This is a shot of people lined up to go back home. Home for them was Alexandria, LA. I took this picture standing in the parking lot. I wasn't sure about using my camera at all. Some of the residents were still traumatized by the Katrina evacuation with memories of the Superdome. I heard several people talking the first day I was there expressing anger at the way they were being treated. There was no hot water in the showers at the time. There were other things. One man was angry because someone else had been given a ride somewhere. Rumors swirled. I had a young man blow up at me, he flew into a rage, really, because I had asked him if he was finished with the phone book.


On Sunday when we were fairly sure this hurricane was going to hit in our around New Orleans, I told Billy that I wanted to volunteer to do something. When Katrina hit I wanted to get in my car and go down there! I guess everybody felt that way. I just knew that this time I wanted to help and get involved in some capacity.
Billy happened to see in the paper an article about training sessions for would-be Red Cross volunteers to be held that afternoon at the Red Cross building on Central at 2 O'clock.
Usually, I'll read about stuff like that and end up paralyzed, too scared to go or too lazy, but this time I was motivated above my fears and complacency. I got up off my you know what and drove down there.
The process was very simple and didn't take quite an hour. I ended up helping some of the Red Cross workers make phone calls to notify other volunteers that one of our shelters had closed. I was home by 3 o'clock or a little after.
On Tuesday I served my first day as an official Red Cross volunteer and just to write that makes me swell with pride, the good kind of pride. And I say that in all humility. HA!
My first day to volunteer was scary because they really expect you to just jump in. There is no coddling. There is no one to take your hand and tell you what to do. In fact, I'd gone through my volunteer training with a woman I'd met in the parking lot. We found our way to the session together and sat by each other and talked. We even signed up to go to the same community center to volunteer at the same time. When we showed up for our shift that first day, there was really nothing to do. A Penecostal church group had shown up to take care of the lunches that had been delivered from Memphis City Schools. There were two volunteers at the table at the front door who were watching the door and welcoming and informing guests and residents. For a while, we just stood around. My friend ended up talking to an evacuee for a while, but I think she got discouraged. She left after only an hour or so.
I was NOT going to leave. I wanted to stick it out. I heard someone say something about paper towels being out in the women't bathroom so I went to check and see. They were nearly out. When I went in the women's restroom there were several residents there. When they saw my Red Cross badge they began asking questions.
"They were giving out lotion a little while ago. I need some. Can you tell me where to find it?"
"We're wondering if Fema has contacted this shelter. Can you tell us if they have been here?"
"Do you have any idea when we'll be going back home?"
There were other questions and they were coming toward me faster than I could respond to them. I had to tell them that this was my first day, but I would find answers for their questions. And I did.
I found Charlotte.
Charlotte is the Red Cross Director of our disaster shelter at the Gaisman Community Center. Charlotte knows everything! I bet she dreads seeing me coming now. I always have so many questions to ask.Here's Charlotte beside the bus as 42 residents are preparing, anxiously preparing to go back home.
I was there assisting her in the count. The red cross keeps careful records of who is in each center; when they arrive and when they depart. She used each person's initial assessment/arrival sheet to call out each individual name before they got on the bus. I stood beside her creating another list as the people got on the bus. That list was for the bus driver to take with him to give to his boss so that he could get paid. The bus drivers stayed in the facilities with the other evacuees.




But on my first day, after the women's restroom and the paper towels, I found a broom and a dust pan, an ice cream bucket and some bleach and I went into the cafeteria and wiped down all the tables and chairs and swept. It took over an hour to do that, but by staying busy with that and keeping my ears open I was able to learn a lot. I was also able to meet some of the residents and talk to them.
Here is an excerpt from an essay I wrote yesterday.

At the Red Cross training session they’d told us that just chatting with the residents, sweeping the floor and emptying the trash were important. So I jumped in by: breaking down cardboard boxes to take to the dumpster, peeling an orange for a very old fragile gentleman with a lovely British accent, wiping down the tables and chairs as the residents finished their meals, then sweeping the floor. I distributed a sack of crossword puzzle books I’d bought at the dollar store and pencils to go with them, I took a 9 year old little girl through the donated clothes room and helped her find a pair of shoes and a zip up cotton jacket. She wore that jacket proudly for the rest of the afternoon. I helped a man get on the city bus in front of our shelter so he could get to the Greyhound bus station in Downtown Memphis. I helped a man find the phone number of Western Union. I held the door to the women’s restroom open while the custodian refilled the paper towels. I read a book to a 5 year old girl, and many other simple things.
Right before I left, I said good bye to my new friend, Mr. Kendall, the British gentleman. A box of bananas had just come in as a donation. I took one, peeled it open and handed it to him.
“Thank you,” he said with a warm smile, then added, “Oh, that banana is beautiful!”
I turned and tried to hurry off.
“No really,” he called to me, “look!”
I stopped. I looked. And he was right. It was a very beautiful banana.







This is Rick talking with a Memphis policeman. They were very present with us. Rick runs the community center. He did a great job turning his little center into a first class Red Cross shelter!