Amish America

Allowed by God?

The news just seems to repeat itself.  Yesterday a fatal van crash occurred involving an Amish family in Indiana.  In April a number of Amish men were killed on the Indiana toll road which cuts across the northern part of the state.

Road accidents have left their share of Amish orphans.  One accident in the early 80's left a family of, if I'm not mistaken, nine children without parents.  A Milroy, Indiana family adopted all of them.  On the mailbox outside the home you can read the name of the couple who took them in as well as "......... Children" indicating the orphans. 

The story has become something of a tragic legend among tales of Amish accidents.  I remember it nearly bringing me to tears when I heard about it years later.  What love that adopting family showed those children when it was needed most.

There also seems to have been a major twister which ripped up Nappanee, heart of another chunky Indiana settlement, late last week.  I'm not sure how many Amish-owned properties were affected, but expect the Amish to step up and pitch in to rebuild either way.  Two years back, Daviess County, Indiana, was plastered by an F3 Fujita-scale tornado.  Amish from multiple states trucked in to help them back on their feet.  Daviess Amish returned the favor in Missouri a year later.  I'd expect more of the same this time around.

Stepping Up

In the Amish world, when disaster strikes, you help your neighbor.  Sometimes that means going two or three states away to clean up.    

And it's not just Amish helping Amish--after all, in the grand scheme of things, you, English person, are a neighbor too. 

Amish often travel to help non-Amish rebuild after hurricanes, such as the Hugo storm in the early 90's.  Amish were active after Katrina  last year as well. 

The Amish do not carry disaster insurance.  They rely on community support.  Out of brotherly love, as well as knowing that you could be the one hit next, you do what you can to help out.

The Amish settlement in Daviess County, Indiana was struck by a severe tornado in the fall of 2005.  Within days, Amish from across the country had gathered to rebuild. 

Last year, a Missouri settlement had the similar misfortune of a tornado strike.  Daviess Amish were at the ready, most likely with fresh memories of their own experience in mind.

Some people have contrasted the Amish response to disaster with the Hurricane Katrina experience.

In the words of Patrick Boylan, director of the Homeland Security Program at Vincennes University, located near Daviess County:

"In the South everybody is still waiting for someone else to do something for them.  We need to send them (the Amish and Mennonite residents) down to teach them how to be self-reliant. Their resourcefulness is amazing."