Florida has really been "under fire" from all the hurricanes in the last few months, and at this writing, this season isn’t over yet; it ends the first day of December. The following is in response to requests from some of my FALSS friends to share this Red Cross volunteer’s experiences. [Hurricane Frances covered in Winter 2004 Issue.]
Hurricane Ivan:
The day Ivan was due, I was called in to open a shelter in Tallahassee at an elementary school. Denny (remember him—on the job training in Ocala) and I set it up, and when, who else, but Jessica was on the way to manage the shelter with Denny, I left for a new assignment. A shelter manager was needed 45 miles west of Tallahassee at Chattahoochee, Florida. Florida State Hospital had quite a few unused buildings, and one had been opened up to house Special Needs for the surrounding counties. I arrived in Chattahoochee after dark and in a very hard rainfall. After wandering the campus in my car, I found a State Hospital Fire Department. When I asked for directions, a fireman jumped in his pickup truck and led me to the right building. When I got there, there were around 50 Hospice patients and caregivers, children and adults with physical deformities who had to have oxygen, etc., and some homeless folks. There were three Red Cross volunteers and about six local health department nurses/assistants who had been there all day. My job was to assign space, plan how the food on hand was to be prepared and distributed, and just do my best to meet the needs of the evacuees. Around midnight, a family of 14 showed up with baby twin boys with asthma problems. We were able to find a large end room for them and get them set up with cots, blankets, and an assortment of snack foods and fruit.
All night, the rain and wind blew, making those terrible howling sounds. People were so worried about their homes but were also glad to be safe in a shelter. We got reports all night and the next morning about the tornadoes touching down all around us. Being creative when it comes to food is a big asset in this line of work. All we had that would work was an old microwave, and we had a hodgepodge of food stuffs. For breakfast the next morning, I served individual servings of jello and "Jean McBagels." We were lucky to have a supply of bagels, Canadian Bacon, and cheese. For drinks, we had a large shipment of canned water, compliments of Anheuser-Busch.
As roads were cleared, most were able to go home. Some had no homes left, due to the tornadoes.
As I attempted to leave that afternoon, I discovered I had a flat tire. The Security Guards tried their best to get the lug nuts off so they could change to the little doughnut spare but to no avail. I called my roadside service but was informed that under the current weather conditions, roadside service was unavailable for the next 24 hours. Also, that I could find whatever cure I could for the problem, and they would reimburse me. Security called a wrecker service to tow me to Tallahassee. After waiting in the car for three hours (so glad I had a good book), the wrecker showed up. He had been out, removing cars crushed by fallen trees from roadways. Fortunately, he had the right wrench, changed my tire, charged me $50, and I was on my way. I felt really fortunate in that my little problem was a flat tire and not the loss of a life or a home. Again, that warm wonderful feeling of pride in Americans surfaced when on the interstate, I witnessed the parade of utility trucks, National Guardsmen, and many others on their way to help those impacted by Hurricane Ivan. We live in a wonderful country!
No Hurricanes:
When hurricanes are not imminent, my ARC volunteer work also includes responding to Single Family Fires. That involves being called out, usually in the middle of the night, by the Fire Department, to assist an individual or family who has just lost their home, clothes, sometimes pets, sometimes everything. It is so rewarding to be able to give clothes, food, a place to stay, referrals for more help, and encouragement to those who are in so much need. I am truly blessed to be able to do some little something to help others.