Assisting when disaster hits home: OSU Extension's DART transforms crisis into recovery

Assisting when disaster hits home: OSU Extension's DART transforms crisis into recovery

Friday, December 13, 2024

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Calves bawl while a young cowboy works quickly to move them from the burning land. A mom stands in line for donations after a tornado destroys her home. She is usually the one donating and does not know where to begin.

Hundreds of Oklahomans have experienced these gut-wrenching situations because of the state's everchanging weather conditions.

However, a group of Oklahoma State University Extension educators and specialists have spent the last few years developing resources for residents in situations like these.

Looking back a couple of years, wildfires in western Oklahoma burned a lot of acreage and did a lot of damage to the ranching industry, said Claude Bess, southeastern district director for OSU Extension.

"County educators in that area were overwhelmed with calls of people wanting to donate hay, feed and fencing supplies," Bess said.

The area's OSU Extension educators were swamped with calls while trying to organize resources for ranchers, Bess said, and they could not conduct their regular responsibilities.

"People wanted to donate money to help those affected," said Damona Doye, associate vice president of OSU Extension. "We couldn't take money, and I didn't know what our options were for other kinds of coordination.

"I was contacted by an OSU Extension educator wanting to know what we could do," said Doye, a professor in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics at the time.

Doye discovered gaps in resources when she contacted the Extension Disaster Education Network, she said, which was concerning because Oklahoma has more than its fair share of disasters.

As a system, OSU Extension needed to be better prepared for supporting its staff, Doye said. She wanted to ensure they responded to communities in an effective way, she added.

As a result, OSU Extension formed the Disaster Assistance Response Team. DART is a group of individuals with disaster training, said Donna Patterson, DART state commander.

"We just want to help people," Patterson said.

DART was formed in response to wildfires in western Oklahoma around 2019, Doye said.

"The intent of DART is to reach out to OSU Extension educators," said Jason Warren, assistant director and state program leader for agriculture, natural resources and community economic development for OSU Extension. "We help determine the magnitude of the disaster and figure out what resources can be sent.

"Whether it's information about animal health or fencing costs, anything you can imagine related to agriculture, we can send it," Warren added.

DART also helps with the recovery phases, Warren said. The team helps county educators understand how to quantify and report damages to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.

Additionally, DART works with OSU Extension at the county level to determine what residents might need. This includes organizing non-financial donations and providing resources or residents, such as how to navigate water and fire damage, Warren said.

"The response is actually the smaller end of what we do," said Amy Hagerman, associate professor of agricultural economics and DART state program leader.

Response is critical, but so is preparedness training, Hagerman said. The team undergoes training to understand first responder language and to be ready to work alongside first responders after disasters, she said.

Additionally, the team works to educate first responders. The team has conducted training events for U.S. Army civil battalion, police and animal control workers, Hagerman added.

"In disaster situations, you want to think three steps ahead," Patterson said. "We have done some animal handling trainings for first responders.

"These trainings are for hazard mitigation and preparedness, how to handle cattle on the road or if there is a disease," Patterson said. "Training prepares them for when disaster strikes."

When the team meets after a disaster, Patterson acts as a voice for county educators. After assessing the on-site situation, she communicates the county's needs to the rest of DART, Patterson said.

Patterson is an OSU Extension educator in Rogers County, so she has a personal relationship with many educators in the state, she said.

Patterson stays in constant contact with fellow OSU Extension educators to determine the needs of the county and how to help them through the process, she added.

"I know how the information needs to be packaged for us to utilize it most efficiently," Patterson said.

Patterson helps gather relevant fact sheets and coordinate information.

Patterson is the individual you need talking to someone who is in the middle of a crisis," Hagerman said.

DART comes alongside people experiencing emotion and trauma and just need someone else to be there for them, Hagerman said.

One role Patterson has is checking in with the OSU Extension educators.

"It's not just, 'Do you need anything?'" Hagerman said. "It's, 'How are you doing?' 'Do you want to talk about anything?' Often, they do want to talk, to vent because it's hard.

"My role is more of coordination and making sure all the parts are talking to each other," Hagerman said.

In such an event, many individuals and groups need information to provide resources, she explained. Many times, OSU Extension educators in the county get bogged down with trying to communicate their needs.

"I am the one in the middle who takes updates from Patterson about what is happening in the field," Hagerman said.

Hagerman then synthesizes the information and distributes it to the correct people, she said.

"We are continuing to help build our capacity to respond and to update resources that might be needed at the county level," Doye said.

The team has continued to grow and fill positions, Doye added.

"It takes a certain kind of individual to be working alongside first responders in a very high-stress environment," Hagerman said.

Story by Hallie Thompson | Cowboy Journal

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