In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s destructive path through the East Coast, a group of specialists from the Wayne National Forest journeyed to New York City to lend their skills to the relief efforts.
About 1,200 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service were sent to the coast to aid in removing fallen trees and other specialized services, including 12 local specialists who participated in a chainsaw crew.
The crew spent two weeks working 12-14 hour days clearing roads and cutting up fallen 200-year-old trees in New York City and Long Island.
“The disaster brought out the best in people and it brought the best people out,” said Steve Alarid, a forester and firefighter with Wayne National Forest. “That’s the lasting impression: just big-hearted generous people helping each other despite a disaster.”
Alarid said his experiences in New York City were eye opening and completely counteracted his preconceptions of the city and its people.
“I expected a lot of obnoxious, wild and rude people and I found just the opposite,” he said. “My stereotype was so wrong.”
Alarid recalled one lady who came to donate enough small Wal-Mart bags to fill her van and he was initially annoyed about having to pack it all in.
“She turned out to be a school teacher who asked her students to donate supplies,” Alarid said. “All those kids brought something in and were able to help someone in need that day — I still choke up talking about it.”
Steve Blatt, a forest wildlife biologist and firefighter at Wayne National Forest, has been on the front line of defense for a number of natural disasters in the U.S. since the 1990s, including Hurricane Rita and some of the largest wildfires in U.S. history.
“Seeing the devastation that can occur is the biggest (motivation),” Blatt said. “The one picture that still sticks in my mind is every day (after Hurricane Rita) we would drive by a school that was on the coast of Louisiana. You could essentially see through the school and see the basketball hoops of the gym and the framework of the school — it was entirely gone.”
Jonathan Oslen, a fire management officer at Wayne National Forest, also has experience fighting fires and hurricanes while on-call for natural emergencies, including Hurricane Katrina and wildfires in Texas last summer.
“It’s unfortunate to see losses that could have been avoided, but you still see it on a normal basis,” Oslen said.
Despite the harrowing effect a natural disaster can have, Oslen said he believes nature’s wrath is an important part of everyday existence.
“I have a strong belief that fire has a role in our environment and that it is sometimes misunderstood by people,” he said.
Natural disasters often bring out the best in people, even if they are a necessary evil, Alarid said.
“People’s response to hard times is to belly up and do something to help,” he said. “There were amazingly good responses from everyone to get through it.”
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