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9/23 - Baton Rouge
I took at shower in the mobile showers in the parking lot before I went to sleep. Since more than 200 people staying at the shelter and only six showers in a trailer, I figured I should avoid waiting in line in the morning.
I picked a cot in a room with about 50 men and women of all ages. Sleeping near my feet was a doctor from Michigan with a kidney transplant. Near my head was a mental health worker from Pennsylvania. To my left was a woman from New Jersey and to my right was a man from New Jersey.
I was surprised at how loudly people were talking - right up to 'lights out' at 10:30 p.m. But the noises did not stop when people stopped talking. Many quickly kicked into an orchestra of snores that was at a decibel that made sleeping challenging.
At 7:30 a.m., I arrived to Red Cross headquarters for Louisiana (the WalMart) so I could catch a ride with someone to my shelter assignment in Monroe. As I was waiting for my ride, I noticed a number of NYC firefighters getting coffee. I wondered if they could have imagined four years ago - as they were coping with the World Trade Center attacks - that they would one day be involved in a massive hurricane relief operation in Louisiana.
Yesterday, I met a Red Cross employee from Pennsylvania who was also helping with media relations. He was introduced to me as a "face guy" for national media and had just completed an interview with NBC Nightly News. This morning he was sporting a huge black eye because someone stepped on his head when he was sleeping on the floor of a motel room. It was hilarious! I bet he gets assigned to radio today.
I caught a ride to Monroe with two guys from Iowa and California. We drove us Highway 61 to avoid Rita evacuation traffic, which was very rural and picturesque. I saw big oaks, white fences, Spanish moss, stately plantations, modest homes, chickens, cotton fields and hawks.
The radio stations were filled with reports about people evacuating who lived south of I-10. Announcements were made about preparing for power outages and flooding. Have water, food, flashlights, etc. on hand. Reminders about how to drive in standing water. Always have at least half a tank of gas in your vehicle. There are lots of insurance ads in Louisiana, as well as assurance from the radio stations that they will stay on air regardless of power outages.
As we were driving up, I spoke with my friend in Washington, D.C. who has family in Morgan City, Louisiana. Her brother and great aunties lost their homes when Katrina hit New Orleans, so they were staying with her parents. Despite the devastation from Katrina and the warnings about Rita, they decided to stay in Morgan City rather than face the horrendous traffic jams.
My friend was very upset, especially since Governor Blanco had said today, "If you are planning to stay, please write your Social Security number in permanent marker on your body so we can identify you." Quite dramatic.
We received two calls on our trip that gave us that 'man without a country' feeling. My boss in Baton Rouge told me that the executive director in Monroe did not want me to help because she did not think I had enough experience and did not want someone who wasn't from Louisiana. Then the guys driving with me get a call from their boss saying to not bother coming back down to Baton Rouge because Rita was heading their way.
Since they still had packages to deliver in Monroe, we kept driving. When we arrived in Monroe, we asked six men sitting on car seats under a tree for directions. It was clear to them that we were not from Louisiana and we told them we were from the Red Cross. One man showed his resilience and optimism by saying, "People around here are strong. This will pass. You can't see the stars if you're always looking down."
We decided to stop for lunch and couldn't decide between Podnuh's or Shawnuff BBQ. With a sign that read, 'any two meats with two sides for $4.99' Podnuh's was the clear choice and a wise move on our part. Had pulled pork, baked beans and turnip greens that were heavenly.
We drove up to the shelter, which is an old State Farm Insurance building. We had to stop at a checkpoint staffed by the Michigan National Guard. I went through a metal detector and met the executive director and public affairs team. After responding to a couple of questions about my professional experience, I tell them I came down from Oregon to help. And if they did not need me, I would head back to Baton Rouge. They decided to let me give it a shot, which made me glad.
There are about 1,230 people in this shelter and they have helped more than 4,000 in total. About 900 people arrived because of Rita - some first time evacuees and others were evacuating from shelters set up in response to Katrina. Three other shelters were set up in Monroe to prepare for Rita, providing room for another 900 evacuees. There were located at a church, civic center and sports arena.
I was able to stay in motel room at the Best Western in Monroe. There were a lot of evacuees staying there. A couple families had a Weber grill in the parking lot and ate dinner outside on balcony near my door. My cell phone finally worked so I caught up with some people in Oregon and watched Rita news reports.
9/22 @ 5:30 a.m. - Atlanta
In case there weren't any cots at the shelter where I am to stay, I was told to travel with a sleeping bag, pillow and sleeping mat.
I unrolled my mat in the corner of my gate hoping to get a couple more hours of sleep before I arrived in Baton Rouge. When I awoke, I was surrounded by a number of well-dressed, professional travelers working on their laptops. Wish I could have told them I had an excuse for my scrappy airport behavior.
It's humid in Atlanta but manageable. The sky is blanketed by a heavy cloud cover.
9/22 @ 8:50 a.m. - En route to Baton Rouge
We're 30 minutes outside of Baton Rouge and the pilot points out cloud bands to the left of the aircraft. About 180 miles away we could see the beginning of Rita. It looked like a huge wall of white - soft and silent from the plane. A different perspective from the unforgiving waves and wind-whipped palm trees we grown accustomed to seeing on the news.
9/22 @ 4:00 p.m. - Baton Rouge
A Red Cross shuttle picks up new staff every hour from the airport. The driver was a woman from New Hampshire who had been on assignment for two weeks. She was friendly but definitely needed some rest. She gave a little insight on the inevitable messiness of this massive disaster relief operation.
I arrive at the Red Cross headquarters - located in an Old Wal-Mart - and find thousands of Red Cross staff from all over the country buzzing around. I go through orientation, where I learn how to respond to brown spiders, fire ants, alligators and four kinds of poisonous snakes. I took all of this into careful consideration as I started my adventure to the mall across the street to hunt down a burrito from Taco Bell. No sign of any dangerous Louisiana predators.
Rita seemed to have been leaning a little east today. We start hearing reports that shelters around Lafayette and Lake Charles are being evacuated to the north. When I went outside, the sky was a chalky blue and the wind was hot. I don't know if this is pre-hurricane weather since I have no benchmark for Baton Rouge weather.
I find out I am being assigned to Monroe, Louisiana, which is about four hours north of Baton Rouge. Their shelter is currently accommodating about 2,500 survivors. As I am talking on the phone to the public affairs officer I will be relieving, he tells me a bus from Texas has just arrived full of evacuees.
But these poor people haven't evacuated twice - that would imply that they had an opportunity to go home. These unfortunate souls just keep migrating away from the destruction of hurricane season 2005.
The good news is that the shelter I have been assigned to is a one-stop shop for survivors. With day care, a doctor's office and even an optometrist on site providing replacement glasses - the community is very proud of the resource center the have created for survivors.
It reminds me of the resource center we have at the Washington-Monroe High School in Portland. It will be interesting to see a similar model operate with such a large population of survivors of two hurricanes.
Heading to a Broadmoor Baptist Church shelter to sleep tonight. Tomorrow I will catch a ride with a Red Cross vehicle delivering supplies to Monroe. I am told to prepare for lots of traffic and high winds. I'm glad I'm not driving.
9/21 @ 8:00 p.m. - Portland
At the airport waiting to catch a red eye to Baton Rouge.
My new friend Will, a musician from New Orleans, gave me a ride to the airport. I met him a week ago when he was getting Red Cross assistance at the Washington-Monroe High School. His car is still decorated with shoe polish that said, "I Survived Katrina" and "Portland or Bust." His mother lives in Clackamas, which led him from Louisiana all the way to the northwest corner of the country.
Will was able to drive me to the airport because his friend Michael, also from New Orleans, was arriving to Portland two hours before I was leaving.
As we had sushi at the airport, we watched the news showing Rita taking over the Gulf. I started feeling a little nervous about the hurricane and started wishing I was staying in Portland to enjoy the beautiful fall.
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