September 30, 2005

I had not realized that so many people were so interested in disaster –but then my son pointed out that all the hit movies were about explosions, natural disasters, and the paranormal. So, we’ll charge 7.50/$5. for seniors

This evening then will be devoted to the explosive paranormal power of Katrina, who in a previous life was a Hobbit in search of the Ring,

Katrina – was, and is, the cause of one of the worse natural disasters in the US – we had our own mini version here two years ago with Isabel – and people are still living in trailers, and trying to get insurance and FEMA settlements. But it was from that hurricane that I had an inkling of what people were going to do after the storm abated – they were going to go home. This is what made the difference in my experience as a volunteer in comparison to the experience that many others had

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Volunteers come in all varieties – those that plunge in and are on the scene – those that organize and manage from on site and from afar. Those that donate money, and those that donate time – All of us are volunteers in one way or another – particularly here in Oxford, where volunteering is a way of life. It is my impression that you are here to hear about on site volunteering in another community, so that it can be applied here. Or fun in the sun in the Gulf, can Oxford put palm trees where the porta potties were?

How does one go about volunteering out of Oxford? This is tricky in that the Community Center does not have another site. So you have to be adventurous, ad be bold – GO beyond Easton –

When Katrina struck, I think that all of us were focused on New Orleans – there was little press coverage of the areas just to the East where the eye struck – I mean who has heard of Pass Christian, Long Beach, Biloxi as important centers of anything? Perhaps the people who lived there were in crisis, but how did that compare to the Bourbon St. folks who were rejoicing that the bars were open and ready for business the day after the storm roared through. Well, the levees broke, and guess what – the focus was still on New Orleans, the super dome, the convention center, the unimaginable decisions to leave 600 men in the prisons to drown, to leave people stranded in the superdome to descend into primal beings, to leave helpless animals in shelters to drown – what were they thinking? That is not my story – We had an experience that became a model for volunteering in my book.

Paul and I were following the University of Maryland WellMobiles to a Red Cross Site – first in Montgomery, Alabama, then Jackson, Ms., then to Brookhaven, Ms. This got old fast – People needed help – you go to where the people are, not to where people think that people should be. Besides we were traveling in a huge motor home that ate gas like I drink a McDonald’s chocolate shake – rapidly – we were supporting a family of four in Guatemala for a year everyday we were running the road. And I was bored.

Using basic knowledge of who has knowledge, we called the diocese of Mississippi in Jackson – where is the action? That is when we found out about Long Beach, MS. and the Coast Episcopal school site. The school had been spared major damage and had been turned into a relief center by the Lutheran and Episcopal Church in the areas, with the Baptist and Methodists also supporting the effort. Clothing, food, baby formula, supplies were all available from this Walmart without a cash register. Behind the school was a gym, three walls were still partially standing, and the roof was generally intact. – That is where Jennifer Knight, RN, wife of the St. Patrick’s pastor decided that since they had lost their church, and their home, she ought to clear out a little of the muck out of the school gym and offer first aid. She set up a make shift clinic. A physician from Virginia showed up with medications, they saw three hundred people on the first day – another MD showed up on day two, more meds, more people. On day three, at 1 am in the morning, the renegade Duke Medical Team showed up – straight from a no show engagement in Meridian, MS. We, the Maryland team showed up later that day.

What I mean by renegade is that each of the medical providers was suppose to be somewhere else. Duke with NIH, in Meridian, MS, the Virginia, Maryland (us), and Indiana teams were all suppose to be with the Red Cross either in Montgomery, Alabama or in Brookhaven, MS. Some of use were suppose to be in both places, but had nothing to do in either. And we were all drawn to the Coast Episcopal School in Long Beach, MS. It was more than fate – that site had the hand of God all over it.

The Duke team was five minutes from boarding the bus home to Durham from Meridian when the mayor screeched up – Go south, please, there is a place that wants you. Your Maryland team made a misdirected call, left a message on the wrong answering machine and got a call back to please go to Long Beach. The Coast school ran out of dog food, we arrived within minutes with bags and bags of it. We ran out of tetanus with a line 20 deep waiting for injections. A new MD from Virginia walks in and asks if we could use any help and by the way he has 500 units of tetanus . The electricity came back on – sparks were flying everywhere – a new box had to be installed or risk fire- the local guy could not be found – a fellow from Tennessee walks up, Hi, I’m Gerald, I’m an electrician . We called these Jesus moments. And the Catholics, Episcopalians, Jews, and atheists added to them daily. I did not hear any from the Scientologists, but they may have been beaming them to us.

The borrowed motor home we were in was jammed with clothing, food, pet supplies, bikes, and toiletries – we couldn’t sleep in it until we got it unloaded. We not only had stuff, but it was the right stuff - all wrapped and labeled, bagged and sized. It was all gone within 48 hours. The pet food was gone within 24. Good choices, People.

At the end of our first day, we joined our colleagues for some gourmet MRE’s and conversation of the day’s activities. We were all pretty groggy from travel, treating patients and trying to get an organizational pattern set. So we did what all good volunteers do – had a meeting – some one was in charge of finding beer for the next night, and some one got volunteered to streamline the form complex – for some reason, patients or providers were being asked to fill out 5 forms. Who knows? We cut and pasted through stale nuts, and dried brownies til we got the form down to one page – front and back – the front was a permission to treat, with a special – "we agree to treat you for free under difficult conditions, you agree not to sue us." Everyone signed; all agreed that this was nuts, but necessary. "Only in America"

Sunday am very early, some of us went to the beach – nothing like an early morning walk in the sand – with debris ten feet high, 300 year old trees uprooted, and the hissing sound of an open gas pipe making us very nervous. We easily found Dr. Steve’s sisters place – all 230 years of old timbers, traditions, and additions flat. With the exception of part of the garage, which still slanted crazily over the 1956 garage kept Corvette. The rest of the waterfront neighborhood was in no better condition. But on the street behind the scenic drive, one house stood, as it had for the past 100 years- 27 feet above sea level on four feet of concrete blocks, the water only came up 2 feet inside the house. And Mr. Landon was still rocking away on the porch after sitting through his fifth hurricane.

Parking was precarious, police protection slowed, banking not available, and medical offices and pharmacies gone – We could not get over the power that had washed away lifetimes.

The clinic was opened from 9-6 everyday. But people came early – they wanted to get back to work, or they came late – or dropped by in the middle of the night – We were open hearted, we knew no clock – we were working for the joy of serving others – we did not worry about income, insurance, or malpractice. We went out in vans to people who had no transportation, and went to the Red Cross Shelters to provide care there.

The clinic system worked very well – we had a check in table, two triage picnic tables, a tetanus picnic table, school desks for waiting and teacher’s desks for the doctors and nurse practitioners. A fabulous wall system pharmacy spread, and great overhead lighting. It took me five days to realize that the top walls of the gym were not suppose to be open from the roof down 12 feet – good for ventilation, and excellent natural light. Our trauma surgeon had his suite, and as the days went by, the mental health and respiratory cubes were added – as were fans when we got electricity. WE even had our own guard – Kevin, who quickly adjusted to our needs and started directing patients to the providers to speed up service. Several people mentioned that they got better free service than what they had to pay for before their doctor’s offices were washed away.

What did we treat? Same thing that we treat at our home practices – only no records. Mold was getting to be a big respiratory problem, cuts, sprains, no meds, a heart attack, broken bones, diabetes, high blood pressure, infections, dehydration from the heat and lack of water. And everyone got a tetanus shot. And then there was mental health – looking into those eyes – the terror that they had held as they waited for 4-8-12 hours to 4 days for water to recede and to see if they would live. Loosing every tangible thing but their lives in a 24 hour period. And yet each person without exception said thank you for coming, thank you for being here.

Who did we treat – everyone and anyone – locals were our first patients and then the word started to spread that the Country Club of the relief centers was a great place to shop, and get medical care – people came from Gulfport, Biloxi, and New Orleans. And then there were the volunteers who fell out of trees or got heat exhaustion.

Volunteers came from all over this country and Canada. The FEMA guys were firefighters from Seattle. They had driven their personal vehicles cross country to Atlanta within the first several days after Hurricane Katrina and then sat in the Atlanta Airport while they waited for a course of sexual harassment and how to work with victims. Five days later they were given an assignment. They actually apologized to us when they first arrived. All they were suppose to do was hand out literature and direct people to call a toll free number – they wanted to be out in the clinic. But they quickly adapted – driving a fork lift, moving newly arrived supplies into the building or helping people carry their overflowing boxes out to their transportation.

Local people also volunteered – Lorelei is a massage therapist and she gave massages to the tired medical personnel and others. She had lost her home, and the chiropractor’s office she had worked out of. Giving comfort to those giving comfort. The retired Xerox executive from Jackson, MS that spent the day sweeping then washing the clinic and relief center floors. Kevin, from Gulfport, guarded us – or the drugs that were such a big part of our operations. No one would get past him for unauthorized birth control or blood pressure meds. Kevin adjusted his role as well, he started directing patient traffic and assisting the elderly and infirm to seats, and helping them exit. Big guy, big heart.

Food was a major event – and that was because it just appeared. At first we had the MRE’s and things that we brought with us. None of us were starving. Then Subs arrived, and barbeque, and Cajun chicken, and roast beef. As the number of volunteers in the center increased the food became more interesting – so it had nothing to do with the medical team, we just benefited from the manificence, and ate it. I understand that meals were trucked in as donations from all parts of the state. Each evening we gathered for a brief review, prayers and sharing of the Jesus moments - Peace and reflection that gave meaning to the work that was being done.

On the last day one of those Jesus moments took Tabitha and I to the vets. It was fabulous –a tractor trailer unloading pet food, and supplies for people to take home with them. People were helping each other with pets, and food, and that is when we met Skippy – he had lost his home, and a leg, and was interested in moving north. He got a ride, and a new home

People have asked if this was a memorable experience, most people have asked if I had a good time. This was a time and a place that should be duplicated everywhere as often as possible. Not the actual Hurricane disaster, but the atmosphere that it created – people showed they cared – grown men, kids, women, all pitched in and helped their neighbors whether they were next store or across the country – people opened their hearts and showed who they really were without politics, without religion, without pretense. There was nothing for us to gain from helping other than a natural reinforcement that all people are basically good, and want to do good.

This was a place that had the hand of God on it, and it is carried forth in our hearts to you.

I am not a religious person; I have not been born again or saved. But if there was a way to describe life at this site it was through the Jesus moments