It's been a whirlwind week for me, as was to be expected. Now into week #2, I'm adjusting... but I will admit that exhaustion sets in rather easily for me as I adapt to this disaster mindset.
A tropical storm was heading our way over the weekend and all the AmeriCorps teams in the area were mobilized to create temporary shelters for those residents of St. Bernard Parish in FEMA trailers. It was such an odd feeling... the impending doom of another disaster. People were skiddish, anticipating the next 'big one.' They say that winds above 65 mph could destroy the trailers.
It amazes me how matter-of-factly the disaster stories are told in 'da Parish.' Katrina is part of their lives now and they refer to it as nonchalantly as 'making groceries.'
One homeowner I met last week retold his story of over 100 mph winds during Katrina. Joe and his father watched as the water turned from a few feet to 18 feet, breaking down their front door and stranding them on their own roof. They soon were selecting trees, one for each, that would be their next lifesaver if the water continued to rise.
Trying to shelter his father from the rain that was actually cutting his legs (at 100 mph I guess rain can do that), Joe managed to maneuver a boat onto the roof as a shield from the elements. His success was followed promptly by a tree crashing into the back of his head, knocking his face into the boat that was his shelter. Spitting teeth and blood, Joe held onto that boat to protect his father.
Now when you ask Joe how he's doing, you'll inevitably hear something along the lines of, "We're making it," or "We're still here." Joe was a teacher in the inner-city with at-risk youth before the storm. With no health insurance, his diabetes is out of control and can't work. From the way he talks about that time, it's obvious that he was a blessing to those students.
We started working on Joe's house this week. It's been gutted for quite some time and finally there is insulation and drywall going in. "It looks like a house again," he says. "You can't see through the walls anymore..."
Joe told me that he's found God again in the midst of all of this. He doesn't quite know when or how he lost his faith, but he knows that it's back. Instead of being on his roof hanging onto a boat, he's in his trailer hanging onto hope.
2 comments:
Beanie - can you say why Joe & his dad didn't evacuate before the storm? Just curious.
Hey Bob! I just learned that his mother was hospitalized and due to be evacuated the day before the storm. His dad was planning to leave with her but got the call that it would have to be the following morning... which never came. His mother was a casualty of the storm. Joe doesn't talk about his grief much. He's obviously trying to hold it together to support his dad and get him home, back to some sense of normalcy. I really can't imagine what it must be like to lose everything you own and your spouse all at once...
I hope you and your sweet family are enjoying each other! Here's to not taking precious moments for granted.
Much love to y'all! I miss you guys!
beanie-b
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