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Hurricane Igor on Tuesday, September 21, Hurricane Igor Assaulted Newfoundland with 140 Km Per Hour Winds and Torrential Rain

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Hurricane Igor on Tuesday, September 21, Hurricane Igor Assaulted Newfoundland with 140 Km Per Hour Winds and Torrential Rain V22N1 2011:V20N3 2009 12/13/10 11:26 AM Page 62 anatomy of By: Darcy Rhyno compassionThe business response to Hurricane Igor On Tuesday, September 21, Hurricane Igor assaulted Newfoundland with 140 km per hour winds and torrential rain. It destroyed buildings and vehicles, washed out roads and bridges and stranded thousands without power on the Burin and Bonavista peninsulas. The next day Kevin Jacobs, manager of the Clarenville Co-op, had an idea. “I left for my dinner hour at twelve,” he recalls. “There was a radio report on. CBC had hired a boat to go to Hickman’s Harbour to do a story. I turned around in my truck and went back to the marina. I asked them if they would allow me to put milk, bread and eggs on their boat. The guy said he couldn’t do it because they were in a hurry.” Paul Daly photo, pauldaly.net 62 | Atlantic Business Magazine | January/February 2011 V22N1 2011:V20N3 2009 12/13/10 11:27 AM Page 63 AWARDS 2010 Award Winners The Newfoundland and Labrador Exporter of the Year Export & Innovation Awards celebrate the achievements and unique contributions of businesses, organizations and individuals in the areas of export and innovation. Congratulations to this year’s winners, Ocean Choice International L.P.,Dynamic Air Shelters Ltd., and Memorial University’s Distance Education Innovation in Business and Learning Technologies. Distinction in Innovation www.gov.nl.ca V22N1 2011:V20N3 2009 12/13/10 11:27 AM Page 64 The Canadian Armed Forces were a key contributor to Hurricane Igor recovery efforts. They rebuilt bridges and roads and delivered supplies to the hardest hit and isolated communities. Photo: Dept. of National Defense Undaunted, Jacobs looked for another way to act on his idea of shipping supplies to the communities cut off by the 230 mm of rain Igor had dropped in six hours. “There was another guy in a boat. I asked him if I could hire him. He said yes. We had to go back to the store to get merchandise. I asked my assistant manager to call our vendors to raise money to get supplies. In a matter of a half hour, we raised $3,000.” In the meantime, the CBC employee Kevin had met on the dock tracked him down. “He called his boss, and his boss said to him, ‘Food first, story second.’ That was two boats we loaded to Hickman’s Harbour.” So began a week-long impromptu relief effort led by Jacobs and his staff at the Co-op. Jacobs himself made public pleas via the media, contacted major Co-op ven- dors and challenged local businesses to match his own generosity. One of the first calls he made was to Melissa Churchill, the lone employee over at Clarenville’s Budget Rent a Car outlet; he needed a cube van to haul all the supplies. Melissa landed Kevin an initial two-day rental donation that turned into a ten-day give worth about a thousand dollars. “Why wouldn’t I?” says Churchill of her decision to contact head office in Nova Scotia for permission to help out. “The devastation was unbelievable. You needed transportation to get the food to people. No access to 64 | Atlantic Business Magazine | January/February 2011 V22N1 2011:V20N3 2009 12/13/10 11:27 AM Page 65 Paul Daly photo, pauldaly.net communities, roads washed out for days, “We’re grocery people. People weeks. I saw people boated into the commu- would call them on the phone nity for medical reasons. Helicopters bringing crying.” The Salvation Army people into the hospital. It (the van) was to called Kevin to ask if he could get help people out, is what it was.” supplies to communities they When Kevin contacted the Coke bottling couldn’t reach. “While I was on plant in St. John’s for a donation of 1,500 bot- the phone with the Salvation tles of water, Neil Sullivan, area sales manager Army,” says Jacobs, “a guy for Coca Cola Refreshments, had a similar re- walked in my office from sponse. “It was a great opportunity to help Bonaventure. This is the area I our customer and the consumer as well,” says wanted to get to. They were Su llivan who oversees a staff of 23. “It’s good organizing a boat from the to be able to give back to the community when community to come to Clarenville people are in an unfortunate situation. I was in for goods. I was looking for a Halifax back in 2001 in Hurricane Juan. No boat, but it was already coming power for a week. I’ve been there, done it.” towards me. In an hour and a half, At the request of the Red Cross, Bert Bown we had that boat loaded.” at Co-op Atlantic’s Gander Distribution Cen- Kevin and his staff did the best they could to tre donated 665 cases of bottled water for a cope with the extra work and the stress until total of 31,920 litres. Co-op Atlantic assigned others like the Red Cross and the Canadian staff to follow tractor-trailers loaded with re- military could take over. Inside a week, they lief supplies up the Bonavista Peninsula until raised $43,000, of which $17,000 paid for the roads became impassable. At these critical lo- purchase of the goods shipped to the cations, staff and volunteers carried supplies communities cut off by the storm. The rest went by hand to smaller trucks waiting on the other to the Red Cross. side. Kevin Jacobs went along on some of As the Red Cross rolled out its emergency these trips to make sure the supplies got response, more businesses found ways to assist. through. At one location, he says, “I saw these Dan Bedell, director of public affairs (Atlantic) four ladies and some of my staff lugging eggs for the Canadian Red Cross says that with the across the ditch.” help of Kent Building Supplies, they trucked So successful were Kevin and his Clarenville $4,000 worth of drywall, lumber, plywood, Co-op staff at organizing their own relief flooring, insulation, doors, windows and effort and getting the word out, their roofing shingles to Catalina on the Bonavista In less than an hour, Kevin Jacobs (top), office became the clearing house for the peninsula. “A second truck was an 18-wheeler manager of the Clarenville Co-op, was able to fill two boats with emergencies supplies for Hurricane Igor response. Kevin says ex-pat flatbed,” says Bedell, “delivering about $10,000 towns whose roads and bridges had been Newfoundlanders working for oil companies worth of materials donated and purchased destroyed by Hurricane Igor. Over the next few days, the co-op raised $43,000 to help hurri- in western Canada donated cash they had through Kent, but delivered by EastCan cane victims, ferrying food and other supplies gathered around their offices. “Everybody was Transport of Mount Pearl, which donated the by boat to stranded coastal communities. calling in, trying to donate money. This was services of its truck and driver.” To pay for the Bottom photos courtesy Rayanne Brennan. emotional for my staff,” Jacobs explains. supplies, Kent topped up the cash donated at Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 65 V22N1 2011:V20N3 2009 12/13/10 11:27 AM Page 66 checkouts in stores across Atlantic Canada with a table, most of the work was done. The amount was corporate donation of its own. When the supplies relatively small.” arrived in Catalina, several faith groups organized In total, Igor caused $200-million in flood and volunteer tradespeople to carry out repairs. wind damage. The Red Cross alone raised over Rhonda Kenney, regional director for $700,000 in individual and corporate donations and Newfoundland and Labrador with the Canadian in-kind contributions of services and materials. The Red Cross adds, “We are working with many Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is corporate supporters including Walmart, Irving, providing further relief. These are only numbers, Esso and Newfoundland Power to help ease the however, and don’t come close to telling the human financial burden on people.” story of disaster relief. It seems in times of crisis, Though it wasn’t for lack of desire, not all businesses are more than just businesses. They are businesses were in a position to also the people who own and work for them, people respond to Igor. While Central Dairies with personal histories and human relationships like and Scotsburn Dairy Group donated Melissa Churchill at Budget Rent a Car who comes small amounts of milk immediately, from a family of 10 and remembers, “We had to Harry Burden, executive director of work together to make it work.” the Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland And people like Kevin Jacobs at the Clarenville reports that farmers themselves were Co-op, the only employer he’s ever known. “When victims of Igor. “When the highway my father used to bring out the last few loads of was down, all the milk made on the wood,” Jacobs recalls of his childhood, “he’d give it west coast had to be shipped to Nova to someone. If you grow your own vegetables, you Scotia. That was a big loss to give away some potatoes, cabbage or turnip. Years producers. We ended up dumping ago, if someone had a moose, they’d give away a about 10,000 litres of milk. If it had piece.” Hurricane Igor changed Jacobs forever. “I’m gone on one more day, it could have getting ready to get involved in a charity.
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