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A Volunteer's
BLOG: Becky Severs |
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Homeward Bound
10-08-2005 2:17 pm
Well, we got the call that food service to Winnie was no longer needed and to check in for reassignment. Sherry was heading home tomorrow, Sunday, and so I would be meeting a new crew if I chose to stay. Beaumont was where they were sending people. It was a hard decision but I felt that the 14 days I put in had worn me down to the point I needed more than one good night of rest. I wanted to be out there helping more people but I was exhausted. I told them I wanted to go home.
Sherry and I had to drive back to Baytown to be out-processed which consisted of paperwork at several stations and a visit to the mental health side. They just wanted to know any concerns that happened while I was there. I told them about the frustrations in Austin with the flow of communication and the process thru National which was later found unnecessary. I also mentioned the fact they put so many of us in unsafe situations without the information to give residents. They thanked me for coming and working and talked to me about the people I helped. I get so worked up over the problems we faced that at times lose site of the lives that we touched and those that touched us. One of the counselors asked me how many 'God Bless You's' I received. Wow, there are too many.
We headed back to Houston for another night at the Hyatt and then to the airport for a 7 a.m. flight back to Charlotte. I never have missed home so much.
- Becky
Great News! A Day Off
10-07-2005 12:56 am
Last night we were driving the ERV back from Winnie and got a call in from our boss Frenchy that Sherry and I should take the day off. That was great news! We had been here working the full two weeks and really needed it.
I had called Houston Thursday night because of concerns with some of the things we had been hearing about threats being made to Red Cross volunteers and chapters from residents. Sherry and I had been driving this big billboard and had no other vehicle. Everywhere we went residents would come up, sometimes even follow us, asking about where they can register with the Red Cross for money. The local radio stations had mentioned that people would get approx. $330 per person from the Red Cross so everyone wants to know where to go to get it. All we could tell them was to call the 800 number and they told us they had and couldn’t get thru. They are very frustrated and so are we. We can’t get any answers as to when or where people can get their assistance. We haven’t had any threats but we have met very angry people. Houston was aware of the issue and told us to come first thing in the morning to get a rental car.
Winnie’s need had decreased to where we could handle the run with a van and not need the ERV.
Becky
Some Much Needed Time to Relax with a Special Dinner
10-06-2005 12:44 am
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Pallets and bins used in food transporting.
Becky Severs Photo
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Mandy, one of the girls from another Red Cross Team joined us for our route today. We met her and her team when we got to the shelter at Wooster Baptist church over a week ago. Sherry and I had moved in to a house that belongs to another church in Baytown, Memorial Baptist, with Mandy's team on Tuesday. We have 4 army cots in the room and since her team works nights in the shelter we have a quiet room to ourselves.
Our first stop was at Joey's Glass in Baytown. A few days back we had parked the ERV outside the Anahuac library and the town boys were mowing and threw something with the mower, breaking a window on one of the rear doors. The town of Anahuac sent us to Joey's. They removed the frame and will have to send out the piece to be tempered.
We make our first run to Winnie and it was only 150 for lunch this time. Soon they will take over the cooking inside the shelter with the numbers being so low.
Ray, shelter manager at Winnie, and her husband R.J. has invited us to a special dinner tonight. They are cooking Gumbo for us workers, National Guard included, that has worked with them at the shelter. Since I am allergic to seafood R.J. is making me chicken and promises it not to be to spicy. He says it all in the roux. This maybe Texas but it is very much Cajun country. They speak it here too. Once we dropped off the evening meal we were taken over to their church where they had set up tables with table clothes and flowers. They even had sweet tea for us! R.J. was right, wow what great food! His chicken gumbo was incredible I had two helpings. We had our picture taken with Ray by the local Winnie paper for an article due out next Wednesday. Tonight was the first time I have really relaxed; I was teary eyed with exhaustion and love. I only hope I have made this same impact on others.
Becky
MRE - Meals Ready to Eat
10-05-2005 12:33 pm
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MRE - Meals Ready to Eat
Becky Severs Photo
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The days have all run together and I depend on my watch to tell me the day and date. There hasn't been much change from day to day. Sherry and I continue to make our two runs to Winnie from Anahuac but the amount of food they need is getting less with each day. I think the most we sent was for 900 lunches and 1600 dinners, today it was 350 and 600. The decrease is due to the power coming on in most of Chambers County. There are still a number of people from the Beaumont area and Port Arthur that either won't have power till tomorrow or have not been allowed to stay home due to curfews.
This morning I took Bruce to Houston. He is heading home and has to go thru out-processing. The Red Cross has you do paper work and visit a mental health counselor prior to your trip home. It was sad to see him go we had been together since arriving at the Austin airport that first night. The minute someone mentioned a problem somewhere, Bruce was the first to jump into action.
Once back in Anahuac with the van I loaded up two pallets of boxes of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and headed out to Bruce's route. Tony, one of the local town volunteers climbed in with me to show me where to go and two FEMA semi-trailers followed, one with ice and one with water. Our first stop was Oak Island, a fishing village which is now primarily Vietnamese who fish for shrimp, crabs or clams. When a car would pull in and we would ask how many people they had in their families and we would give those MREs, water and ice accordingly. We gave extra since today was the last day. Since everyone had power the trucks would be moving further East to towns that were just now opening up for aid.
After Oak Island we headed to Double Bayou and did the same. Most of the residents in both places just wanted water and ice. They aren't into the MREs.
Sherry ran the ERV to Winnie alone today but it is never a problem since the community of Winnie is organized and has a lot of great help. We never have to lift anything. I need to right a paragraph about Ray who runs the shelter there. Hopefully when I get home I can have more time to do stories of the people I have met along the way.
Becky
ERV - Emergency Response Vehicle
10-01-2005 10:22 pm
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ERV Emergency Response Vehicle
Becky Severs Photo
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The day always starts out better with a hot shower. I guess it's Saturday; you lose track of the days. We headed out to pick up meals which are being prepared by members of a Baptist Church organization that works with the Red Cross wherever there are disasters. This group is from Michigan. Frenchie assigned Sherrie and me to a "barge" known as an ERV. That's a custom-made vehicle from which we can serve food. We served both lunch and dinner and in between - in Baytown - we got a chance to do laundry. We got lost on the way back from the Laundromat but that worked out okay. We came across a local fast food joint called a Someburger. The hamburgers were great. I'm fighting a head cold but otherwise things are going well. If you live in the city, you sort of get used to not seeing the stars too well because of all the lights. It's different here - no streetlights or anything and the stars are big and bright.
- Becky
Anahuac, Texas
09-30-2005 6:42 pm
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Me and Mary Jane/Becky Severs Photo
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Off to Anahuac, 20 miles away, where most of the food is being prepared. While we waited for the cambros - food containers - to be loaded we visited with some of the clients in the shelter. I met Mary Jane, a 70ish lady from Beaumont. She wasn't feeling well; really stressed physically and emotionally because she wasn't able to go home. Happily, she did meet up at the shelter with a friend from her past and that helped. They mentioned that it had been days since they'd had their favorite food - chocolate. On our second trip to Anahuac we stopped at a gas station and guess what? They had chocolate bars which we bought and took back to the shelter. Yes - it was a happy moment. Another note: there is no soda pop available anywhere. Do I want a Coke? Nowhere to be found, though. They also sell canned water; I'd never seen that before. I've slept in a different place every night so far and tonight wouldn't be different. Frenchie, the gentleman who dispatches the food deliveries, took us in. He and his wife are great. I slept on the couch and they have hot water.
- Becky
Three Meals A Day
09-29-2005 3:34 pm
The day didn't start out too well. The shower area was flooded ankle deep because a pump had quit working. Ugh. We loaded up the van with food and delivered lunches to a couple of churches. Then Sherrie and I headed for Houston where we dropped off the van and traded it off for a box truck. A note: Winnie is without power and many of the residents eat at the shelters three times a day. Food delivery is a big priority and it looks like that's what we'll be doing for a few days.
- Becky
Winnie, Texas
09-28-2005 4:02 am
Not much sleep. Awoke at 3:30 a.m. as evacuees began to arrive - 26 made it in during the night. Many had been sleeping in their cars for days, hoping to be allowed back into the damaged neighborhoods. They only wanted to see what was left of their homes and their lives but this was as far as they could go before running into the road blocks. At mid-morning, Fran - the Baytown chapter director - told us to go to pick up three vans and go to Sam's Club to purchase food and water. Easy, right? Well, not quite. There were credit card problems that took us two hours longer than expected. We got two pallets of water which cost us $600 and another $800 worth of food and paper. It was dark when we headed east, across the Trinity River, to a shelter in Winnie. There is no power on the east side of the river; everything that's working is powered by generator. Our directions said to turn left at the Sonic drive-in but it wasn't there any longer; it had been blown apart in the hurricane. So we got lost and didn't find our way to the church gym until eight o'clock. We ended up sleeping in a church gym but there were cots. We shared the gym with a group of National Guard; great looking guys, too!
- Becky
Baytown, Texas
09-27-2005 7:05 pm
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L to R: Jason, Sherry, Me and Indy Bruce
(Becky Severs Photo)
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Up early and went the Houston Red Cross chapter to get assignments. They said we had to divide the groups (of six) into fours. So we decided to flip a coin to decide who stayed and who would go. We didn't want to lose each other and we vowed to stay in touch. Sherry, Bruce, Jason and I were assigned to go to Baytown - that's east of Houston - and report to the Wooster Baptist Church. There weren't any clients yet - but 38 volunteers - and we set up cots, hoping that people would hear about the shelter and stop by. They hadn't by the time we went to bed. We were able to get a shower at another church and do laundry at a Laundromat where we had a cold beer in the parking lot.
- Becky
Houston, Here We Come
09-26-2005 8:48 pm
With Rita gone and evacuees heading home to Houston, things are winding down here. Bruce and I went to national Red Cross headquarters at eight in the morning to see what's up. I had to complete some paperwork - again; I'd already done it twice. Go figure. Anyway, we sat on our hands until 4:30 in the afternoon when they said, "Go to Houston." So I grabbed Sherrie, Bruce, Gene, Floyd and Jason and off we went. Interstate 290 wasn't crowded but there were a lot of abandoned vehicles - mostly northbound, that had run out of gas or burned up tires when Houston evacuated last week. We stopped at a Texas Steak House for the first real meal we'd had since Friday. I made it to the Hyatt Hotel by eight o'clock. I don't think we accomplished much but the saving grace was that we were inside - and it was 109 degrees that day.
- Becky
Austin, Texas
09-24-2005 7:39 pm
I caught an earlier flight out of Dallas and arrived at the Austin Red Cross Chapter around 7 p.m. There was three of us in the car from the airport; Bruce from Ind., and Joannie from Hickory, NC. Once thru door all of our lives were about to change. I must tell you first that the Austin chapter had just closed its last Katrina shelter that day and by nights end would have over 40 new shelters open. Everyone and everything was tapped out. There were no cots, no blankets and no pillows to be found and supplies were so low they sent another plea out to the community for assistance. As always they replied and by my second night in the shelters we had pillows and blankets for all. So by 1 AM, Indy Bruce, myself and two others, a retired couple from CA were assigned to a shelter at Travis High School. There were about 75 residents there when we arrived. We were to stay up and be there for questions and keep an eye on snacks and water. Most of the clients (Red Cross refers to the evacuees as clients) were either trying to sleep on the hard gym floor or surrounding the tv to see where Rita was going to hit land. I found a spot in the weight room and slept for about two hours before we were awaken and on to the next assignment. Saturday 7:00 AM They needed four volunteers to go to Miller Middle School and relieve the night shift. Once we arrived, we saw a community of about 50 people getting up and starting their day. I kept the small Mr. Coffee pot filled with coffee and helped pass out towel and soap for the showers. These clients as well as the ones at Travis HS had driven out of the Houston area to Austin. They were happy to have a safe place to spend the night. Most went out for the day and came back for the lunches. At Noon they needed four volunteers to move on to our third shelter. The couple from Cal. decided to stay and so two others followed Bruce and me on.
Manor Middle School in Manor, Texas was our next assignment. There were 150 or so clients that had been bused from Houston to Manor on Friday night. This was definitely a different community than the other two simply because the clients were stuck and at the mercy of us and the town of Houston. The school staff was the best here that I had met. The principle of the school along with several of his teachers would come in the morning and work along side us until after dinner was served. The clients issues, other than the constant question of "when are they going to take us home?" was the lack of pillows, blankets but the food was plentiful. The issues for us volunteers were completely different. We took direction from the local Austin chapter and all of the 15 volunteers that were there had little experience running a shelter. We banded together and did what made since always keeping the clients in mind and kept strong communications with the law enforcement that was on duty and the school staff. Things were difficult not because of the shelter itself, but because of the miscommunication with the chapter.
That afternoon a man in his late twentys from Houston approached me for some help. He had been separated from his wife and son because she was able to evacuate before him. He wanted help in finding her so we contacted the Red Cross by phone and later that night found them in a shelter close to Tyler, Texas. He and another family rented a car the following day and went to get her and head home to Houston.
- Becky
Texas Bound
09-23-2005 5:25 pm
Well, the call came in yesterday and they said to be in Texas by Sunday. The Red Cross is setting up shelters all over south eastern Texas to prepare for Hurricane Rita. I called the Red Cross travel agency and was able to fly out today. They pay for the flight to and from the assignment and then give us a debit card for fuel, in case we end up being a driver, and for things needed during the time we are there.
I didn't sleep much last night. Nerves I guess. I am anxious to get there and help out.
I have had most of my gear ready since training. That process has been a learning experience in its self. Since you have to carry everything, you want it to be as light as possible. No cotton! All my clothes are nylon / poly so everything dries fast and packs small. After checking in on the staff line last night it sounds like I will be staying in the shelter in Austin, no rooms left in hotels. My sleeping bag is packed and ready.
It is very likely we will have power and things look to be better than what many shelters had to go thru with Katrina. As with everything on this trip it is so unpredictable. We have been told our assignment could change daily. We have an automated phone number to call with updated info. So I will call it at least four times today before getting to the shelter tonight.
Everything has been a rush today. I need to get to the airport to catch my flight to Austin at 4:40p.m. I don't land until around 11 p.m. because of a layover in Dallas. Once on the ground my current instructions are to check with Avis to see if there are cars available for the Red Cross, if not I cab it to the shelter. Sounds pretty straight forward but I will call many times to make sure nothing has changed.
I hope to talk to you all again soon. As always, keep all of those in the path of Rita and Katrina in your thoughts and prayers.
Smile,
Becky
Ready, Set, Go!
09-20-2005 8:47 am
How I got here:
I found myself unable to turn away from the television coverage of Katrina I watched every minute I could of its intense drama before it hit the coast, and continue to watch the updates everyday, all day long. I know it seems obsessive but with all the devastation and hardship I just couldn't sit still any longer.
I approached my boss at SPEED Channel and asked if he thought it was possible for me to leave work for a few weeks to help out. He was very supportive. I contacted my local Red Cross and they said that they could only take people that could be gone for three weeks. I signed up.
I am taking a leave of absence for the time that I am gone but even though I can't afford three weeks without pay, I never thought of not going. I knew in my heart somehow I would find a way to make it work.
I have been working inside the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage since Feb. 1999 and since then became close friends with NASCAR officials, drivers, crew members, team owners and even sponsors. Last week I had to attend the NASCAR events at Richmond, Va., for SPEED and had an idea to approach some of my friends for support. It was amazing the quick response I had. Everyone I approached wanted to help. My heart was right, this was going to work.
Last Saturday, I went to my training session at the Red Cross Chapter in Charlotte, NC. We learned about "Mass Care" which is a basic understanding of working within a shelter environment. We also learned about ways the Red Cross feeds people. Instead of calling people in disaster areas, victims, the Red Cross refers to them as clients, I like that.
The Red Cross warns the volunteers that this is no vacation. In class we were told to have three weeks worth of clothing, that there will likely not be power, and we will have to carry everything we take with us at all times. We will not have any privacy and possibly no showers. My boyfriend is letting me use his hiking backpack so I should be set.
Now I am just waiting for the call to go.
- Becky
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Like every NASCAR fan, I watched as
Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives of so many and felt a strong
desire to do something to help.
Becoming a Red Cross
Volunteer made sense to me.
I went to my friends
at TruckSeries.com and we created this BLOG to keep NASCAR fans,
friends, family and the people who are supporting me updated on my
whereabouts.
For the next three
weeks, I will do my best to call in on a regular basis with updates
and maybe photos from my cell phone.
Thanks to everyone for your love and support!
- Becky Severs
SPEED Channel Publicist
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