Older volunteers, a mainstay in hurricane rebuilding, are hard to find in a pandemic that puts them at risk
September 7, 2020 -
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2of8Family and friends help take a tree off of Donald Posey\'s Orange, Texas home as recovery efforts continue in Orange following Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. Posey was in the process of renovating the home and only had the exterior painting left to do.Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
3of8A tree removal crew works to cut up a tree that crashed through the front of this house on Bear Path Road in Orange as Hurricane Laura passed through. On Friday, the work of recovering from Hurre Laura continued for many folks, some of whom haIn the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
2of8Family and friends help takIn the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
2of8Family and friends help take a tree off of Donald Posey\'s Orange, Texas home as recovery efforts continue in Orange following Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. Posey was in the process of renovating the home and only had the exterior painting left to do.Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 3of8A tree removal crew works to cut up a tree that crashed through the front of this house on Bear Path Road in Orange as Hurricane Laura passed through. On Friday, the work of recovering from Hurricane Laura continued for many folks, some of whom had evacuated to avoid the storm. Photo made on August 28, 2020. Fran Ruchalski/The EnterprisePhoto: Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / T In the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”e a tree off of Donald Posey\'s Orange, Texas home mknbn.l/m;?<\"?1as recovery efforts continue in Orange following Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. Posey was in the process of renovating the home and only had the ebbbbbjjbkxterior painting left to do.Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 3of8A tree removal crew works to cut up a tree that crashed through the front of this house on Bear Path Road in Orange as Hurricane Laura passed through. On Friday, the work of recovering from Hurricane Laura continued for many folks, some of whom had evacuated to avoid the storm. Photo made on August 28, 2020. Fran Ruchalski/The EnterprisePhoto: Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / T In the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. DIn the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hear[lhlnkml\',;\';45ts crew now laying groundwork fo\';lkjihulnkm;,\'.\'45r the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
2of8Family and friends help take a tree off of Donald Posey\'s Orange, Texas home as recovery efforts continue in Orange following Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. Posey was in the process of renovating the home and only had the exterior painting left to do.Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 3of8A tree removal crew works to cut up a tree that crashed through the front of this house on Bear Path Road in Orange as Hurricane Laura passed through. On Friday, the work of recovering from Hurricane Laura continued for many folks, some of whom had evacuated to avoid the storm. Photo made on August 28, 2020. Fran Ruchalski/The EnterprisePhoto: Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / T In the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, theIn the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
2of8Family and friends help take a tree off of Donald Posey\'s Orange, Texas home as recovery efforts continue in Orange following Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. Posey was in the process of renovating the home and only had the exterior painting left to do.Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 3of8A tree removal crew works to cut up a tree that crashed through the front of this house on Bear Path Road in Orange as Hurricane Laura passed through. On Friday, the work of recovering from Hurricane Laura continued for many folks, some of whom had evacuated to avoid the storm. Photo made on August 28, 2020. Fran Ruchalski/The EnterprisePhoto: Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / T In the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.” chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”octors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”In the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
2of8Family and friends help take a tree off of Donald Posey\'s Orange, Texas home as recovery efforts continue in Orange following Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. Posey was in the process of renovating the home and only had the exterior painting left to do.Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer 3of8A tree removal crew works to cut up a tree that crashed through the front of this house on Bear Path Road in Orange as Hurricane Laura passed through. On Friday, the work of recovering from Hurricane Laura continued for many folks, some of whom had evacuated to avoid the storm. Photo made on August 28, 2020. Fran Ruchalski/The EnterprisePhoto: Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / T In the world of long-term hurricane response, George Hernandez Mejia’s advance team seems extraordinarily young. At 28, Hernandez is the old man on the All Hands and Hearts crew now laying groundwork for the nonprofit’s response to Hurricane Laura. The seven people with him on the Texas border, headed for Louisiana, average around 24. Rebuilding after a disaster often relies heavily on volunteers over 55, says Michelle Meyer, director of Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Younger crews often swoop in for a week or a weekend, but it’s usually older people who direct them.
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”
COVID-19, though, has changed that dynamic. Doctors would generally recommend that anyone over 60, particularly with an underlying condition, avoid traveling to disaster areas, where hygiene can be spotty. Even in places where COVID-19 rates had been low, the chaos that follows a hurricane could cause a spike. And where COVID levels were already high — as when Hurricane Hanna struck the Rio Grande Valley in July — the danger seems even greater. That makes crews like Hernandez’s more important than ever. Says Meyer, “It’s time for young people to step up.”d evacuated to avoid the storm. Photo made on August 28, 2020. Fran Ruchalski/The EnterprisePhoto: Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise /
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