Hurricane Relief Experience – Day 3
It’s the 26th today. I had 2 hours of sleep. I remember lying with my eyes open wondering if they caught all the looters or not, and if I was in any danger. Odd, it’s just as hot as it was when I went to sleep. The sun was bright, like it is at noon in Wisconsin.
Most of us walked around the ’site’ without direction for about 10 minutes. Rubbing our eyes, and trying to get a grip on the situation. There was a flurry of fork-lift activity and ‘foremen’ barking orders in the background. The tone wasn’t in a negative way, but had to be loud to be heard over the generators and the sound of the fork-lifts. Where did they come from?
Not to give out too much information, but man, I really had to ‘go’. I and a few others who had to do the same, were gathered in a group. Men and women. We were told we needed our flashlights, and to bring a gallon of water. I wasn’t sure where that was going to come from, but before I knew it – there were several gallons in front of the entrance to the Hobby Lobby.We were told that the store was damaged and flooded. We needed guides for both security and saftey. In the daylight, you could see the front of the damaged building now. It looked as if it were a building under construction. What it really was that Rita tore it up pretty bad. With a guide, flashlights and water, the front door to the store was unlocked and we proceeded in. It was pitch black, and we heard the sound of many fans blowing. They were from a recovery company who had already set up generators to begin their work. We sloshed through the black store. There was a strange smell in the air. We weaved in and out of what was aisles. The aisles and furniture were moved around to help dry them off. There was roof damage, and there was water dripping or standing everywhere. As we weaved throughout the shelving we finally got to the bathrooms. We took turns while our guide waited outside. Whoever had a free hand(pardon the expression) would hold a light. After you closed a deal, you would pour the water you brought into the back of the tank and flush. This was a quick lesson in modesty. Holding a light for someone you may not even know while they did whatever it is they needed to do.
(The trailers on the left were our sight for the night. The Giant Convoy of Hope setup was off to the right.)
We had a meeting as a team out beside our camp, and then went to have a meeting with those in charge. They too were quite to the point, and had to speak over the forklift traffic. We were assign positions in the area (though we were unsure of what some of the positions were exactly). It was stressed to us that we drink plenty of water throughout the day. That if we waited until we were thirsty – that it was already too late. We were also told that things can get emotional. That if they do – the best thing to do is walk away. The victims are already sensitive. They’ve lost their homes. They’ve lost everything they have.
There were more volunteers there than just us. There was a group of college kids from N.A.P.S based out of Alabama. There was also a handful of people from Michigan.
Positions kind of changed throughout the day. This wasn’t very regimented at first. It was almost like a partial ‘let’s see what happens when we do it like this’ routine. I have to imagine that all crisis are different. I did a little bit of everything. Eventually I found myself checking on people. Giving them breaks or giving them water.
The operation seemed mainly to get ice and water to people, as they drove through a controlled line with pylons. Most of the people that came through ‘the line’ did not leave when they were warned that the hurricane was comming. Though they didn’t have the means, or were just plain ignorant – it broke my heart none-the-less. Let’s just say that hurricanes, obviously, have no bias. I saw Jaguars, and Benzes come through the line. Yes these people had nice cars – but it was all they had left. I was once on the receiving end of charity. It really quite humbling.
I worked my way to the ‘backdoor’ of the parking lot. This was an even more intereseting position. Traffic out on the main street was designed to guid people through the line. Some people thought they could sneak their car into the backside of the parking lot. So this was a difficult position to man. Some people simply didn’t realize that they were just at the wrong entrance, and others were trying to sneak in. Though they were trying to get around a back way, it was difficult to see entire hot and sweaty families parched, and asking for help. I cried a lot. I was careful to turn away with it.
I heard someone mention the heat index was 106. We didn’t really have a source for news. But I tell ya it was hot! The humidty made it difficult to breathe. Before I knew it, I had become thirsty. Uh-oh! I began to drink water, but I just couldn’t cool down. There was no shade to be found. I sat down for a few minutes to get myself back together. It was like a sauna out there.
As the sun went down we shut down the line, and to moved our camp. We repacked up our campers and trailers and headed for a church a few blocks away. We setup camp in their parking lot. I didn’t look around the church or survey the site much. I was tired. I was hot. It was still hot after sundown. I still couldn’t cool down. I couldn’t get unsticky…