Greetings to the South from Wilkes-Barre, PA Corps Officers, Captains Doug & Patti Richwine:

We met several wonderful people here in the Wilkes-Barre, PA area.  One of these people is Stanley Owca from the Brookside neighborhood.

Another person we had a chance to talk to was Gregory Germek.  Mr. Germek is used to helping others in disaster and never thought it would be himself who needed help.

As well as the wonderful people here in Pennsylvania, we also had a chance to work with some great people from other places.  One of these people is DJ Burleigh from Virginia.  DJ was demobilized and sent hoe this morning, but before he left, he shared some of his own experience here.

One of the important processes in a disaster response is the demobilization, or better known as debriefing.  Demobilization is a process where trained Emotional & Spiritual Care workers meet with every responder to give them a chance to share with someone about their experiences.  It also allows that person to possibly get feelings and emotions out.

This process is available to all levels of a disaster response team. From Incident Commanders to canteen employees, The Salvation Army sees the need to allow people the chance to share their experiences and receive prayer and a blessing.

Part of the difficulty in any disaster situation is knowing when to hand the work off to the local corps and community.  Too soon can lay too much responsibility on the local relief. Too late can extend expenses and resources further then they can go.