Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Hang in there...

I joke about my work and disasters... I have been in the heart of them, a place where I was very afraid and then left to wonder if we would ever recover.
After Katrina no news came out of my area for almost 2 days, as my small town is located pretty much between New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we were not the center of attention, by any means.  My family thought that I might be gone!
They said when my Dad found out I was safe, he broke down and cried like a baby.
Crews headed out to a nearby interstate overpass at night to attempt cell or radio contact and we were doing okay but there was up to 8 feet of water in some of my city, we were doing what we could.
When I was evacuated from the emergency communications center by boat, I huddled over a portable radio, knowing that the rest of my crew gone out before me, (you know the captain always goes down with the ship, so I was the last of my officers to leave).
I wondered how would we ever come back!  
Devastation abounding, I escaped to stand for mass on Sunday in front of the demolished church where my brothers had made their communions. I toured the lake area and saw so much rubble, it looked like a war zone. Any exit from the building where I slept on the floor at night, brought a new perspective of the damage.  I became disoriented in my hometown, it was crazy!



We were challenged at every corner, but we made it.  We lost so much, but we were strong and found things inside of us we never knew we possessed that helped propel us through the challenges.  We were amazingly blessed with kindness from people all over the country, they still come back to help with recovery even though so much time has passed since Katrina.

So, today...as I watch Joplin and all of the other hard hit areas, my heart breaks for them.  I know what it feels like.  I pray for those who have been lost and I pray for those who are left behind to stand in the rubble of their lives, so overwhelmed.  Help will come, however anything close to "normal" is a good time away!  But, it will get there!
God Bless everyone who has been affected and God's Speed to those who run toward them to help!

I promise it will get better, but I understand that this will forever be a life changing event.  I wish I could be there to lend a hand but those "on scene" times have pretty much passed for me.

I send you my heart and will pray for you everyday and I know my Brothers and Sisters in emergency response are sending the same at this moment!  You are not alone!

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