Neenah, and Dennis Caillouet, North Carolina, learn how to use a handheld device for damage assessment in the area that was affected by Hurricane Isaac in Port Allen, La. Lorenz has been deployed to 10 Red Cross disaster relief missions. / Barbara Behling/submitted

When the American Red Cross put out a call for assistance in the wake of Hurricane Isaac in late August, Neenah’s Harvey Lorenz was quick to respond.

The 72-year-old Lorenz, a veteran Red Cross volunteer whose first deployment was in response to Hurricane Katrina, quickly packed a suitcase, boarded a flight and headed for the Gulf Coast.

“You get the word and within 24 hours you’re on the ground,” said Lorenz, a retired banker who has been on 10 Red Cross disaster relief missions.

Lorenz spent 16 days assisting hurricane victims in Louisiana. He flew into Houson on Aug. 30 and stayed in a shelter in Orange, Tex., because power was out at the Baton Rouge, La., airport. The next day, he traveled to Baton Rouge and stayed in a shelter for several days while assisting hurricane victims, most of whom were trying to cope with the flooding caused by massive rains.

The hurricane made landfall on Aug. 28 and caused significant flooding in coastal areas of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Lorenz was among 15 Red Cross disaster workers from northeast Wisconsin who were sent to the Gulf Coast to provide aid for victims of Hurricane Isaac. Barbara Pilon of Neenah served on a team coordinating the distribution of clean-up gear.

A considerable amount of Lorenz’ time was spent in Laplace, La., located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Not only did he assist with compiling hurricane-related financial estimates during his stretch in Louisiana, he assisted in damage assessment work and got involved in teaching other volunteers how to respond to the needs of storm victims.

When he was in Laplace, which had six to nine feet of water running through it because of the slow-moving storm, President Obama visited the community.

The work is often painstaking and the deployments are for indefinite periods of time, but Lorenz gets a great deal of satisfaction from assisting victims of disasters.

“It’s part of the recovery process,” he said. “I enjoy helping others. I’m not big on recognition, but what you do is really neat and a lot of people appreciate it. Down there (in the Gulf Coast), people have been through this so often. They are very resourceful.”

Barbara Behling, communications officer for the American Red Cross in Northeast Wisconsin, has high praise for Lorenz’ work on behalf of the Red Cross.

“Harvey tells it like it is,” said Behling, who spent two weeks in Louisiana assisting with the disaster response effort. “Harvey comes with a great sense of maturity. He’s not going to be shifted off course. He knows the mission and he knows what it takes to get it done.”

Behling said Lorenz does an outstanding job of keeping accurate financial records and data.

“He’s a finance guy by trade, but he understands the human side,” she said. “He has such a huge heart and he can really relate to people who have been affected (by disasters).”

Behling served as a public affairs chief during her deployment and focused on lining up the services that were vitally important to hurricane victims. She was based in Port Allen, which is close to Baton Rouge, but also spent some time in Madisonville, which was pounded by 16½ inches of rain in a 24-hour period.

She said houses were “wiped-off” their foundations by the torrential rains and water was “up to their eyeballs” for some residents.

“It was horrible,” Behling said.

Behling was impressed with the response to the hurricane by local, regional and national volunteers.

“You always see the best of humanity after a disaster,” she said.

— Andy Thompson: 920-729-6622, ext. 29, or athompson@newsrecord .net

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Fox Cities residents lend a hand in the Gulf

Posted on August 31, 2012 by American Red Cross Northeast Wisconsin Chapter

By Jim Collar:  jcollar@postcrescent.com

Disaster workers travel south to provide aid to hurricane victims

Neenah resident Harvey Lorenz arrived at an American Red Cross staging area in East Texas on Thursday ready to assess the damage left in the wake of Hurricane Isaac.

As the weakened and slow-moving storm soaked the Gulf Coast, Lorenz awaited word on when he’d put his training to use.

“I have no idea yet,” Lorenz, 72, said Thursday afternoon.

Lorenz is among 15 Red Cross disaster workers from northeast Wisconsin sent to the Gulf Coast to provide aid for victims of Hurricane Isaac. The hurricane made landfall late Tuesday and has caused significant flooding in coastal areas of Mississippi and Louisiana.

The Red Cross has deployed more than 2,700 trained disaster workers from across the country to offer aid in the Gulf region.

In the Fox Valley, Barbara Pilon of Neenah left for Texas on Wednesday to serve on a team coordinating the distribution of clean-up gear and Kathleen Brockman of Freedom headed to the Gulf Coast to help with health services. Dennis Nagan of Appleton drove the local chapter’s emergency response vehicle south and began distributing food, water and other supplies Thursday.

Barbara Behling, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Northeast Wisconsin, expects volunteers will be in the region for quite awhile.

Though Isaac didn’t carry the strength of Katrina seven years ago, Behling said, “this is going to be a long-term recovery effort for many of the people who live in that area.”

The first workers from northeast Wisconsin left for Florida a week ago thinking the Tampa area would suffer the brunt of the storm.

“No one can truly predict what Mother Nature is going to do,” Behling said.

Hurricane Isaac marks the 10th deployment for Lorenz, the Neenah resident who flew into Houston on Wednesday and traveled on Thursday to the Red Cross staging area in Orange, Texas, near the Louisiana border. His first deployment was in response to Hurricane Katrina, after which he worked as a case worker assisting evacuees in Tupelo, Miss.

His latest deployment has been “relatively chaotic,” said Lorenz, who spent Wednesday night on a cot in a church with 110 people. But he is happy to help bring comfort to disaster victims.

“I get a lot out of being able to help somebody,” Lorenz said. “It’s a meaningful experience to see your challenge, be put to use and see the results of the work being done.”

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An Update on Neenah Volunteer in Florida

Posted on July 6, 2012 by American Red Cross Northeast Wisconsin Chapter

By Lauren Lindstrom, Communications Intern, American Red Cross:

We hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July. Here is an update on a story we brought you last week about the travels of Harvey Lorenz, a Red Cross Volunteer from Neenah who was recently deployed to Tallahassee, Florida for disaster relief after Tropical Depression Debby.

Lorenz is well into his first week in Florida, working as a Financial and Statistical Supervisor for the American Red Cross. He is working with caseworkers who are out in the field distributing aid to families, and damage assessors to log the cost of Debby’s damage.

Lorenz said more than 200 homes in the Tallahassee area are deemed “major damage” or destroyed. Recently, the waters have receded to allow access two local bridges that were previously submerged. This will allow relief workers to reach parts of the Tallahassee area previously unreachable. Now the process of “mucking out,” as Lorenz calls it, can continue in these areas.

“Tallahassee is doing okay, because it is in higher ground,” he said. “But there are areas south and west of the city that still have major water issues.”

Though he says he has yet to find a great coffee shop in the area, Lorenz is not at a loss for good food. He praises local businesses, who have donated food and resources to relief workers. He says 16 local vendors have fed volunteers during his time in Florida.

“The local merchants are outstanding,” he said. “We aren’t suffering for lack of food.”

Now, Lorenz estimates he will be in Florida for at least another week. He says he is watching the Weather Channel, and keeping an eye on any severe weather that might strike soon.

HOW PEOPLE CAN HELP Those who want to help can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. This gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to local American Red Cross chapters or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog athttp://blog.redcross.org.

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Red Cross Volunteer Gets Ready for His Sixth National Disaster Assignment

Posted on May 4, 2011 by American Red Cross Northeast Wisconsin Chapter

Harvey on his 2008 Deployment for Hurricane Gustav.

The American Red Cross East Central Wisconsin Chapter is deploying disaster volunteer, Harvey Lorenz, of Neenah, to Birmingham, Alabama to assist with the April tornadoes that devastated a wide spread area of the south almost one week ago.

This will be Lorenz’s sixth national disaster deployment. He has assisted for Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Gustav, the ice storms in Wichita, Kansas and the flooding in Union Grove, Wisconsin.

Because of his extensive banking background and specialized Red Cross training, Lorenz will serve as a supervisor of financial and statistical information in Birmingham.

How to Help: The Red Cross depends on financial donations to help in times of disaster. Those who want to help people affected by disasters like wildfires, floods and tornadoes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. This gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS, and people can also text the word “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to local American Red Cross chapters or to the American Red Cross,P.O. Box 37243,Washington,DC20013.

About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

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