Teams from our Brookhaven and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, offices offered their time to help out in Rolling Fork, inspired by Patrick and A.Z.
When Patrick Coccaro learned a violent tornado had ripped through Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in the middle of the night on March 24, he immediately got in his truck and drove two hours to get there. Patrick had grown up right next to Rolling Fork, and the EF4 tornado caused catastrophic damage, fatalities and injuries in the town of 1,800 people.
“Entire blocks had been flattened,” says Patrick, a planning and roads forester in the Brookhaven district of our Mississippi-Louisiana Timberlands. ”People were wandering around in a daze, looking at the rubble that used to be their homes. We’re prone to a lot of natural disasters in this area, but this was the worst I’ve ever seen. It was really emotional.”
Cole Smith, B.J. Newman, Dan Gill, Tom Johnson, Sam Ballard, A.Z. and Justin Jackson get the trailer ready for grilling and meal prep in Rolling Fork.
Patrick got out his tools and started clearing driveways, moving downed trees and picking up debris. For him, the relief effort was personal. He didn’t expect anyone else from the company to join him. But the MS/LA Timberlands team couldn’t let him do it alone.
“After talking to Patrick, I immediately contacted my supervisor, Brett McCool, and said, ‘We have to help our brother and his family,’” says A.Z. Zendejas, a Brookhaven harvest manager. “I knew we had to find a way to respond. I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
A.Z., Leo Saucier, Patrick Coccaro and Miles Henderson set before serving meals in Rolling Fork. 'When I got to Rolling Fork, people were in shock,' Patrick says. 'They didn’t know what they needed, or how to direct me. I just looked around and figured out what I could do. It made me realize that when a disaster hits, the people affected can’t immediately rally together to help themselves. They really need people from other communities, whose lives weren’t affected, to step in. That’s what we were able to do, albeit on a small scale. I hope we’ll be able to provide similar support whenever it’s needed in the future.'
A NEED FOR SPEED
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster in which homes and vehicles are destroyed, cash donations aren’t always a big help. What residents and emergency responders needed right away was food — and volunteers to cook and serve it.
“Brett mentioned we had an old trailer with a grill,” A.Z. says. “We just needed to clean it up and buy food and supplies. We went to our region manager, Andy Kepper, and asked for help securing immediate funding rather than waiting for a Giving Fund application.”
Andy approved immediate access to a $1,500 donation. A.Z. and team got right to work.
Residents and emergency workers in Rolling Fork wait in line for a free meal prepared by Weyerhaeuser employees. 'During this process, our loggers, contractors and other people we work with every day learned what we were doing, and we started getting messages,' A.Z. says. 'One contractor said, ‘Next time, whatever you need to buy, let me know, I’ll pay for it.’ Others offered to loan things like trailers. I bet there are a lot more people like that throughout our businesses. All we have to do is ask.'
“I knew I could do a lot with $1,500,” A.Z. says. “A friend of mine who’s a chef had already generously donated 600 hot dogs and 500 hamburgers.”
A.Z. went to Home Depot and Costco and loaded up on everything else the team needed. Then came the challenge of staffing the trailer without affecting the team’s regular work schedule.
“Our managers helped us figure out who could take volunteer days depending on what else was going on,” A.Z. says. “We were able to send crews to Rolling Fork for four days over a two-week period. Patrick helped us secure a spot to set up outside the school, one of the only buildings still standing that had electricity.”
Brett McCool and Dan Perry from our Brookhaven office bring supplies to Rolling Fork.
FRIENDLY FACES IN DARK TIMES
The school gym became a hub for donations such as toilet paper and bottled water. And one week after the tornado struck, the MS/LA volunteer crew set up the trailer on the edge of that distribution line.
Our volunteers handed out meals — including chips, drinks and dessert — from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Many of the meal recipients were emergency workers restoring power, fixing gas leaks and removing obstacles from roads. Rolling Fork is an agricultural area, and even before the disaster food options were few and far between.
Donna Carney Slavin, A.Z., Brad Duncan, Patrick and Amy Sofferin. Debris from the tornado can be seen in the background. 'Patrick and his family were among the first people to start organizing and dispensing donations,' A.Z. says. 'The people whose homes were destroyed had nothing. They needed dog food, mops, diapers, cleaning supplies — you name it. It was great to see that drive to help out other human beings.'
“Family friends and people I grew up with saw the Weyerhaeuser trailer and hugged us and thanked us,” Patrick says. “A lot of people said things like, ‘Oh, I know Weyerhaeuser — I hunt on your land, my dad used to work for you, it’s so good to see you guys here.’ I was really proud we were there when they needed us.”
While it’s common to hear our employees say their coworkers are like family, the tornado relief effort really brought that feeling home for Patrick.
“Nobody who participated had to be there,” he says. “They didn’t know anyone in Rolling Fork, but they came anyway. It strengthened my relationship with my coworkers and made me really grateful to be a part of this team.”
