I am considering learning a trade to be able to assist those in need in disaster areas.

From what I gathered so far, roofing, (mold removal....don't know what the occupation is called) are few things.

Even here in Chicago we experienced flooding in numerous towns nearby. So something like a portable boat would be good. But mainly, occupations or trades I can learn to be of assistance. Any thoughts?

Working with wood.
Plumbing.
Painting.

I'd learn to run a "grabber" type of tractor, able to grasp large chunks of lumber/junk and deposit it into a dumptruck. Owning that dump truck would be a plus...

Linemen, framing carpenters, arborists, truck drivers, heavy equipment operators, electricians, rockers, mold abatement specialists, roofers, a buttload of laborers. Pretty much all the trades that it takes to build a house are involved to some extent.

Linemen, heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and arborists will be needed immediately. Others later on. Those involved with anything more than damage control will be in great demand once the insurance money starts becoming available.

Which may depend on how the insurance industry is holding up in the current credit crisis. A lot of the insurance companies are having problems with liquidity. Tight money may cause the insurance companies to aggressively seek to avoid paying claims. Or at least to delay payment.

So there will be a need for disaster assistance attorneys?

I did a couple of medical missions a while back. One of the the missioners was a Reiki practitioner. The medical types sorta wondered what use Reiki would be to the medically under-served in Mexico. I think she provided more useful assistance to the patients than the providers did. I concluded that a big piece of helping out in a bad spot is just being there, offering up your time and your self. The skilled trades are important, but volunteer groups always need somebody to wash the dishes, prepare the food, and hug the crying child-no skills required except abundant humanity.

If you were to consider working any type of labor job after a disaster. I would only work for money or tangible items paid every week or ½ up front.

Having done flood clean up work I can make a good guess that it will go like this. The customer wants it done now and is not concerned about paying you. They expect the insurance company to pay for it so they say to do it all and do it now. If the insurance company approve of your work at all they probably will not pay for up to a year. Many times they will not pay at all because you did not work through them first. The customers will not pay you because they paid for coverage and it’s the insurance companies job to pay. After all why have coverage if not to have stuff like this paid for? They are sure it’s owed to them. But you are the one that gets the shaft.

You just worked your rear end off for free.

Having been down this road more then once, I don’t do any flood or insurance work at all any more.

I like to get paid for the work I do, not to sound cold to the problems others are having. But we all need money to live and I did not cause the problem.

PS a singed document saying they have to pay if the insurance company doesn’t pay is almost worthless, and it will many times cost more to have lawyers and the courts give you a favorable judgment then it’s worth. Even with this, payment can be very slow to come to never getting to you at all. It’s not the thing for a small company or just a guy with a truck and some tools to get into.




Mold removal is an area that is filled with so many problems and legal issues you would not believe all of them. Run away from this work very fast!!!


I’ve seen mold removal that had to be done (legally) with haz—mat suits. You don’t just go in with a sponge or a scraper and pick it up and throw it in a garbage bag.

If you are wanting to do volunteer work, church groups provide mass chainsaw and kitchen groups. Post Katrina, I was out in Mississippi with a Southern Babtist disaster org that was running chainsaw groups and a kitchen unit that the Salvation Army trucks delivered.

I've been pricing SkidSteers with grapling buckets Def. something I want for the property and moving debri/trees/brush VERY HANDY.

Tree triming/removal!
Have chainsaw, will travel.

-Blast

Agreed. A good industrial strength wood chipper and you could double your money disposing of unwanted wood from one place while selling it as absorbent natural mulch fill elsewhere.