During a year in which the country has suffered unprecedented storm numbers and damage, needs are only escalating.

"Initially, I thought I'd respond to one or two storms a year for free," says Agoglia. "But the demand has been so great, I couldn't say no."

Agoglia has continued to develop his arsenal of equipment to meet that demand. The First Response Team consists of more than $1 million in specialized machinery able to adapt to the various challenges of disaster sites

Each of two 75-foot max trucks can hold up to eight average dump trucks' worth of debris and has a high-speed crane with interchangeable heads that can lift, crush and cut its way through collapsed buildings in 20 minutes to an hour.

"Especially when little towns get hit, there's not much assistance for them," Agoglia says. "With my equipment, I can come in and clean up the whole town in two days."

Agoglia hauls a multi-terrain hovercraft, dirt bikes, satellite phones with GPS tracking, a huge generator and a large water pump. Soon, he'll add a fire truck and a complex satellite database to connect those suddenly homeless with separated loved ones.

Crisscrossing the country, responding to every type of disaster, Agoglia and his team understand the realities of separation all too well.

"I actually had an apartment, but it was a waste. I was never even there," says the Long Island, New York, native. "So, I took those resources and put them into this team." Watch Agoglia and his team in action

His inability to turn away from this mission has also meant a halt to Disaster Recovery Solutions' contractual work, with Agoglia's personal savings solely funding The First Response Team so far. With the escalating cost of fuel, Agoglia's monthly operational costs have rocketed to $45,000. Yet with only a year's reserve left, the seminary grad remains undaunted in his leap of faith. Watch Agoglia describe the sacrifices that helped make his First Response Team a reality

"I used to worry about money. I'd sit down with a yellow notepad and calculator and run the numbers, but I don't do that anymore," Agoglia says. "With the experiences that I've had in these communities, and working with these wonderful people all over America, how can I not help? Watch Agoglia describe reactions his team receives when they show up to help

Ultimately, Agoglia envisions multiple teams covering the country, funded by corporate and federal sponsors, and eliminating the perpetual dilemma faced by his own team when choosing between communities in need.

"We need more teams. There's no question about it," he says. "America deserves this type of response."

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

Disaster Responder Honored

Tad Agoglia with First Response Team of America

Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008

(Springfield, MO) -- While we honor those in uniform on Veterans Day, another man is getting honored for his work on national disasters, including many in Missouri.

Tad Agoglia with First Response Team of America is nominated as a top ten CNN hero out of 4,000 people worldwide.

Agoglia and his organization have responded to 20 major disasters including the Missouri ice storms and the May 10, 2008 tornado.

He's helped many people in the critical first days of a disaster and he wants to use Springfield as a base for starting off his 2009 season.

"I believed that the investment I was making was not going to have a financial return, but it will effect the way disasters are responded to for generations to come," says Agoglia.

This response includes millions of dollars worth of equipment. In the first days of a disaster, Agoglia and his team clear roads, turn on electricity and help people find valuables buried in the rubble.

"For me, this is a constant reminder of what really matters in life," says Agoglia.

The group responded to a nursing home in Ava, Missouri that was without power after a tornado. They also helped in Neosho and Picher, Oklahoma when it too was hit by severe weather.

"He does come in a dump truck in a minute and just open roads like a mechanical monster," says Greg Gaines, Missouri Region D Mass Care Coordinator.

Now Agoglia wants Springfield to be a home base for his team.

"Springfield, Missouri is a very strategically located to respond to disasters in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. We feel it's the best way to approach the storm season," says Gaines.

He says they'll work mainly out of homes and hotels, waiting for the weather to hit.

As mentioned, his dream has also earned him the recognition of a top ten CNN hero. An honor, which if he gets enough votes and wins, would come with $100,0000.

"I sure want him around if my family grandparents were in trouble I would like to know he's near," says Gaines.

Knowing there is help when everything else seems lost is exactly what Agoglia says is the team's mission.

If you would like to learn more about Agoglia and his team or to VOTE FOR TAD AS THE CNN HERO!

"http://heroes.cnn.com/default.asp"

The winner will be announced on CNN on Thanksgiving day.

Jennifer Denman

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

Eagles Win CMA Awards

Rascal Flatts up for the CMA's vocal group of the year for the 7th year straight

November 11, 2008

Eagles Don Henley and Glenn Frey perform at the 2007 CMA Awards.

Venerable country-rock band the Eagles played Tuesday night the second of two shows in Tulsa celebrating the opening of the new BOK Center.

The classic rockers now are bound for Nashville, where they are set to perform at tonight’s CMA Awards at Sommet Center. The awards air from 7 to 1o p.m. on ABC (KOCO-5 in Oklahoma City) and I will be covering them live here on the blog.

The Eagles also are nominated for CMA’s vocal group of the year, along with Emerson Drive, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher, have won the prize for the last six years.

Other performers include co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, along with Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney with The Wailers, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, James Otto, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and a surprise performer.

Associated Press

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

Oklahoma artists are in CMA Awards spotlight

Joe Don Rooney and his bandmates in Rascal Flatts have swept the vocal group of the year category the past five years and are nominees in that category once again.

November 09, 2008

Carrie Underwood will be busy on country music's biggest night.

The Checotah native will co-host the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at 7 p.m. Wednesday on ABC. She will also be performing during the event airing live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. And she is a nominee in two categories: female vocalist of the year (which she won the last two years) and album of the year for "Carnival Ride."

"I am so excited to host a show I grew up watching," said Underwood, who became one of the most popular recording artists in the nation after winning "American Idol" in 2005. "And am so thrilled to spend this night with the fans and (co-host) Brad (Paisley).

"It's going to be a party!"

Other artists with Oklahoma ties invited to the party include Tulsa-raised Ronnie Dunn, Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert, Picher native Joe Don Rooney, McAlester-born Reba McEntire and Owasso resident Trisha Yearwood.

Dunn co-hosted the CMA Awards from 2004-06 with Kix Brooks. Brooks & Dunn have won more CMA Awards (19) than any other artist, and they are nominated this year for vocal duo (which they have won a record 14 times) and album of the year for "Cowboy Town."

Brooks & Dunn also will perform at this year's event, as will Lambert. The former "Nashville Star" contestant (she finished third during the show's first season in 2003) is nominated for female vocalist for the second year and is also up for single of the year for "Gunpowder & Lead."

Rooney and his bandmates in Rascal Flatts have swept the vocal group of the year category the past five years and are nominees in that category once again.

McEntire and Yearwood both received nominations for musical event of the year. Yearwood is featured with Josh Turner on "Another Try," while McEntire teamed with Kenny Chesney for "Every Other Weekend."

McEntire's nomination secures her spot as the female artist with the highest number of nominations (46) in the 42-year history of the CMA Awards.

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

Picher Officials Want To Change Town's Government

"Some people are afraid that changing the city government will slow down the buyout,"

October 29, 2008

PICHER -- Remaining residents of the tornado-ravaged town of Picher are being asked to change the town's form of government.

The proposal, to be voted on next Tuesday, would give Picher a town-trustee form of government, instead of its current city form of government. City Clerk Carolyn Elmore said the change would allow council vacancies to be addressed more easily.

Under the city form of government, council members are elected from specific wards, and the council has four members, plus a mayor. If the proposal passes, residents would elect replacement members at large and the town would have four trustees, with the mayor elected from among the group.

Picher, in Ottawa County in far northeastern Oklahoma, has been hit by a double whammy in recent years.

Once a thriving hub of 20,000 people, Picher's population had dwindled to about 800 in recent years as residents accepted state and federal government buyouts and moved elsewhere. The Superfund area is beset with mine collapses, open shafts, acid mine water that stains Tar Creek orange and mountains of lead-contaminated mine waste, known as chat.

In May, as the buyout progressed, a massive tornado struck the fading town, wiping out much of its south end and resulting in the deaths of seven people.

"Some people are afraid that changing the city government will slow down the buyout," Elmore said. "We don't foresee this slowing it down. That is absolutely not the intent."

As of this month, 429 residents in the Superfund site — which also includes the towns of Cardin and Hockerville — have accepted a buyout offer, and 324 have moved out, said Larry Roberts, the operations manager for the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Assistance Trust.

The town has had to replace its mayor and three council members since the buyout began in May 2006 because of residents moving, Elmore said.

Associated Press

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

New Release Today...
Country Trio Rascal Flatts Includes Guitarist Joe Don Rooney Of Picher

Huge Oklahoma Music Release Week

October 29, 2008

It’s a huge week if you’re a country fan from Oklahoma, with three big releases coming out today.

Toby Keith, who was born in Clinton, raised in Moore and lives in Norman, has his new studio album, “That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy,” hitting today. The album already has scored a No. 1 hit with the embittered ballad “She Never Cried in Front of Me.”

I’ll be reviewing Keith’s latest offering in the coming days, so keep an eye out.

Country trio Rascal Flatts, which includes guitarist Joe Don Rooney of Picher, releases its first compiliation, “Greatest Hits Volume 1" today.

Reba McEntire, who was born in McAlester and raised in nearby Chockie, comes out today with the huge hits collection, “50 Greatest Hits.”

In honor of these big releases, I’m declaring it Oklahoma Country Music Day here on BAM’s Blog. So, crank a little something with a good drawl and a great beat on your stereo and play it loud and proud.

In the DVD arena, it’s MST3K Week here at the blog in honor of today’s release of the “Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Edition,” or “MST3K 20AE,” as the commemorative box is labeled. Enjoy a bad movie with Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo, as well as the host of your particular preference, Joel or Mike. (I’m not going to get into that long-standing debate at this time, fellow MSTies, so don’t even start with me.)

I’ll also be bringing you a review of that limited edition box set in the coming days, so again, be on watch for that.

In the books section, Charles R. Cross, author of the biography ”Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain,” revisits the troubled late Nirvana singer in “Cobain Unseen,” a collection of photographs, facsimiles of journal pages and other personal items, many of them previously unseen, that give insight into the rocker’s too-short life. The books comes with an audio CD of Cobain’s spoken-word material.

Here is the list of this week’s new releases, from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

CDs

Rascal Flatts, “Greatest Hits Volume 1.”

Toby Keith, “That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy.”

Reba McEntire, “50 Greatest Hits” (box set).

Snow Patrol, “A Hundred Million Suns.”

Pink, “Funhouse.”

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

Send Jim Packing

Picher families are moving along slowly from the May 10th tragedy

October 29, 2008

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

In reference to the Tulsa World’s endorsement of Jim Inhofe for re-election to the U.S. Senate, I am incensed! The justifications you cited speak only to unbending partisanship and parochialism.

As to his partisanship, it is fair to ask what percentage of the time did he vote with the Bush agenda over the past seven years. Your endorsement noted a lone instance when he broke with the president. In general, this crucial statistic should be disclosed to provide an objective means for measuring Inhofe’s true effectiveness in office.

Specifically, what voting or diversionary responsibility does he bear for legislation, or lack thereof, in areas such as deregulation of finance, insurance and bank institutions; preferential treatment for special interests; and critical environmental matters?

Your editorial staff praises the senator’s efforts on behalf of people living in the Tar Creek area. After long years of his denial and diminishment of their plight living on a toxic waste dump, the residents of Picher finally had the good fortune of being hit by a tornado. Only then did the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee take overdue action to help a population that was primarily known in terms of its cancer rate.

Finally, Inhofe has become the poster-boy for ignorance on the subject of global warming. Whether it be serious documentaries or national news reporting on this matter, he is frequently referenced as the champion for its non-existence. What kind of a tornado would it take to get his attention here?

Oklahomans should be embarrassed by this kind of representation. It’s not tough willed; it’s either stubbornly dumb or corrupt, or both.

Our country is in serious trouble today, with plenty of suffering for all. Those who were on the watch as our problems festered and exploded should be held accountable. In recognition of this fine state of affairs, I endorse Jim Inhofe for retirement on Nov. 4th. He’s earned it!

– The author lives in Tulsa - BY RICHARD G. POULTON

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

Many Families In Picher Are Still Displaced

Picher families are moving along slowly from the May 10th tragedy

October 29, 2008

PICHER, Okla. (AP) - More than four months after a tornado ravaged this northeastern Oklahoma town and killed six people, many residents remain displaced.

Resident Sue Sigle is still living with a sister after the storm. Sigle and others from Picher are moving on slowly from the tragedy.

"It's still hard to believe all this," she said, looking over the foundation of her home and a basement that's filled with mildew and water. "I come by every day to see what they've done."

On May 10, a tornado leveled Sigle's home in Picher while she was visiting her children in Missouri for Mother's Day weekend. The wreckage from that EF-4 tornado, which flattened about half of this dying mining town, is still only partially cleaned up.

Metal shards are still wrapped around trees in town and some damaged homes are still partially standing.

Picher was a dying town before the tornado hit. Many considered the tornado to be the town's final blow. But the story of the death of the town has been much more prolonged than expected.

None of the tornado victims are allowed to rebuild in Picher because the town is part of one of the oldest and most severe hazardous waste sites in the country. Zinc and lead mining created a toxic legacy for the town, and the federal government is paying for all willing residents to relocate from the area.

Despite $1.34 million in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the fact that the state trust in charge of the relocations expedited payments to tornado victims, some people still find themselves in various states of homelessness and displacement.

Patricia Williams, who was left with an arm in a sling and her back covered in scrapes after the tornado, used FEMA grant money to buy a home in August in nearby Bluejacket.

She still hasn't moved in, though, because her new home is in disrepair and needs patching up. She's staying with her sister in Quapaw.

"It's taken a lot of work, but it's going to be our home, so it's worth it," she said.

Sigle recently purchased a house near Branson, Mo. Starting a new life will be difficult, she said.

Sigle grew up in Picher and drives by the site of her demolished home on her way to the town's elementary school, where she has been a teacher for 38 years. Her mother also was a teacher in Picher.

The school is expected to close after this year.

Sigle was able to recover some photos and scrapbooks from the basement of her tornado-hit home. But the rubble reminds her more than anything of what's starting to look like her former life.

When she visits, she remembers the days when her three children played pool in the basement, and when kids from all around town gathered there to make signs before football games.

"My husband and I, we built this house. It just brings a lot of memories back. He's passed on," she said. "It's just hard to let go."

Click On The Twister'To Go Back To Top

THEY SAY...End Of Tar Creek Buyout Is Nearing

It Will Take 12 To 14 More Months & $12 To $14 Million More

October 14, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY The new chairman of the trust overseeing the estimated $60 million Tar Creek Superfund buyout said Monday that he hopes to wrap up most of the process by December 2009.

Mark Osborn was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry to replace Larry Rice as chairman of the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Assistance Trust. Osborn, a Miami physician, was vice chairman of the trust.

J.D. Strong, Oklahoma's secretary of the environment, said: "I don't have to tell you about Dr. Osborn's passion and abilities. We know he will serve the good folks of Picher and Cardin well."

Rice said his new duties as president of Rogers State University, coupled with his wife's health, would prevent him from dedicating as much time as necessary to complete the effort. Miami businessman Virgil Jurgensmeyer has been named to fill Rice's vacancy on the nine-member trust.