"The devastation is unbelievable and some areas are unrecognizable," said Jeff Peevy, I-CAR Southern regional manager, in his correspondence with I-CAR colleagues. In spite of losing his own office in Moss Point, Mississippi, Peevy started visiting the relief tents to spread the word about the collision industry relief efforts. Jerry Sopkowiak, I-CAR Southeast regional manager, met up with Peevy and together they canvassed as many areas as they could with flyers about the "www.Collisionindustryrelief.org" effort. With land lines, cell phones and internet connections interrupted, hand delivery was the only way to contact people. 

The Appleton, Wisconsin, I-CAR Tech Centre rented an 18-foot truck to transport supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.

The weekend after Katrina, Peevy's colleagues took action. A group of I-CAR employees rolled up their sleeves and went to work to help people who had lost everything to Hurricane Katrina's wrath.

The project began in Appleton, Wisconsin, where the I-CAR staff at the Tech Centre began filling a rented 18-foot truck with supplies such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers, combs and brushes, water, food, and other necessities one could not imagine being without.

Next stop: I-CAR home office in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, where more supplies were added. Finally the truck was filled to overflowing in Tennessee and sent on to distribute the supplies to those in need.

Working at home

Peevy is still in Mississippi, operating his I-CAR office out of his home, which was mercifully spared. His on-site observations are a window to the world experiencing this devastation.

One morning he was in D'Auberville, Louisiana, speaking on his cell phone. "We all have lessons to be learned from this catastrophe. In Mississippi alone there were 250,000 people trying to call FEMA. The 800 numbers and websites were useless."

Four weeks later, it is not much better - electronic communications are scarce. South Bell has put up some temporary phones, but it is still difficult to get through on the advertised phone numbers for help. Jordan Hendler at the National AutoBody Council office sent large laminated signs for Peevy to put on stakes at the relief centers.

As the regional I-CAR manager, Peevy knew most of the region's shops and their employees. He pointed out that "these technicians are hard working people who want to earn their own way." What he is discovering is that most people do not want to relocate.

"This is where they have their roots; where they live. The truth is that most of them have come back and are working on their homes." Peevy is watching things progress very quickly. He sees the communities and citizens as being very resilient. He is watching the efforts of FEMA, the Red Cross and other relief organizations do a conscientious job.

Matching techs to jobs

Peevy is offering the hands-on assistance so critical to this effort. He held an I-CAR luncheon in Mobile, Alabama with a group of shops, where he collected job opportunities from these shops to take back and try to match with people.

"Quite honestly," he said, "I have more jobs than techs right now." He is looking forward to that changing as things become more organized in the region.

Peevy sat in the parking lot of a body shop - a small mom-and-pop business. There were no walls on the building and everything inside was devastated. As he watched the owners trying to put it all back together, he commented, "They will try and rebuild. This is their life. Once all the smoke clears, as an industry, we need to get our act together so people will know how best to offer help to those in need."

Peevy is working closely with www.collisionindustryrelief.org and Todd Hoffman's www.toolsfortechs.com .