When doing clean up work please be mindful of the conditions you will be working in.  Wear closed toed shoes, have safety googles & work gloves.  Chaps, masks & tools are also very useful and sometimes needed to volunteer.

Birmingham-Christian Service Mission (Jan 23rd volunteer sheet}

Birmingham-Hands On Birmingham {Sign up on their website}

Clay/Trussville-North Park Baptist {organizing groups to go out at day break Tuesday to the most affected places to help salvage furniture and clean out houses for people that still need man power.}

Clay Methodist Church is where workers will be meeting in the morning {January 23rd} to be dispersed out to work sites. If you want to help tomorrow, go there bright and early, take your tools, work gloves. If you are taking a chainsaw, have safety goggles and chaps. Pack a cooler with water and snacks so you are prepared regardless of where you go. Shouldn’t have to say this….but wear CLOSED TOED SHOES.

ALABASTER DROP SPOT: Salvation Army, 108 Plaza Circle, Suite E, Alabaster, said Jennifer Smith, executive assistant, Pelham Police Department. The location is across from the Alabaster YMCA. Items needed include bottled water, canned food, toiletries, new clothing in all sizes, paper products, plastic tubs to collect salvageable items, Smith said.

ASHVILLE DROP SPOT: First Baptist Church is taking donations for storm victims.

AUBURN DROP SPOT: Jim Massey formals is an official drop spot for the East Alabama Food Bank. All donations dropped there will go to storm victims this week.

BIRMINGHAM DROP SPOT – Christian Service Mission

BIRMINGHAM DROP SPOT- A+ Tire & Auto Repair 1043 Gadsden Hwy, Birmingham 35235. NOT taking clothing or hh items. All other donations welcomed.

CHELSEA DROP SPOT: Palm Beach Tan in Chelsea is gladly accepting donations for tornado victims. Things needed: feminine hygiene products, pampers, wipes, canned food, can openers, toothpaste, shampoo, razors, soap, hand sanitizer, garbage bags- heavy duty ones, plastic totes, panties, underwear, socks, tshirts- NEW Underwear- packaged.

CLAY DROP SPOT-Clay United Methodist Church {They need tarps, roofing nails, basic fix it supplies. Bring your donations to either Clay United Methodist or contact Michelle 205-739-3467!}

Clay/Centerpoint/Springfield - Centerpoint Masonic Lodge, that is Located just behind Publix off of Chalkville Mountain Road/Old Springville Road has opened up and is cooking for all the tornado victims in the Clay/Centerpoint/Springville area, as well as the people who are helping with cleanup/triage, etc. They need any food items, toiletries and water. Any donations are welcome. Please call Heath Fant @205-240-3982.

MONTGOMERY DROP SPOT: Drop point in montgomery is goodwin animal hospital and pet resort….11485 chantilly pkwy…..by cucos mexican restaurant.

MOODY DROP SPOT: FIne Pools in Moody located at 2713 Moody Parkway and Fine Pools in Bessemer located at 1831 13th Ave N is excepting donation for storm victims. Gloves, Flashlights, Batteries, Can Meats , Tarps, Straps, Soap, Shampoo, Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste, Chainsaws, Shovels, Rakes and any other items to help. Please call 205-640-1840 or 205-425-3463. If you need someone to pick up items please call

OAK GROVE DROP SPOT: Smithville Baptist Church on Toadvine Road for victims and workes in Oak Grove. Snacks, Canned Food, Gatorade, powerade, Water.

PINSON: Contact Cindy 4500 Brittany Circle Pinson, or call 680 5833…have a truck and can take whatever we get in way of donations!!

PINSON DROP SPOT-Clay Ridge Baptist Church

TRUSSVILLE DROP SPOT-Realty South Trussville office on hwy 11-filling the lobby up with anything people are willing to bring!

TUSCALOOSA: Reach out to Rebuild Tuscaloosa

WEST JEFFERSON DROP SPOT: West Jefferson High School- Annex Building.

WETUMPKA DROP SPOTS: Storage Binz and Storage World 749 hwy 231 and 8416 hwy 231

     As he put his clothes in his car and unloaded the last flat of water before heading out to go move, I found myself with tears rolling down my face like one of my own children was leaving home.  It was like Mary Catherine leaving home all over again (last to leave the nest).  Adam has worked in warehouses, loaded trucks, driven to Arkansas, slept on floors in strange places, camped in a tent, run errands, and lived with us.  He has answered phone calls and routed goods and services all over Alabama.  He has never complained, always had a great attitude and gone wherever I said we had to go. 

     He has ripped out moldy insulation from walls, and helped remove an entire house full of paneling.  He’s torn down walls, and burned debris and has spent way too many hours walking the aisles of Home Depot stores. He has exemplified the Auburn Creed in every way possible.  I am so proud of the man that he has become this summer and the man that he is and the man that he will become.  I hope that he forever carries in his heart the willingness to help his fellow man and reach out to people in need.  I am so thankful for the hard work that he has given to this cause this summer, and will forever be thankful that I had the opportunity to share a part of this young man’s life.   I am a better person for knowing him- as he is wise beyond his years.

     Thank you Adam for all that you gave.  And we will see you next week for the big reveal!  War Eagle Adam!  Because you believe in the Auburn Creed, and gave all that you have…we believe in you and WE LOVE YOU!

WAR DAMN EAGLE, ADAM BATTLE!!!

This is an amazing collection of videos and stories from Southern Living.  We are proud to be a part of Alabama’s recovery.  Pick up the August issue of Southern Living to read more about the South’s amazing journey thus far.

Trolling: Trolls are users that repeatedly and deliberately breach the netiquette of an established online community, posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages to bait or excite users into responding or to test the forum rules and policies, and with that the patience of the forum staff. Their provocative behavior may potentially start flame wars or other disturbances. Responding to a troll’s provocations is commonly known as ‘feeding the troll’ and is generally discouraged, as it can encourage their disruptive behavior.

Sock Puppets: Sock puppets are users who have simultaneously registered under different pseudonyms. The analogy of a sock puppet is of a puppeteer holding up both hands and supplying dialogue to both puppets simultaneously. A sock puppet will create multiple accounts over a period of time, using each user to debate or agree with each other on a forum.

Spamming: Forum spamming is a breach of netiquette where users repeat the same word or phrase over and over, but differs from multiple posting in that spamming is usually a willful act which sometimes has malicious intent, for instance; repeating a single question again and again even when answers have been proffered. Traditional spam, unpaid advertisements that are in breach of the forum’s rules, are also prohibited. Please see the FAQ atwww.toomersfortuscaloosa.com/faq for guidelines on solicitation.

Flame-ups & Flame-wars: When a thread becomes heated and sides do nothing more than complain, while refusing to accept differences in point of view. These threads can and do degenerate into what is called a flame war. To flame someone means to go off-topic and attack the person rather than their opinion. Likely candidates for flame wars are usually religion and socio-political topics, or topics that discuss pre-existing rivalries outside the forum. When a topic that has degenerated into a flame war is considered akin to that of the forum (be it a section or the entire board), spam and flames have a chance of spreading outside the topic and causing trouble, usually in the form of vandalism. Some forums never make it off the ground because they suffer from a forum-wide flame war almost immediately after their conception because of a pre-existing flame war in other online communities.

If you feel you have been affected by these rules unfairly please feel free to contact us at toomersfortuscaloosa@yahoo.com ATTN: “FORUM MODERATORS” please include your name, as well as Facebook identity/identities and a phone number where we can reach you. 

Introduction

For many people, summertime means warm, comfortable days, perfect for eating outside or long walks during breaks from air-conditioned offices. But for Alabama volunteers working in clean-up during this summer event, summertime means long, hot days of dusty debris clearing and building projects outside in direct sunlight with no cooling systems. Working in hot conditions may pose special hazards to safety and health.

How Your Body Reacts to Hot Conditions

Four environmental factors affect the amount of stress a worker faces in a hot work area: temperature, humidity, radiant heat and wind speed. Individuals with high blood pressure or some heart conditions and people who take diuretics (water pills) may be more sensitive to heat exposure.

The body defends itself from heat through three mechanisms: breathing, sweating, and changing the blood flow. The first reaction is to circulate blood to the skin, which increases skin temperature and allows the body to give off some heat. During heavy work, muscles need more blood flow, which reduces the amount of blood available to flow to the skin and release the heat.

Sweating also helps the body to cool off, but only when the humidity levels are low enough to allow the sweat to evaporate and if water and salts lost through sweating are replaced.

Heat Stress Disorders

When the body becomes overheated, a condition of heat stress exists. Heat stress can lead to a number of problems, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat cramps, fainting, or heat rash. Many people confuse these disorders, but it is important to be able to recognize each one and know what to do when it happens. Each of these heat stress disorders is described below.

Heat exhaustion

Although not the most serious health problem, heat exhaustion is the most common heat-related ailment. Heat exhaustion happens when a volunteer sweats a lot and does not drink enough fluids or take in enough salt or both. The simple way to describe the worker is wet, white and weak.

Signs and symptoms

• Sweaty
• Weak or tired, possibly giddy
• Nausea
• Normal or slightly higher body temperature
• Pale, clammy skin (sometimes flushed)

What to do

• Rest in a cool place
• Drink an electrolyte solution, such as Gatorade or another sports drink. Avoid caffeinated beverages such as colas, iced tea or coffee.
• In severe cases involving vomiting or fainting, seek medical attention immediately.

Heat stroke

Heat stroke is the most serious health problem for people working in the heat, but is not very common. It is caused by the failure of the body to regulate its core temperature. Sweating stops and the body can’t get rid of excess heat. Victims will die unless they receive proper treatment promptly.

Signs and symptoms

• Mental confusion, delirium, fainting, or seizures
• Body temperature of 106ºF or higher
• Hot, dry skin, usually red or bluish color

What to do:

• Call Public Safety at 9-1-1 immediately and request an ambulance
• Move victim to a cool area
• Soak the victim with cool water
• Fan the victim vigorously to increase cooling

Heat cramps

Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms. They occur when a worker drinks a lot of water, but does not replace salts lost from sweating. Tired muscles – those used for performing the work – are usually the most likely to have the cramps.

Signs and symptoms:

• Cramping or spasms of muscles
• May occur during or after the work

What to do

• Drink an electrolyte solution (sports drink) such as Gatorade
• If the cramps are severe or not relieved by drinking a sports drink, seek medical attention.

Fainting

Fainting usually happens to someone who is not used to working in the hot environment and simply stands around. Moving around, rather than standing still, will usually reduce the likelihood of fainting.

Signs and symptoms

• Brief loss of consciousness
• Sweaty skin, normal body temperature
• No signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion

What to do:

• Lie down in a cool place
• Seek medical attention if not recovered after brief period of lying down

Heat rash

Heat rash, also called prickly heat, may occur in hot and humid environments where sweat cannot evaporate easily. When the rash covers a large area or if it becomes infected, it may become very uncomfortable. Heat rash may be prevented by resting in a cool place and allowing the skin to dry.

Signs and symptoms

• rash characterized by small pink or red bumps
• irritation or prickly sensation
• itching

What to do

• keep skin clean and dry to prevent infection
• wear loose cotton clothing
• cool baths and air conditioning are very helpful
• some over-the counter lotions may help ease pain and itching

Preventing Heat Stress

In most cases, heat stress can be prevented or, at least, the risk of developing heat stress can be reduced.

Work Practices

• Clothing: Wear loose-fitting, lightweight clothing, such as cotton, to allow sweat to evaporate. Light colors absorb less heat than dark colors. Wear a lightweight hat with a good brim to keep the sun off your head and face.
• Drinking: Drink plenty of liquids, especially if your urine is dark yellow, to replace the fluids you lose from sweating – as much as one quart per hour may be necessary. Water and/or sports drinks are recommended. Since caffeine is a diuretic (makes you urinate more), beverage such as cola, iced tea and coffee should be avoided. Thirst is not a reliable sign that your body needs fluids. When doing heavy work, it is better to sip rather than gulp the liquids.
• Work Schedule: If possible, heavy work should be scheduled during the cooler parts of the day. Otherwise, alternate heavy work in the heat with lighter work or work in cooler areas. When the temperature humidity index is between 84 and 93 try to minimize the amount of time working in the heat such that approximately half of each hour is spent doing heavy work in the heat. When the temperature humidity index is 94 or higher this should be further minimized to approximately one quarter of each hour spent doing heavy work in the extreme heat. (The heat index for your area can be found at weather.com or by watching you local weather forcast.)
• Body Weighing: Volunteers may be at greater risk of heat stress if they lose more than 1.5% of their body weight in a single day from sweating.

Volunteers need to be able to detect early signs of heat stress both for themselves and their fellows in the field. Volunteers need to replace fluids and salt from sweat and recognize the signs of dehydration, fainting, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Volunteers should watch for signs of heat stress and allow interruptions in work if they are extremely uncomfortable. Please ensure that work schedules allow appropriate rest periods and liquids are available. If you are working in the field please try to have appropriate shade structures available to everyone who may need them.

• Note, these guidelines have been borrowed from Princeton University

Christian Service Mission, established in 1970 by Johnny Lynch, has been providing aid to the people of Birmingham for 40 years. From its original mission CSM has expanded to include Hannah Home for abused women and their children, and Bethany Home for troubled women. Later the homes were transferred to The King’s Ranch while CSM has continued its food programs.

Christian Service Mission has allowed Toomer’s For Tuscaloosa to use their warehouse in Downtown Birmingham not only as our base of operations, but also our intake and distribution center. We are not an official partner with CSM though our mission to provide aid to the residents of Alabama affected by the April 27^th Tornadoes is the same. Toomer’s For Tuscaloosa and Christian Service Mission have agreed to pool resources for the short term to streamline processes in order to better serve our communities.

Toomer’s For Tuscaloosa would not be able to fulfill its mission without the support of established groups like Christian Service Mission and the countless other groups and individuals who help us help the people of Alabama. We are grateful for all the generous hearts that have allowed us to serve the communities we love.

With humble gratitude,

The Staff and Volunteers at Toomer’s For Tuscaloosa, Inc.