First Time with the Red Cross

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 5:52 am

Possibly months. I'm going to have to trim the time I spend there. I have to find a paying job to do full time and this thing part time.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:29 am

Things are getting pretty routine. However, Desmond French is now with his family! I went in early to walk him through his first airport security hassle and wait with him for his flight.

I snapped his smiley mug at the gate. Sorry it's blurry.

As an aside. Desmond's been diagnosed with glaucoma caused by undiagnosed diabetes. He's taking his medicine.

By the time I got back from the airport, Miss Ruby had already left to live with a family member (niece?). I didn't get a chance to tell her goodbye. She had told me Wednesday about the place: a large house way out in the country, set back off the road. The neighbors are far enough away that the trees block the view, so it's like being alone. She looked at me and laughed "Sh!t, Rick! I'm a city girl. How do people live without a store just down on the corner?" She said other stuff, but I couldn't get past that sweet lady saying sh!t. :wah:

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:05 am

This is just too RICH!!! This is incredibly wonderful to read! Keep on keepin on, mate!

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:33 am

Wow, thanks for the pic, putting the name to the face makes your stories even greater! One day you will go back and reread all these wonderful experience you are sharing with us, and wonder where you new friends are and how they are doing. Thank you AC!

chrisb84uk · Post by **chrisb84uk** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:45 am

Indeed, I have to agree with Chonsi AC. In the future you will be able to look back at all this hard work you have put in, and feel proud of the great achievements that u and others have done for the people. Congrats again mate, keep up the great work u are doing!! :-6

observer1 · Post by **observer1** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 7:46 am

You truly are a wonderful person, acc. I had asked my boss if I could go down to Biloxi with the Red Cross. He kindly said that as much as he admired what I wanted to do, we were just way too busy right now. He was right as I work for a university & this is the beginning of our busiest semester of the year. My father's in Biloxi & I used to live in both Biloxi & Gulfport. I'm sure I'll be going down there at some point.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 8:35 am

observer1 wrote: You truly are a wonderful person, acc. I had asked my boss if I could go down to Biloxi with the Red Cross. He kindly said that as much as he admired what I wanted to do, we were just way too busy right now. He was right as I work for a university & this is the beginning of our busiest semester of the year. My father's in Biloxi & I used to live in both Biloxi & Gulfport. I'm sure I'll be going down there at some point.
You concentrate on getting people educated and successful. That's far more effective in preventing future disasters of this sort than the firefighting we're doing.

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 10:58 am

ACC....do you know what a gift you have for telling a story...forget the subject matter for a moment, the way you are recording the events in N.O. and your involvement is truly inspiring.... We are really getting a clear picture here considering the constrictions you have with posting space. When your time is up in N.O. you should print off these pages and you'll see what a wonderful 'Journal' you have written. Consider what what you want to do with this material.....!!!!

You're doing a spectacular job and we love and admire you for it....take good care of yourself.....You're a :yh_star Bez

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:39 am

Bez wrote: ACC....do you know what a gift you have for telling a story...forget the subject matter for a moment, the way you are recording the events in N.O. and your involvement is truly inspiring.... We are really getting a clear picture here considering the constrictions you have with posting space. When your time is up in N.O. you should print off these pages and you'll see what a wonderful 'Journal' you have written. Consider what what you want to do with this material.....!!!!

You're doing a spectacular job and we love and admire you for it....take good care of yourself.....You're a :yh_star Bez
Wow. That was completely unexpected. Thank you, Bez. I'll have to think long about that one!

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:40 am

I believe God is truly using you as a blessing to these people and you will receive so much more than you have given. Thank you for sharing these stories...I've been fascinated!

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:29 pm

How nice to see that big smile on that face!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you ACC!

:D

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:46 pm

Friday: Short day today. I phoned Desmond's home to make sure he's okay. He said that when they landed, the lady on the plane (who was supposed to escort him to his family) told him to go call his party. "I don't know what that means," he said. It was raining, thank God, because instead of going outside, he decided to wait until the rain stopped. His family found him sitting near the exit. Whew! He's safe and sound with his family.

As soon as I walked into my section, Leon nearly ran to me with a broad grin on his face. You may remember Leon had a daughter who works in a casino in northern Mississippi; I searched for her for hours unsuccessfully. She found him! I'd put his information online and she found it. He expects to leave Sunday. Leon actually danced a Jed Clampet-esque jig for me.

James also had good news. I couldn't find his mother, brother, or sister online and posted his information. Well, I must have a spiritual twin, because his mom had a samaritan look online and found James. And get this: she and the brother have been in the other facility on this base the entire time! They're a mere 1/4 of a mile away. Unfortunately, no one has heard from his sister, yet, but you take good news where you can find it.

actionfigurestepho · Post by **actionfigurestepho** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:51 pm

Yay! I'm glad everyone found their families safely.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:54 pm

Gosh AC, how great these people can be reunited with their families-and you sure helped them out alot! Keep us posted as often as you, we love reading every word you write.

mominiowa · Post by **mominiowa** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 8:19 pm

You have certainly earned your wings......IF I go before you--your gonna play on MY team!:-4

sofemme · Post by **sofemme** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 8:28 pm

:yh_star :yh_star :yh_sungla Your aura is really bright Acc. I am proud of you and all you are doing to help. Kudos ! sofemme.

pina · Post by **pina** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:26 am

Keep it up Acc. Your the greatest. I look forward to the next installment. :yh_star:yh_love

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 1:01 pm

ACC...in the Buddhist world of Nicherin Daishonin, you are a true Bodhisattva.....In a very general sense, that means anyone acting with compassion for the sake of other people.....

sofemme · Post by **sofemme** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 1:19 pm

Hi Acc,

I am so relieved that ya'll are doing such a great job with the evacuees in San Antonio. Below I have pasted a private letter from a volunteer that is in Mississippi. It is offensive and heart wrenching....not for any who do not want to hear hard truth. Hang in there Acc. {{hugs}}

sofemme

I finally have a little time to tell everyone what has been going on here. First and foremost I HAVE TO SAY that this tragedy has been a GENOCIDE OF POOR PEOPLE who did not have the resources to get out of the way of this killer storm. The aftermath of this storm for the poor folks in Mississippi is continuing to be devastating. People have been out of work for the last three weeks and most folks in this area are one paycheck away from being homeless to begin with. SO freaking what if Walmart is open and gas is flowing...people have NO money.

George Dale (remember his name as you will hear it from me ALOT in the next few years or however long it takes for me to get this man FIRED..)is the State of Mississippi's INSURANCE COMMISSIONER who went on public broadcasting a day or two after the storm and says "If you see people looting..shoot them" Sure enough a man get shots in the head in Hattiesburg over gasoline...and a man shoots his sister in the face over a bag of ice..this is the town in which I attend college...these are just two horror stories out of thousands...how do you know whether someone is stealing to survive and since WHEN is it OK to kill people over property. The law states ...you can only KILL someone if you or someone else is in IMMINENT danger.

Less than a mile from Camp someone has taken white spray paint and has written in HUGE WHITE LETTERS on the road "Niggers don't let the sun go down" and "F*** Niggers"..the African American community that has come to Sister Spirit for services has to see this when they leave here...it hurts me down to my bone marrow. We went to a poor black community yesterday..a community I have worked with in the past over environmental racism issues and they had NO FOOD AT ALL at their little church. I was told by the ANG that they were being served...good damn thing I don;t trust them and went to see for myself...we took another truck load of goods and are returning there today after their worship service.

We have had Baptist churches in the area turn away Pentecostal families in need...but on the other end of the spectrum I have had feminist lesbians that want to help that only want their goods to go to gay people. I am sorry but I am not seeing a difference in the two behaviors. Sister Spirit is here to help ANYONE WHO COMES INTO OUR SPACE...that has been my Family's motto since I was a little girl and we are STICKING TO IT. Prejudice comes in many forms and the fact that as a lesbian/pagan woman living in Mississippi who deals with prejudice and hate on a daily basis, I am VERY sensitive to this stuff and outraged at whoever is spewing it...friend or foe. I can and have been VERY ugly to people about it.

I have families that in spite of running their homes off of generators loaned to them from Camp is getting DISCONNECT notices from our power company...DIXIE Electric(ironic, huh?) We have a Mexican family we are helping that has had their pumping station for their well go down...still no running water in their house...they come here everyday and bathe. $2000 to fix it...still no FEMA...still no help...1000's of people standing in line trying to get assistance. Chaos matters not to the little children who has no water. I am so pissed off I can hardly be in the room with myself. In poor Mississippi there is a saying about America...."the land of the tree and the home of the grave" Write..call..bitch and moan. I know someone out there is reading these words and they will spring into action. Demand accountability and help for these folks DO IT TODAY.

Camp is busy as hell..the clinic is busy...13 people yesterday and many more coming to day. A new truckload of supplies to disburse from Minnesota Family Coalition came in at 3 am that we have to get out today.Thanks to Tracey and Kathy who have been the Volunteer Coordinators for the food bank in Petal and Perry County. Thanks to all my pagan friends who have unpacked and packed boxes and have worked themselves silly making sure that Camp has the goods to go out. Thanks to all who love us and rushed to us when we needed you the most.

On a personal note Terri and I are both still sick...but we keep going because we have no choice. IT HAS TO HAPPEN..people are suffering.

Some comic relief to end this bummer of an email. Circe..our beloved pot-bellied pig got into the food pantry and swiped a bag of dried lima beans and took off running and squealing...we were all chasing her trying to get them from her....we all laughed so much it hurt. Lends new meaning to Pork and Beans.

We are thinking of everyone. CC thank you for writing me and I am so relieved that you, your husband and your kids are OK. Still have not heard from so many...still cannot find my nephew. Please let me know about the status of our friends on the coast if you have any info at all.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 5:06 pm

I'm glad there is someone that is willing to go down there to help. It's emotional hell, and it seems like she's running on fumes. I hope she doesn't burn out before someone relieves her.

I understand the area there is still hit or miss as far as reliable information, power, communication, etc. I found an AP story about someone getting shot over ice; none shot over gas; certainly not thousands being killed. It would be impossible for her to tell rumor from truth down there. I certainly don't envy her.

Tell her our thoughts and thanks are with her, to take care of herself and those with her, and to do what she can.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:27 am

Monday: The bureaucrats have landed.

They've rearranged the place over the weekend. There is now a chainlink fence the length of the building, cutting off most decent parking spaces. The volunteer check-in moved to the front entrance. Now instead of signing in, one must wait in line while a single harried volunteer inputs everyone's name into a database.

The entryway is cut off by an army of security guards with inspection tables set up a'la airport security. All personnel will form a single-file line, remove all metal objects from your person, allow a snide-looking rent-a-cop to pass a metal-detection wand over you before he deigns to allow entrance. All bags are checked - even groceries. Until now, security had been everywhere, but they smiled and nodded. They asked if everything was okay. They treated humans as human. These new guys obviously knew better than to coddle people who would surely go wild if given an inch. I honestly was so angry I wanted to try to sneak something past them or steal a pen, just to have a feeling of self-determination.

I sought out the manager, Miss Betty. She looked more drained than I had ever seen her. The Levi-Strauss facility had been closed and the evacuees moved here. They had had trouble from the first day: fights, theft, etc. so the head of security there had convinced Miss Betty's boss to tighten security at our building - to prevent any mishaps.

Morale was down everywhere. On a hunch, I sought out an evacuee who had been at Levi Strauss. Yes, there had been trouble, almost from the start, just as I described. I asked if that's why they increased security at Levi-Strauss, the lady acted as if she didn't know what I was talking about. They have been locked down like this from the first. In my building, I've seen gang members that hang together, looking tough. I've seen men with tear tatoos under their eyes - signifying prison time, I understand. We had one fight, one arrest, and I believe a little petty theft the first day or two.

I'm convinced the Levi-Strauss problems were a self-fulfilled prophesy. I anticipate problems in the coming days.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:54 am

that's an idea. I'll let you know.

mominiowa · Post by **mominiowa** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:55 pm

I will be thinking of you and be safe..:-4

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:08 pm

Tuesday: Morale is low. Rumors are rampant. Mostly that someone purchased a handgun with the $2000 from FEMA and was caught. Did anyone see the arrest? The gun? Nope. I went to the security guys at the front. They heard about the gun but none had seen it. They heard about fights outside the building, but none had witnessed one. Then the topper: one guy says "We don't know what these people may bring in here. We let them go without an escort; they can buy whatever they please and sneak it in here." It was clear he though it a very bad idea to let "these people" roam free.

I spoke to a local tv news cameraman (no reporter in sight). He had noticed the tightened security & had not heard anything. He looked a little panicky when I suggested he might start asking questions & find the story.

Almost everyone I spoke to had found family and/or friends, even the few new Levi-Straussers I met. Some were waiting for their apartments to be ready for move-in, others waited for family to arrive from other facilities, still others were holding out to return to New Orleans.

I saw one man I hadn't seen before convulsing. The nurse got there before I did; good thing because I was clueless. He was having a panic attack. He'd had them almost daily since being rescued. He had swallowed alot of the contaminated water and had some kind of lung and intestine infection. He was convinced the antibiotics wasn't working and was eating him from the inside. The counselor was with him in less than a minute.

At about 5:30, a flier of unidentified author went out announcing that, starting tomorrow morning at 8:30am, all evacuees would be leaving. Those who wanted to stay in San Antonio would be provided housing, those who did not wish to stay would receive free transportation anywhere in the United States except New Orleans.

The flier was legitimate. FEMA was in charge of "evacuee placement." They were also in charge of security. But of course, when a flier goes out in a Red Cross shelter, guess who gets the questions? There were no details. No one seemed to know anything. I appears that someone got a bright idea, typed up, or had typed up, a flier, and went home. Since I work afternoons, I was told to call before I come in.

orangesox1 · Post by **orangesox1** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:12 pm

Every one must be getting tired and aggitated by the situation, they have been there so long now.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:13 pm

Gosh AC, you are documenting the chaos around you, for those poor people. And the news wasn't interested in the story? Is it on your local news at all? I wonder how fast they will ship those poor victims out? If you go down again tomorrow, let us all know what happens.

PurpleChicken · Post by **PurpleChicken** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:14 am

Gotta love beauracracy huh??

I hope everyone at least now has somewhere to go....

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:50 am

The news this morning mentioned evacuees in Houston are being relocated to Arkansas to make room for Rita evacuees, if any. I assume our evacuees are similarly being relocated. I wonder how permanent the facilities are. The flier states they can take not only the bedding on the cots, but the cots themselves.

OpenMind · Post by **OpenMind** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:48 pm

This has been quite an amazing read. News here in the last few days has only concerned G. Bush's eggy face. News on New Orleans was soon replaced with the news concerning Rita's arrival.

Well done Acc and thanks for sharing all this with us. I also agree with Bez about your writing. I noticed it in the first post. Obviously, the whole thing has been quite a strain on you to some extent, it's reflected in your writing. I have admired your strength and cheerfulness. Hope you get a bit of a rest now.

Sorry I've not posted since our brief meeting in the pub. I've sufferred a technical glitch accessing the site. Obviously sorted now.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:29 pm

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you're back. I needed a break from that. It's the most emotionally exhausting work I've done. I don't know how Miss Betty does it.