What can an inspector do?

[Michael Roberson]

Friday night, our county was hit by the worst storm on historical record. Four thunderstorms and at LEAST 2 tornadoes ripped through here leaving hundreds if not thousands stranded or homeless. 12 inces of rainfall or more fell in just a few hours. Dozens of roads are completly washed away, and still falling apart. No word on total $ damage, and that would not even be possible to estimate until the water receedes. (My guess is in the hundreds of millions) We are currently in the process of applying for Federal assistance. So far no reports of deaths or injuries. (thank God)

My point is, What can an inspector do? I hate to see people in this position. Besides going door to door, and ask people what they need, there has to be somthing I can do. So I pose this question to my fellow inspectors, Honest answers only please. Thank you

[Humberto Carvajal]

Michael. I would do exactly what you are doing right now. Go door to door and assist in any way you can. That is what I feel is needed the most. Listen and help any way you possibly can. Clearing debris, helping the injured and anything else you can do. Share what you have and are able to with your neighbors.

I went through Hurricane Andrew back in 92 and that was all one could possibly expect others to do. We were all in the same boat so to speak. Nothing but, the clothes on our backs but, a willingness no help any way we possibly could.

[Michael L. Ivie, Jr]

Michael,
We had one rip thru our town, and yes you feel helpless. Without a word spoken people started showing up armed with pick-up trucks and trash bags and started helping these people pick up there lives.
what your doing is the right thing.

[ccurrins]

Help anyway you can. Volunteer at local shelters and distribution locations, go door to door. Use your knowledge as an inspector to identify dangerous situations that might go unnoticed to the normal person. It's a good way to meet some nice people during a bad time. I live about 1/4 mile from the Mississippi, luckily on a hill out of the flood zone, but there is flooding all around this area and more to come. Fortunately no tornadoes yet.

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

See if you can hit up your local lab to give you discount pricing on water quality samples. If you have wells in your area, I'm sure a few are going to be contaminated. Offer to do mold testing for elderly or immunosuppresed people.

Use your knowledge and skills that you normally market in your daily business. Like the old saying goes "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." If you come running to the rescue now when people need your services instead of when they want them, you will probably come out on top of all the other inspectors in your area later on down the line.