NEWS ALERT MISSOURI CITY, TX (Sept. 16, 2005) - Hurricane Katrina has swept away the livelihoods of more than 4,000 mechanics and body shop workers, and now the industry is seeking to get them back in the bays through a "Tools for Techs" program. "What we are doing is asking every technician in the country to send us a tool out of their tool boxes. We will separate these tools and put them into sets and give them to hurricane victims so that they can return to work," explains Todd Hoffman, executive director of Scene of the Accident Inc., based in Missouri City, TX. "We will also be asking for cash donations for the purchase of tool boxes and items needed to make full sets of tools." Corporate contributions are sought as well. "I'm trying to get sponsorship or support from tool manufacturers," says Hoffman, who is heading the effort through a special Internet site: www.toolsfortechs.org.
Contributions are fully tax deductible through Scene of the Accident's status as a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. "One hundred percent of the tools and funds collected go to the project," he explains, noting that he was motivated to become involved with industry-specific relief efforts after the National Auto Body Council announced plans to relocate displaced workers for employment in other regions of the country. "We can't hire a guy if he has nothing to work with," reflects Hoffman, referring to the thousands who not only lost their homes, but also tool collections they had maintained and enhanced over an entire career. "They went to work Friday, and on Friday there wasn't even an evacuation order. On Monday they didn't have a home or a job, and they couldn't even get into the area - everything was flooded." The storm surge washed away entire communities along with the shops, scattering debris far and wide. And if the rising waters didn't claim the contents of their tool boxes, most likely looters did, according to Hoffman. "Finding their tools would be nearly impossible, and they probably wouldn't even be there even if they were able to get in" to salvage what they can. "Now they are left with nothing," he points out. "I knew that a lot of technicians would be displaced. I live in Houston, so I went down to the Astrodome to talk to them. They told me they were not going to continue as a technician because they would not start over buying tools. That's when I decided that I needed to do something." Relief workers will assist Tools for Techs in matching the donated gear with those who are in need. "The Red Cross has interviewed everybody and put them into categories of who does what; they're helping them get jobs. They have a list available of mechanics and bodymen (and women) who have been displaced and who want to get back to work." Hoffman, an I-CAR instructor, broached the idea with his students. "The response I got when I first talked to my class was overwhelming. They said, 'Yeah, I've got an extra set of tools.' I then talked to shop owners, and they're willing to foot the bill" to at least begin the process of shipping donated items to the evacuees' appropriate shelter locations.
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