Events of Friday, March 27, 2009
Location: Fargo, North Dakota/Moorehead, MN area
Disaster: Red River Flooding
From 10:30 pm until 7:00 am, I am managing the shelter...our first night, we have a population of only 32. That's good. As I'm exhausted.
Two reporters show up at the shelter during the shift. One wants to film the clients in their beds. Uh - sorry, pal - that ain't happening. Against our rules, as we respect the privacy rights of our clients. The other guy just wants some quotes, and so we do a quick interview.
At 6:00 am, Good Morning America shows up to film. They are allowed to film outside the doors only, as again, we don't want cameras on our clients without their permission.
Finally, 7:00 am arrives - and it's time to head home. I watch a little of the media coverage of the flood - they've hit the 3 million mark on the sandbags - and now it's just a matter of waiting and seeing. I finally drift off to sleep, only to wake up at 1:00 pm. Oh, woo hoo - a whole 2 hours of sleep.
Before we leave to go back for our 10:30 pm shift, I get a call from HQ, telling me to tell my team they need to have at least 2 days of clothing and all essential medications with us at all times. If the levees fail, we may not be able to get to our hotel - so we must carry our supplies with us.
When we arrive at the shelter, our client population is now 60. BUT - we are warned that approximately 100 firemen will be arriving some time during the night. And we will need to shelter them. Sure enough - at 2:00 am, all hell breaks loose, as OVER 100 firefighters arrive all at the same time!!!! My team pulls it together, though - we only have 5 people, but we got the job done. And efficiently, too, I might add!
Frank, the site manager, asks my team to stay until 10:00 am that morning - to assist the morning team, so they won't be overwhelmed now with almost 200 clients.
We are seriously dragging...almost dead, actually - but the morning passes and soon it is time to go back to the hotel.
We get back and there is the local paper on the hotel registration desk. On the front page, there's an article about our shelter - and a quote from none other than - ME! I am famous! :-)
Time to crawl into bed...I'll sign autographs later when I've had more sleep.
Peace.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Fargo Floods: March 26
Events of Thursday, March 26, 2009
Location: Fargo, North Dakota
Disaster: Red River Flooding
Happy 10th Anniversary to me!
Yes, it's my 10th wedding anniversary - and I wake up in Fargo, ND - to find it is STILL snowing (geez, does it ever stop here?) and it is STILL cold. The temperature is 16 degrees, with a windchill below zero.
We arrive at Headquarters at 8:00 am....as we were told that our briefing would be at 8:00 am. So, we sit. No briefing. We sit some more. It is now 10:00 am, and we STILL have not had a briefing. Remember - patience is a virtue with the Red Cross. Finally, around 10:15, we get a briefing from Cliff, our Shelter Director. Not much has changed - we are still working with FEMA on setting up shelters...although Cliff warns us to be careful driving around the city, as we have had 2 Red Cross vehicles involved in accidents so far. With injuries. Not fun.
After the briefing, Cliff dismisses us - and says we are free to return to our hotels and await for deployment. Again, we are warned: team leaders need to have their cell phones handy.
I gather my team and we head to the FargoDome.
This is where Sandbag Central has been taking place. We walk into the arena and we are astounded at what we see. It looks like a giant anthill...we enter the arena from above, and on the arena floor are thousands of volunteers, filling millions of sandbags. There are semi-trucks, dump trucks, and other vehicles driving back and forth (almost a scene from a monster truck rally) unloading sand, loading sandbags, and creating a dust storm.
There is loud rock and roll music blaring from the speakers. And it is phenomenal. I stand in awe - as I see a community pulling together for a common purpose - to save their town. Young, old, black, white - volunteers working side by side, determined to get to 3 million sandbags.
I ask someone what the count is so far - and it is at 2.2 million - and rising. CNN is there, filming. Very, very interesting.
We leave the FargoDome at 11:30 with the intention of making a trip to Walmart for supplies - when my cell phone rings. It's Cliff, telling me to get my team and get back to HQ - within 30 minutes. We've been assigned.
We hightail it back - to find we're opening a shelter in Moorhead, MN - about 5 miles due east of Fargo. We will be based at Moorhead Senior High School - home of the Spuds (seriously) - and we will be able to shelter up to 500 people.
We carpool the 5 miles to Moorhead...and it takes 90 minutes. No joke. Apparently, we have to cross the Red River to get to Moorhead. And all bridges - except for two - are now closed, due to high water. So the traffic is horrendous. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated - 5 miles in 90 minutes???!! Come on, people!!!
There are 3 teams assigned - and Frank, our site manager, takes myself and the other 2 supervisors, on a quick walk through of the school. This school is only 5 years old - and it is HUGE. And it has not one, but TWO ice rinks inside. (It's Minnesota, after all). We're setting up operations in the gym - and now the fun begins. Our first clients are expected to arrive within 3 hours - so we must get registration tables set up; trucks unloaded; cots set up; blankets set up; a "kitchen/canteen" area set up; signage put on the walls; an information desk set up - are you getting the picture here? And we have 15 volunteers and a site manager. Time to bust our butts.
It's now time to set up shifts. My team has voted to take the night shift - it will be quieter and a little less stressful - so we are dismissed at 6:30 pm and told to come back at 10:30 pm to work a 8.5 hour shift. Not much time to sleep, huh?
Getting back to the shelter that night is much easier. The local law officials have recognized the traffic situation, and they have closed the roads to everyone but emergency personnel - so we breeze through.
Arriving at the shelter, a bus pulls up - with a busload of clients. It's somewhat crazy for awhile, getting everyone registered and assigned a bed...but eventually, it gets done, and our shift continues until 7:00 am. We're exhausted - we're not used to staying up all night - but it's a good exhaustion.
We stumble back to the hotel - and when I open the door to my room, there's 2 dozen roses! And 2 boxes of chocolates! Michael remembered that it was our anniversary! I am overwhelmed!
I crash into bed and try to sleep.
The adventure will continue....
Peace.
Location: Fargo, North Dakota
Disaster: Red River Flooding
Happy 10th Anniversary to me!
Yes, it's my 10th wedding anniversary - and I wake up in Fargo, ND - to find it is STILL snowing (geez, does it ever stop here?) and it is STILL cold. The temperature is 16 degrees, with a windchill below zero.
We arrive at Headquarters at 8:00 am....as we were told that our briefing would be at 8:00 am. So, we sit. No briefing. We sit some more. It is now 10:00 am, and we STILL have not had a briefing. Remember - patience is a virtue with the Red Cross. Finally, around 10:15, we get a briefing from Cliff, our Shelter Director. Not much has changed - we are still working with FEMA on setting up shelters...although Cliff warns us to be careful driving around the city, as we have had 2 Red Cross vehicles involved in accidents so far. With injuries. Not fun.
After the briefing, Cliff dismisses us - and says we are free to return to our hotels and await for deployment. Again, we are warned: team leaders need to have their cell phones handy.
I gather my team and we head to the FargoDome.
This is where Sandbag Central has been taking place. We walk into the arena and we are astounded at what we see. It looks like a giant anthill...we enter the arena from above, and on the arena floor are thousands of volunteers, filling millions of sandbags. There are semi-trucks, dump trucks, and other vehicles driving back and forth (almost a scene from a monster truck rally) unloading sand, loading sandbags, and creating a dust storm.
There is loud rock and roll music blaring from the speakers. And it is phenomenal. I stand in awe - as I see a community pulling together for a common purpose - to save their town. Young, old, black, white - volunteers working side by side, determined to get to 3 million sandbags.
I ask someone what the count is so far - and it is at 2.2 million - and rising. CNN is there, filming. Very, very interesting.
We leave the FargoDome at 11:30 with the intention of making a trip to Walmart for supplies - when my cell phone rings. It's Cliff, telling me to get my team and get back to HQ - within 30 minutes. We've been assigned.
We hightail it back - to find we're opening a shelter in Moorhead, MN - about 5 miles due east of Fargo. We will be based at Moorhead Senior High School - home of the Spuds (seriously) - and we will be able to shelter up to 500 people.
We carpool the 5 miles to Moorhead...and it takes 90 minutes. No joke. Apparently, we have to cross the Red River to get to Moorhead. And all bridges - except for two - are now closed, due to high water. So the traffic is horrendous. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated - 5 miles in 90 minutes???!! Come on, people!!!
There are 3 teams assigned - and Frank, our site manager, takes myself and the other 2 supervisors, on a quick walk through of the school. This school is only 5 years old - and it is HUGE. And it has not one, but TWO ice rinks inside. (It's Minnesota, after all). We're setting up operations in the gym - and now the fun begins. Our first clients are expected to arrive within 3 hours - so we must get registration tables set up; trucks unloaded; cots set up; blankets set up; a "kitchen/canteen" area set up; signage put on the walls; an information desk set up - are you getting the picture here? And we have 15 volunteers and a site manager. Time to bust our butts.
It's now time to set up shifts. My team has voted to take the night shift - it will be quieter and a little less stressful - so we are dismissed at 6:30 pm and told to come back at 10:30 pm to work a 8.5 hour shift. Not much time to sleep, huh?
Getting back to the shelter that night is much easier. The local law officials have recognized the traffic situation, and they have closed the roads to everyone but emergency personnel - so we breeze through.
Arriving at the shelter, a bus pulls up - with a busload of clients. It's somewhat crazy for awhile, getting everyone registered and assigned a bed...but eventually, it gets done, and our shift continues until 7:00 am. We're exhausted - we're not used to staying up all night - but it's a good exhaustion.
We stumble back to the hotel - and when I open the door to my room, there's 2 dozen roses! And 2 boxes of chocolates! Michael remembered that it was our anniversary! I am overwhelmed!
I crash into bed and try to sleep.
The adventure will continue....
Peace.
Fargo Floods: March 25
Events of Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Location: Fargo, North Dakota
Disaster: Red River Flooding
We arrived in Fargo around 12:30 am...and it was snowing. When I wake up around 6:30 am, I am amazed to find 9" of snow on the ground. Yikes. And it hasn't stopped - it's still snowing, and the wind is blowing around 20 mph. No wonder I don't live up here.
Upon arriving at Headquarters, I run into some Minnesota volunteers who I have worked with in the past. Another fun thing about volunteering with the Red Cross - every disaster is like a family reunion. You will always run into people you've worked with - and it's always fun to figure out what disaster(s) it was that you worked together before on.
At 9:00 am, the Director of Operations (DO), Bob, comes out to give the assembled volunteers a quick briefing. The Red River is expected to crest on Saturday at 42 feet, which will set a new record. Currently, the Red Cross has volunteers out feeding the volunteer sandbaggers, as well as giving them hot coffee.
Our teams our all put on stand-bye, awaiting further instructions. This is where the fun begins. The assignments can be given in the next 5 minutes - or it may take days before an assignment is given. Patience is a must with the Red Cross - as you may be sitting awhile. I use it as an opportunity to conserve energy, knowing that once assigned, all hell will break loose and I'll need every bit of strength and energy I've got.
Our team is told that Red Cross is waiting on FEMA (what a surprise), as FEMA is deciding on whether a "mega" shelter should open. A mega shelter can hold thousands of people - it's what the Superdome was during Katrina.
We do manage a quick stop at Chili's for lunch - you never know when it will be your last hot-cooked meal.
Evie, myself and Patty - at Chili's
Then, it's back to HQ, to sit. And wait. After more hours of waiting, two more briefings, one Orientation meeting, and much snacking - our teams are dismissed to the hotel rooms around 6:30 pm. But - we are told to have our cell phones handy - as deployment can come at any time - and we need to be ready to go.
Because it is STILL snowing when we leave HQ, we decide to go straight back to the hotel and hunker down. The road conditions are horrendous - heck, the people conditions are horrendous. I was smart and came all the way to Fargo without a coat...what the heck was I thinking??! Luckily, a quick trip to Walmart around lunchtime solved that problem - but, still - it's just down right brutal in the frigid air and strong winds.
In the hotel room, it is interesting to watch the Weather Channel and see them filming from where you are at the present time. The river is still rising, and the sandbagging continues. These people are determined to save their homes. I say a prayer, and then, it's lights out.
The adventure continues....
Peace
Location: Fargo, North Dakota
Disaster: Red River Flooding
We arrived in Fargo around 12:30 am...and it was snowing. When I wake up around 6:30 am, I am amazed to find 9" of snow on the ground. Yikes. And it hasn't stopped - it's still snowing, and the wind is blowing around 20 mph. No wonder I don't live up here.
Upon arriving at Headquarters, I run into some Minnesota volunteers who I have worked with in the past. Another fun thing about volunteering with the Red Cross - every disaster is like a family reunion. You will always run into people you've worked with - and it's always fun to figure out what disaster(s) it was that you worked together before on.
At 9:00 am, the Director of Operations (DO), Bob, comes out to give the assembled volunteers a quick briefing. The Red River is expected to crest on Saturday at 42 feet, which will set a new record. Currently, the Red Cross has volunteers out feeding the volunteer sandbaggers, as well as giving them hot coffee.
Our teams our all put on stand-bye, awaiting further instructions. This is where the fun begins. The assignments can be given in the next 5 minutes - or it may take days before an assignment is given. Patience is a must with the Red Cross - as you may be sitting awhile. I use it as an opportunity to conserve energy, knowing that once assigned, all hell will break loose and I'll need every bit of strength and energy I've got.
Our team is told that Red Cross is waiting on FEMA (what a surprise), as FEMA is deciding on whether a "mega" shelter should open. A mega shelter can hold thousands of people - it's what the Superdome was during Katrina.
We do manage a quick stop at Chili's for lunch - you never know when it will be your last hot-cooked meal.
Evie, myself and Patty - at Chili's
Then, it's back to HQ, to sit. And wait. After more hours of waiting, two more briefings, one Orientation meeting, and much snacking - our teams are dismissed to the hotel rooms around 6:30 pm. But - we are told to have our cell phones handy - as deployment can come at any time - and we need to be ready to go.
Because it is STILL snowing when we leave HQ, we decide to go straight back to the hotel and hunker down. The road conditions are horrendous - heck, the people conditions are horrendous. I was smart and came all the way to Fargo without a coat...what the heck was I thinking??! Luckily, a quick trip to Walmart around lunchtime solved that problem - but, still - it's just down right brutal in the frigid air and strong winds.
In the hotel room, it is interesting to watch the Weather Channel and see them filming from where you are at the present time. The river is still rising, and the sandbagging continues. These people are determined to save their homes. I say a prayer, and then, it's lights out.
The adventure continues....
Peace
Fargo Floods: Day 1
Events of Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Do you ever have one of those days? So - I'm home Tuesday morning, waiting for the Cable Guy to come and hook up a high-def television at home. My "window" of opportunity is any time between 8 and 11:00 am. Since I'm going to be home waiting for the Cable Guy, I figure I can kill two birds with one stone - and so I schedule the Geek Squad to come by and do some tinkering on our home computer network. Efficient, yes?
So, it's 9:30 am and the Cable Guy arrives...he's tinkering away, when the phone rings. It's the Red Cross. And it's time to go to Fargo, ND to assist in the flooding with the Red River. And - I must be packed and ready to go by 1:30 pm that same afternoon. Yeah, right.
About that time, the doorbell rings and it's the Geek Squad. A guy has shown up, but when he sees that part of my network includes a Mac, he has to call another Geek to assist him. So, I am running around the house, grabbing a suitcase, sleeping bag, and other essentials, trying to dodge the strangers that are in my house. Crazy times, indeed. They all promise to be out of my house and on their way no later than 12:00.
I call Hubby to tell him I'm hitting the road for Fargo at 1:30 that day, and bless his heart - he drives all the way home from work (NOT a short drive, by the way!) and insists on taking me to lunch.
After a quick lunch, he drives me down to the Red Cross headquarters, where I meet up with the other four members of my team. We do a quick media interview with both Channel 41 and Channel 9, and then we climb into our 2 rental cars and start driving north - up I-29 - to Fargo. It's 2:30 pm before we hit the road - and Fargo is 600 miles away.
Such is the life of a Red Cross volunteer. Always having to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Always having a suitcase and essentials nearby.
We drive and drive and drive...stopping only for fuel for the car and fuel for our bodies. Around Sioux Falls, we hit sleet - and it gets worse as we drive north.
We arrive in Fargo around 12:30 am - where we are told at headquarters to head to the luxurious Motel 6 (ha!) and get a room. And be back at Headquarters by 8:00 am Wednesday morning.
So begins the first day of the Fargo Flood Disaster of 2009.
The adventure will continue....and I will add photos to these posts when I am back home and can upload my photos to my OWN computer and not a borrowed one!
Peace...
Do you ever have one of those days? So - I'm home Tuesday morning, waiting for the Cable Guy to come and hook up a high-def television at home. My "window" of opportunity is any time between 8 and 11:00 am. Since I'm going to be home waiting for the Cable Guy, I figure I can kill two birds with one stone - and so I schedule the Geek Squad to come by and do some tinkering on our home computer network. Efficient, yes?
So, it's 9:30 am and the Cable Guy arrives...he's tinkering away, when the phone rings. It's the Red Cross. And it's time to go to Fargo, ND to assist in the flooding with the Red River. And - I must be packed and ready to go by 1:30 pm that same afternoon. Yeah, right.
About that time, the doorbell rings and it's the Geek Squad. A guy has shown up, but when he sees that part of my network includes a Mac, he has to call another Geek to assist him. So, I am running around the house, grabbing a suitcase, sleeping bag, and other essentials, trying to dodge the strangers that are in my house. Crazy times, indeed. They all promise to be out of my house and on their way no later than 12:00.
I call Hubby to tell him I'm hitting the road for Fargo at 1:30 that day, and bless his heart - he drives all the way home from work (NOT a short drive, by the way!) and insists on taking me to lunch.
After a quick lunch, he drives me down to the Red Cross headquarters, where I meet up with the other four members of my team. We do a quick media interview with both Channel 41 and Channel 9, and then we climb into our 2 rental cars and start driving north - up I-29 - to Fargo. It's 2:30 pm before we hit the road - and Fargo is 600 miles away.
Such is the life of a Red Cross volunteer. Always having to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Always having a suitcase and essentials nearby.
We drive and drive and drive...stopping only for fuel for the car and fuel for our bodies. Around Sioux Falls, we hit sleet - and it gets worse as we drive north.
We arrive in Fargo around 12:30 am - where we are told at headquarters to head to the luxurious Motel 6 (ha!) and get a room. And be back at Headquarters by 8:00 am Wednesday morning.
So begins the first day of the Fargo Flood Disaster of 2009.
The adventure will continue....and I will add photos to these posts when I am back home and can upload my photos to my OWN computer and not a borrowed one!
Peace...
Monday, March 23, 2009
Three Days of Heaven
Another Monday morning...the beginning of another work week...the ending of another weekend.
But what a weekend it was.
The original plan for our family was for the four of us - myself, Hubby, 15-year old Son, and 9-year old Daughter to head up to Lawson, Missouri to Camp Wilderness. It was our church's annual "family mission" trip - where children of ALL ages are encouraged to come up and participate in a mission trip - so they can get a taste of that awesome feeling of stepping out and helping others. We've done this for the last few years.
What actually happened? I drag myself home late Thursday night - after spending most of the day (and evening) at Red Cross - I was exhausted. No, wait - make that beyond exhausted. Don't know what that word is - but I was there. Almost dead? Yeah, that would be pretty accurate. And we were scheduled to leave early Friday morning for Lawson, and I had yet to pack. Ugh.
So my blessed Hubby says to me Thursday night, "What if just Daughter and myself went to camp? Why don't you stay here with Son for the weekend?" Are you kidding me? Did I just hear those wonderful words come out of my Hubby's mouth?! Don't get me wrong - I normally enjoy mission trips...but this year, what with my health issues and such, I was really dreading this trip. Not to mention, the introvert in me wasn't looking forward to being in a crowd all weekend. I didn't think too long (what - 2 seconds?) before I said, "Okay - sounds like a plan."
So - Friday morning, Hubby and Daughter head to camp - and I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the weekend with just my son. I've actually never had this opportunity before to spend 3 uninterrupted days with him - just him - and I have to tell you - it was great. My son is the middle child - he is normally lost in the sea of other kids and issues. But not this weekend. He was the ONLY child. We talked; we laughed; we watched basketball games together (go, Mizzou!); we went to a movie together; and we talked some more. It was awesome. I think those 3 days were some of the best days that I've had in a long, long while...and I hope my Son agrees. He would never admit it, but I think he had fun.
I learned some things this weekend. I learned some things about myself - but more importantly, I learned some things about my son. I also learned how important it is to take advantage of these opportunities if they arise - and if they don't arise - MAKE them! Take the time to sit down and spend some time with your kids - one on one - and really talk with them.
So, Hubby and Daughter got home yesterday, and all I could say to my Hubby was, "Thank you. Thank you for those 3 days."
I think he knows...he gets it.
Peace.
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