My first ARC assignment

I went on my first disaster relief assignment for the Red Cross today! I started the training a couple of years ago, after Hurricane Katrina. I've half-expected to get a call to pack my bags and leave for somewhere across the country on short notice, but that hasn't happened. Although I've been on many church-sponsored disaster relief trips, I'd started wondering if I'd ever get to help right after the disaster. I finally got the chance - right in my own back yard.

A tornado hit High Point, N.C. last Sunday night and caused a lot of damage on just a few streets (and more in Davidson County). The e-mail for helpers came Thursday (I think the "regulars" must have been working this earlier in the week) and we all showed up this morning. I had trained for assessing damage, but not for casework, so I stayed with the relief van while several teams went out to offer help in the damaged neighborhoods. We admittedly had the easy job, just handing out water once in a while and taking reports from the teams.

The church there fed everybody and they're doing a great job. As a matter of fact, their parking lot was home base for several organizations. 'Nice to see everybody working together - some feeding, some repairing, some collecting clothes and necessities. We had a lot of people walk up and offer to volunteer. Some of them went into the church and may have been put to work, but we had to tell them what they told me years ago: you have to go through the training first.

Tweets from Louisiana trip

Signing off for mission trip to Louisiana. Will tweet by phone, but can't read nor respond. #travel #katrina #fb 10:06 PM Mar 6th via web

Driving thru New Orleans at night. #fb 8:21 PM Mar 7th via txt

45 people in 2 bunkrooms, have to sleep in dining area. #fb 10:46 PM Mar 7th via txt

Built walls, covered in sawdust and rain. Trusses on house in La. #fb 8:19 PM Mar 8th via txt

Standing under few sheets of roof, pouring rain, lightning. Good time 4 lunch. 12:01 PM Mar 9th via txt

On 2-story ladder today, hammering, arms like noodles. #fb 9:10 PM Mar 9th via txt

Hardware errands, white & blue herons in bayou. #fb 12:56 PM Mar 10th via txt

started vinyl siding. Roof sheets on. Thanks, God, 4 holding off rain! #fb 9:45 PM Mar 10th via txt

Roughing it is not just sleeping on floor, but w so many people, get woke up hourly. #fb 6:45 AM Mar 11th via txt

Cafe au lait, warm beignet, laughing at powdered sugar mess n New Orleans #fb 12:38 AM Mar 12th via txt

Installed insulation, sheetrock today. Leave La. Tomorrow. 8:29 PM Mar 12th via txt

Home, laundry, real bed, my pillow. Long ... hot ... shower.
#fb about 3 hours ago via web Sunday morning

Hittin' the road

I enjoyed reading the genealogy blogs this week, and would like to visit even more of them. However, I realized that I didn't spend any time working on my own blog. I did write a few paragraphs for my historical novel. With about 77,000 words in the file, I'm at the stage where I need to write more missing scenes to add transitions, add description for people and places, research some of those missing scenes (genealogy) - and then cut, cut, cut.

This week I also helped a cousin work on an "emergency family history" for her vacation next week. We may work on it some more later - our family history of bird dog trainers and hunting in the Piedmont, N.C.

I reluctantly lay my genealogy aside for the coming week - but only for another trip! This time I'm traveling light, going with a group of volunteers to Louisiana, where people still don't have homes in Hurricane Katrina-affected areas.