The Online Reflector

Sophomore communication major Amber Derrow said that having nothing to do was what led her to get up in the middle of the night and help the victims of the deadly Richmond Hills explosion on Nov. 10. However, Derrow did not know the cause of the explosion when she decided to take supplies to Mary Bryan Elementary School.

“At that moment, I was thinking that it was an accident, because you have no idea. And you’re just like, ‘Why did this happen?’ And now, you’re thinking, ‘Why did someone do it?’” Derrow said.

According to indystar.com, the explosion investigation has now been classified as a criminal investigation, with 15 search warrants issued but no arrests as of The Reflector press time. The explosion damaged at least 90 homes, destroying five and causing 33 others to need to be demolished. Total damages have been estimated in excess of $4 million.

Derrow said that she was still awake at her apartment when she heard a loud boom that rattled her windows. After religiously checking the news and social media sites for an hour, she decided to do something. She left to get donations to take to Mary Bryan Elementary School, the place to which Richmond Hills residents had been evacuated.

“I knew what they were posting on the Internet, the websites and [the] television shows,” Derrow said. “But as soon as they started saying overnights, I was like, ‘You know, people need other stuff.’”

With 30 toothbrush sets, Derrow headed to Mary Bryan. The school was blocked, she said, by police. But when they saw the donations, they waved her on.

According to Derrow, everyone at Mary Bryan was grateful that they were safe and that the community had come together to help. She also said that everything was orderly; organization was not the problem.

“The biggest part was that, from Mary Bryan, there’s just like a tree line separating the neighborhood from the elementary school, and you could see all the smoke coming that night. And I think the most upsetting part was you see all these families walking through the doors,” Derrow said. “It kind of makes you cringe a little bit, because all of these families who had nothing to do with it have like nothing now.”

Social media, especially Twitter, helped her stay up to date with news about the event. It also helped her report what was happening. By using the viral Twitter hash-tag #indyboom, Derrow could see what other sources, including professional news outlets, were posting. She said that she was able to share the needs at Mary Bryan with the rest of the Indianapolis community.

“I don’t know how it started, and the thing is that it’s hard to change things once it starts,” Derrow said. “I didn’t like #indyboom, and a lot of the people that actually hash-tagged #indyboom were complaining about [using] #indyboom.”

Although many later apologized, calling the hash-tag insensitive, Derrow said that the situation still showed how influential social media are. She said that people all across the nation were responding to her posts. Although people across the U.S. showed concern, Derrow said that being close was what made her go.

“It would have been different if I was like 30 minutes away,” Derrow said. “But when I’m only like two minutes from the actual explosion, and my apartment is perfectly fine, and I have a toothbrush and I can eat, that’s not fair to the people who can’t.”

The campus community also pitched in to help victims of the explosion. A campus-wide email from Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli said that both students and staff members were affected by the explosion. The family of one student had likely lost everything, the email explained.

“We did a drive for the student and her family of cash and gift cards across campus and received very generous donations that we were able to give to the student and her family,” Vitangeli said.

Vitangeli said that in two weeks more than $1,000 in gift cards and cash gifts was raised. The university also donated replacement books for the student, Vitangeli said.

“I had no doubt when I put a call out for donations that there would be a huge response,” Vitangeli said. “The UIndy community is such a caring place that people are always willing to help out others in need.”