Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast earlier this fall, assistance for those affected by the storms has been offered by countless individuals and companies in other regions of the country. In the last few months, many local banks have focused their efforts on donating funds to help in the relief efforts, but one bank with a presence in Massachusetts is offering more: its own employees.
Pennsylvania-based Sovereign Bank announced earlier this fall that 10 employees from the bank would join the American Red Cross in aiding victims of the two hurricanes. The first employee to make the trip, Pier-Luca Bruno, a financial analyst in Boston, headed to the Gulf Coast just over two weeks ago and was slated to return after Thanksgiving.
“As a student in Wilmington, N.C., I experienced two hurricanes: Bonnie and Floyd,” said Bruno. “I have a first-hand view of the devastation that the hurricane left behind, from families sitting on their rooftops to individuals searching for possessions blown or washed away. Once I learned that Sovereign was offering this incredible opportunity without penalizing for time away [from the job], I did not hesitate to take advantage of the possibility to assist in the relief efforts.”
The Red Cross trains the volunteers and places them in various locations. Sovereign Bank is supporting the volunteers by continuing to provide their base pay for up to three weeks of service.
Bruno is a financial analyst for the bank’s Boston/MetroWest commercial lending unit. He supports five relationship managers by assisting in the management of a $400 million credit portfolio. He also participates in the underwriting and execution of sole-lender and syndicated loan transactions.
On Friday afternoon, Nov. 11, Bruno arrived in Laplace, La. He was housed at a First United Methodist Church throughout his stay. Each morning, his team of fellow Red Cross volunteers left the church around 6 a.m. in order to arrive at a nearby warehouse at 6:30 a.m. The workers loaded three 24-foot moving trucks with food and household supplies to be distributed to residents in the area. After arriving at a site designated by the Red Cross in Laplace, the team took an hour to an hour-and-a-half to unload the truck and set up. Although the station didn’t open until 10 a.m. each day, Bruno said cars belonging to those in need of supplies were lined up as early as 8 a.m. and the constant flow of traffic continued through the day. The site where Bruno was working each day was in a “dead zone,” termed as such because there was no power and no residents living in the nearby homes.
Residents who have been forced out of their homes came to the stations to collect goods such as, ice, water, food, diapers, brooms and bleach. Because most of the homes in the area are completely devastated, Bruno said many people have since found other places nearby to stay.
“Most people are staying with friends, family,” Bruno said. “A lot of people are staying somewhere else.”
On the weekends, he said, many of the residents come back to their homes to make repairs and improvements.
Emotional Response
For Bruno, his days in were long, hot, dirty and strenuous. Each day began at 5 a.m. with “lights on” at the church. The station where supplies were distributed typically closed either when supplies ran out or at 3 p.m. each day and 4 p.m. on Sundays. After returning to the warehouse in the evening, Bruno was fed dinner by the church community.
“I eat better here than anywhere else,” Bruno said during an interview with Banker & Tradesman while in Louisiana.
For the remainder of the evenings, Bruno was able to socialize with other volunteers until lights out at 10 p.m. During his time spent there, Bruno said he formed friendships with other volunteers from his college, his hometown of Albany, N.Y., and his current residence of Boston. Despite the treacherous conditions outside, Bruno said his experience at the church and with the Red Cross was “so comfortable.”
“I’ve been treated great,” said Bruno.
Although he was busy distributing supplies, Bruno did have some time to assess the damage in that particular area of Louisiana. He said the water damage to homes was sobering.
“You see [water] marks disappear because obviously it’s above the roof,” said Bruno.
He said every home had an “X” on the front with the date it was searched, the organization that searched the house and the number of people recovered from the home, including fatalities.
“Seeing that on the sides of houses Â… seeing holes on the roofs – that’s what hits home,” said Bruno. It’s tenfold [worse than] what you see on TV.”
Being able to give a child a toy so he or she will make it through the day has also made Bruno aware of what he has back in Boston.
“I appreciate what I have,” he said.
After visiting “completely devastated” areas, Bruno said it is clear the Gulf Coast is dealing with not only a natural disaster, but also crime. He saw cars that had been underwater and subsequently robbed, with broken windows and opened doors. While the media typically has not shown the interior of many of these damaged homes, Bruno said he was able to walk up to a home and look inside to see the damage.
Bruno has participated in other charitable programs through his employer, Sovereign Bank, but said the hurricane program is the first disaster relief effort in which he has been involved. He said there were some similarities between his job as a financial analyst and his role as a volunteer.
“I’m still dealing with people, managing my time,” said Bruno, adding that he must use his judgment on how much product to distribute to each person.
But there are some differences between working as a banker and as a volunteer in a disaster area.
“The only difference is the emotion,” he said. “You’re dealing with people’s lives.”
Bruno said he was thankful that his employer gave him the chance to help fellow citizens.
“Sovereign gave me the opportunity,” Bruno said, adding that he would not have been able to head South on his own without pay for three weeks. “It’s just an experience that I figured would change my life.”
Sovereign Bank New England’s Chief Executive Officer Joseph P. Campanelli said he encourages his employees to participate in programs and events to give back to the community.
“It is something I aggressively encourage,” Campanelli said.
Bank employees and customers have contributed more than $1.3 million for the Gulf Coast relief effort. Campanelli described it as a part of the bank’s “responsibility as a corporation.”
But sending employees to the affected areas is an extra step the bank took because it is part of the bank’s mission to be hands-on, he said.
“It [speaks] more to our culture at Sovereign; it’s one of teamwork, it’s one of working collaboratively,” said Campanelli. “It was the right thing to do.”
Campanelli stressed that the bank’s efforts go beyond simply writing a check.
While the region does need money, manpower also is required to see that supplies reach the people most in need.
About 80 Sovereign bank employees nationwide applied for the opportunity to participate personally in the relief efforts, and several others from the New England area are among the 10 who were chosen. Keri Bell, a Sovereign Direct representative from Rhode Island; Lisa Radosta, commercial operations team manager in Dorchester; Holly Veum, community bank sales assistant in Needham; and Deborah Blondin, relationship manager, and Bob McDonald, commercial loan portfolio manager, both from Manchester, N.H., were each randomly selected for the opportunity.
