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July 2008 |
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Friday, 21 March 2008 |
Area couple provides aid for flood victims
 The Rev. Jeanette and Terry Tangeman began participating in multiple relief projects in 2006 and now offer aid to natural disaster victims using a trailer filled with supplies, left and above, including shovels, first-aid supplies and personal grooming kits. (Staff photo/ Annie Zelm)
By ANNIE ZELM
Staff Writer
Jeanette and Terry Tangeman welcome the opportunity to get their hands dirty.
In the aftermath of a flooding disaster, they are often among the first to respond — and they remain on the scene long after the water subsides.
While volunteers are typically quick to respond to areas devastated by flood damage, the couple says many people forget that the impact of such disasters can linger for years.
“We always need more help,” Jeanette Tangeman said Thursday as she and her husband sat in their home on Short Line Road, outside of Buckland. “Everyone comes immediately, but they forget what happens beyond.”
The couple, who participated in multiple relief projects in the wake of the Gulf Coast flooding and more recently responded to
flooding events in Ohio, are members of the United Church of Christ Disaster Response Team’s Ohio Conference.
The work they do is habit-forming, they said.
Terry Tangeman, 63, a retired UPS driver, first became involved in the spring of 2006, when the interim Rev. Cliff Bollenbacher of the Buckland United Church of Christ invited him to assist with relief efforts in the aftermath of the Gulf Coast hurricanes — Katrina and Rita — in 2005.
Jeanette Tangeman, 64, a former registered nurse and retired pastor of the Buckland United Church of Christ (UCC), said she considers the relief ministry to be a third career.
She takes charge of assembling personal care kits and cleaning supplies while also managing administrative duties.
She maintains contact with a variety of relief organizations, including approximately 90 UCC churches in northwest Ohio, and is beginning the process of conducting a telephone survey to assess the needs of residents affected by flooding.
Both widowed with children of their own, the couple married in August 2004 after a friendship evolved into romance.
“It took us each by surprise,” Jeanette Tangeman said, “We weren’t looking — it just happened.”
Jeanette Tangeman, who entered the seminary in 1994, shortly after the death of her late husband, Doran Rode, in 1993, was called to serve at the Buckland United Church of Christ in 1997. The Toledo native became acquainted with Terry Tangeman after meeting several of his family members at her church.
Terry Tangeman, a native of Buckland, formerly ran an antique business with his late wife, Nancy, before he married Jeanette.
Their involvement in the church, as well as the relief ministry, keeps them active, both said.
Since the Gulf Coast hurricanes, they have led at least seven trips to the area and coordinated numerous missions in communities throughout the state, including Findlay and Ottawa, where residents continue to struggle after being hit with a second round of flooding in February.
Armed with a heavy-duty trailer, basement pumps, industrial-sized generators, power washers, and Tyvek suits to protect them from mold and dangerous bacteria, the couple begins a typical clean-up by pumping water and mud from a residence.
They train volunteers of all ages to assist them in the work. When the bulk of the cleaning is finished, their duties are just beginning.
As members of long-term recovery crews, they meet with committees to ensure the residents have ongoing financial assistance, as well as any medical care or counseling they may need.
“We can’t do everything, but we try to help get their lives back in order,” Terry Tangeman said. “It’s a long, long process, and a lot of people don’t realize the magnitude of it.”
In New Orleans and other Gulf Coast regions, where the couple have participated in ongoing relief efforts, the areas are still so severely damaged that they are beyond repair.
“They don’t know whether to tear down, rebuild or just walk away, knowing their houses will be difficult to sell,” Terry Tangeman said.
Nearly three years after the disaster in New Orleans, thousands of houses remain virtually untouched in an area the size of Great Britain, Jeanette Tangeman said.
“The magnitude of the disaster was like wiping out several towns around here,” Jeanette Tangeman said. “They’ve been met with such a multitude of problems from the city, from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and insurance companies — the frustration is just horrendous.”
Each time they have returned to the Gulf Coast areas, Jeanette Tangeman said they encounter more and more residents who are eager to tell their stories.
“It’s part of the healing process,” Jeanette Tangeman said. “When you’ve been through something like that, talking about it makes it more real so you can begin to deal with it emotionally.”
As they lead other groups of volunteers to the area, Jeanette Tangeman often reminds them that no matter how busy they are repairing physical structures, the emotional needs of the residents must come first.
The Tangemans are planning to return to Biloxi, Miss., on Sept. 6 to repair more houses. They have more than half of the volunteers they need but are looking for approximately 12 others to join them.
For those who have never attended, Jeanette Tangeman said the only requirements are a willingness to help others in need and a desire to step outside of their comfort zone.
“No matter what you’re doing, if someone stops to talk to you, it’s important to listen to what they have to say,” she said. “It’s not a waste of time.
“It’s all about the people, and that’s the part that makes it worthwhile,” she said. “Their stories really tug on your heart and keep you going.” |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 21 March 2008 )
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| | ...I love the "small town" charm and sense of community I feel when I run into my father at Community Market or my Mother-in-Law at Walmart or one of my sisters at the gas station! Tracy Anderson - Wapakoneta
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