Back Home for now

Well we made it. I think we got most everyone in the Shelter off to something better. Some were lucky enough to be able to return home with only a little work done by contractors, while others needed to find somewhere to go for a longer duration while they decided to return or to pick up new somewhere else.

I was really amazed by 2 things. Long before the news was broadcasting it, many of the people in the shelter were talking about starting life over somewhere else. We had one family donate use of some land for a man to buy a mobile home a put it on. Others found economy apartments in the area of the shelter and used that to get back to some sort of normalcy before they made further decisions. The second thing that really amazed me was how many of them had family that wouldn't take them in to care for them. I realize that some people have small homes or children and busy lives, but for crying out loud these are close family members. We had one lady whose daughter refused to let her come live with her. We also had a gentleman whose closest living relative were grown grand-daughters who wouldn't take him, but they insisted on using his truck to move items for themselves and such.

I have been back a few days now and had a chance to unwind and such, but man of those people are still in my mind. Hoping that they somehow find a way to establish some sort of quality of life. I certainly hope they will, they were far too interesting a group of people to not.

Well now normal life begins again and already some office politics are about. During the relief effort, my office was moved to a field office near my home so that it would be easy for me to get back and forth to work until I got deployed. Now that I am back, I am still using the field office for a location and when I went up to my actual office the other day, one of the members of my team ran up to me and gave me some mysterious warnings and such. I dismissed them in a vain attempt to exit the political ruckus. I think she could be a little bit of a "stirrer" herself. I think she likes to see others get into all this stuff so that she can seem concerned and get attention from them when they seek her out to talk about it. I am very sure that it all has to do with a grab for attention and since I am not a pyschiatrist, that is all I will give to it. I think my day will be better off giving it just that....nothing. Office politics will not get me farther in my career and certainly can get in more trouble than anything else.

Well, back to the rat race. I am still doing hurricane stuff, but now it is managing information on long-term shelters in the region and making sure that appropriate agencies are up to date with information.

Working during the hurricane effort

Yes, I know it has been quite a few days since I last updated here. To tell the truth it has been a little hectic. (please ignore any typos as I am very tired and the keyboard is floating around in my vision here!)

Among all the duties back home trying to get some semi-permanent forms of residence ready for hurricane survivors, my team got orders to deploy to Baldwin County, Alabama (that is one side of the Mobile Bay) and operate a Medical Needs Shelter.

One good thing is that the shelter was already set up once we arrived. Actually we were a reflief team sent down, and the shelter was already established and populated. In previous hurricanes we have arrived prior to its landfall and have to set up all the cots and so forth by ourselves.

A Medical Needs Shelter is a "newer" term and is for those people that need some sort of medical attention (more than a first aid nurse is prepared to give in a regular Mass Care Shelter like Red Cross runs) but does not quite require the amount of care and attention that a hospital admission warrants. So what we have are those people that are diabetic and need regiferation for their meds, those on nebulizer or oxygen, mental health needs and so forth.

We have quite a bunch here. Most of our patients are from Biloxi, Miss but we do have a few from New Orleans and other sections of Louisiana. They are a very interesting bunch and have had many stories to tell. A lot of them want to talk about how they have been cared for and I am quite surprised that most of them are quite happy with the care they have recieved prior to getting here. They talk of all the kindness and how they really understand why they had to sleep on a high school gym floor for a day or two before they got shipped to here. We had one very interesting gentleman that had to sleep on the streets of Biloxi for 2 nights. He is diabetic and his feet swole up to the point where his slippers had to be peeled off of him. He was so relieved to see the FEMA truck drive up he said. He and I shared farming stories and he had quite the interesting life. We have a large number of people who were willing to share stories from their life with anyone. They really seemed to enjoy just sharing with you.

One of our ladies is quite frail, but we have been treating her like a celeberty and have arranged to get her a make over and I act like a cabana boy for her and mix her martinis a few times a day (real ones too! She used some money and went out to get her supplies...so I shake, shake, shake) She wears her big glasses and enjoys all the attention she garners. She is really a sweet person.

One of our mental health patients went with me a few times on errands into the city and it really helped his condition. We tried to normalize his schedule by giving him cleaning chores and he would talk to you all about all these things that he was thinking. I notice that with his story I have switched to past tense. Well that is because today right as I was coming back on shift, we found a place for him. I didn't get the detail on where he was going, but he made sure to let me know that he appreciated the time I spent with him and helping him.

That has been the story off and on with these people (and that is what they are even though they are patients as well). We get them in, feed them and care for them, and then we help them find assisted living or apartments of their own. If they have family we give them a safe refuge until the family is ready to take them in. A few of our Mississippi folks, know that their buildings are okay (except for the lower 2 or 3 floors) and they are anxious to get back and save what they may. I wondered for a while how they knew this and asked one of them. They said that they had returned to get a change of clothes (or some of their meds...insert X for short run to my abode) and while they couldn't physically climb the stairs, they found someone who could and since they lived on the 4th floor or higher, their things were okay.

I have been working the night shift and serving as facility manager during the wee hours here. The security forces (mainly national guard and forestry service) come and eat with us and fill up on coffee for the late nights.

If anyone is taking the time to read this, I want to make something very clear to everyone based on what we are seeing here. We have a TV and many of the people here want to tune in a find out what is going on, but now every channel has to have a fund-raiser concert or a new special on the "state of the crisis" and both kinds of shows try to show the emotion with an emphasis on the horrible pictures of the destruction. Most of the survivors here have to turn away or begin crying. I know that it is a normal reaction, but what gets me the most is that during "big name star's" performance of the "big song" they have run the footage as well. It may sound silly but why do we show those images during a song at a fundraiser for the survivors, when it still hurts those affected so badly? Is the rest of America so shallow or callous that they would not send any help, unless they are guilted into it? I don't think so, but then again I don't make those kinds of decisions.

It is getting very early here now and I need to get some things ready for the day shift, so I wll end things here for now. Missing all my family and friends.

Hurricane relief

I haven't been able to update the blog (the one that I just started BTW) recently. Things have been hectic around here trying to undertake actions for hurricane relief. It is hard to keep up with all the information and people doing this and that.

We are getting ready to deploy to South Alabama and take over a medical needs shelter there. We will be caring for those on O2 and other special needs that don't need to be in a hospital. While we are moving south to do that, our home area is getting an old military fort ready to take on long-term evacuees. We are planning to let Ft. McClellan take on about 2500-5000 people take refuge there. Plans are being made with local school systems to take on any children and other things like that.

I got a little down-time over the long weekend, but I tried to make sure I had taken care of everything around the house prior to leaving. Spent a little time with family and such.

I hope to get in an update on this every few days, but I won't know for sure about the time period I am being deployed since I can't ensure internet connections and all. But I will try and get something posted.