Sunday, June 29, 2003

Lifestyle

Wherever disaster strikes is where couple points their RV

Julianne Crane - The Spokesman-Review

Carol and Larry Tebo have a knack for being in the right place just after the wrong time.

They are two of the thousands of selfless volunteers who seem to materialize from nowhere to help stunned communities clean up and recover after natural disasters.

Extended-time RVers, the Tebos frequently hitch up their 25-foot trailer to their 1990 GMC Sierra and head out "to do what we can for as long as we're needed," said Carol, author of "Vehicles of Hope: Serving Others on the Road to Satisfaction" (1stBooksLibrary, $14.50).

Currently touring the country on a family odyssey, the Tebos left their home base in Georgia the first week of April. My e-mail caught up with them in Salt Lake City and I received my first telephone call from Idaho Falls and another from the Little Diamond Lake Thousand Trails campground near Newport, Wash., where they stayed for two weeks.

"RVers, with their freedom and mobility, are in such a unique position to respond to various needs," Carol said. "It is incredibly rewarding work and the need is so enormous and immediate."

Their first disaster volunteer experience was in 1998 after a tornado, with winds exceeding 250 mph, ripped through the Birmingham, Ala., area and left 33 people dead.

"We wanted to go, and friends suggested we call one of the local churches because they are always involved in relief efforts," Carol said.

The Tebos contacted the Birmingham Baptist Association and said they could offer long-term help and all they needed was a place to park their trailer plus access to water, electricity and a shower.

Within 36 hours, they were picking up the pieces of devastated houses in McDonald Chapel, a former mining camp outside of Birmingham.

Toward the end of their second day of cleanup, Larry's foot slipped through a floorboard of a demolished home. When he glanced down to shift his foot, he noticed a flurry of movement and retrieved three tiny kittens huddled in a shoebox.

"It was a very poignant moment for everyone," recalled Carol. "At that moment we were all physically and emotionally spent and here was a little miracle in the midst of such a monumental catastrophe."

While many volunteers like the Tebos head to disaster locations on their own, others are attached to church disaster-relief organizations or the American Red Cross.

One group that recruits and helps train volunteers for the Red Cross is the Disaster Operations Volunteer Escapees (DOVEs), which is associated with the Escapees RV Club.

"After the events of 9/11," said DOVE president Scott Bonis, "we formed the group to encourage Escapees to become more involved in the disaster efforts of the Red Cross."

DOVE does not go to emergency events as a unit, Bonis said in a telephone interview from his home in Congress, Ariz. Each member belongs to a local Red Cross chapter. "Only the Red Cross officially assigns someone to disaster work," he said.

DOVE members have been part of teams sent to major forest fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

For two weeks in May, Scott and his wife, Karen, served meals to people in small Missouri communities after tornadoes swept through the area.

When asked what motivates people to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to dish out food or pick up debris, Scott paused for a long moment and said simply: "To help."

"The strength and resilience of the survivors is very moving," Carol Tebo said. "What sustains people during times of tremendous crisis is the outpouring of support from strangers -- even if it's just putting your arm around their shoulder."

Disaster volunteer information

To learn more about Carol and Larry Tebo, go to www.tebotales.com or write to them at 1324 Georgia Highway 49 South, Americus, GA 31719. Their book can be purchased through their Web site; from 1stBooks Library (888-280-7715; www.1stbooks.com/bookview/14025); at major online booksellers, or ordered through your local bookstore.

For more information on the Escapees RV Club, go to www.escapees.com or call (888) 757-2582. To reach Scott Bonis, DOVE president, e-mail doves@escapees.com, go to www.DoveBOF.org or write 210 Rainbow Drive, No. 11000, Livingston, TX 77399-2010.

The Inland Northwest Chapter of the Red Cross' Web site is www.spokaneredcross.org. Call John VanSant, director of emergency services, at 326-3330, ext. 220 or e-mail vansantj@spokaneredcross.org.

Other Web sites worth a look are www.rv-disaster-volunteers.net and www.volunteerismproject.org.

Shawn Keough of Sandpoint asks: "Where are the reputable sources about buying new and used RVs? Where do you go to find out specifics and things to watch for?" Please send in your best sources of information.

Wheel Life appears every Sunday. Write to Wheel Life, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Julianne Crane can also be reached by phone (509-459-5435), fax (509-459-5098) and e-mail (juliannec@spokesman.com).