Today I took calls and I also became "IT" support as usual -- once a techie, always a techie -- so I helped people navigate the systems that we use and did a little troubleshooting here and there. It's good because I want to help out with training the operators and the best way to prepare for training is to first support people that are using whatever the product is you are going to teach. Well, that's enough techie talk.
We're now starting to hear from the evacuees and from victims. One of our calls today was bone-chilling. A woman called to say that she was in an apartment building in New Orleans. She had enough food for a few days but only one bottle of water. She said that people were selling food and water on the street. So she tried to go out and buy some supplies, but as soon as she stepped out the door bullets flew past and she went back into her apartment.
Later I had a call from a woman who started the conversation by saying, simply "I've lost everything." She had evacuated with most of her children, but her husband and son were left behind. She was looking for them as well as any kind of help she could get. At the end of the call, after telling me she had lost everything, that she didn't know where her husband or child were, that she needed to find a safe, comfortable place and food for herself and her small children....after all that she said to me, "I'd also like information about volunteering so I can help, too."
Tomorrow I go in at 8:00 a.m. again.
Posted by: Sarah | Sep 04, 2005 at 11:14 AM