As a recent graduate of Georgia Tech, I was glad to hear that the GT Coliseum, our basketball arena, was being opened as a shelter for Katrina evacuees. The Office of Community Service, with whom I had done much work with while still at Tech, is coordinating students, staff, etc., to volunteer at the shelter for either "registration" or "security."
Well, I signed up to volunteer for a 10pm-2am "security" shift for Monday night. I ended up getting there at 9:30 and leaving at 6:30. This is what happened on my first day.
I arrived after a large dinner with some friends (I knew I would need the energy) at the GT Coliseum, and went up to the volunteer registration. I was nervous because I was helping with security. What's a pacifist going to do to help with security? Well, my 6'5, 300ish pound frame does look intimidating I guess. I met the nurse who would be "downstairs" with me.
A little about the building set up first. When you walk into the arena, you are on like a mid-level concourse. This is where "Macy's" was set up - a line of about 20-30 tables of donations set up all organized. The registration for both volunteers and "Residents" (this is the official Red Cross word for people at shelters.) The cafeteria area is with one of the concession stands, hot food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but snacks there all the time. In with this area is a TV hooked up to the GT Satellite network. Usually on the news - it was heart wrenching to hear the moans when a picture of a flooded and burning New Orleans was on the screen. There is a call center with about 15 phones set up, and a computer (and I'm sure its got internet access.) This is also where the main restrooms are - just your run of the mill everyday restroom setup you'd find in a sports arena. There is also a children's play area with a couple of games (not enough!) and some books and way too many stuffed animals. There is an elevator to the downstairs area, but those that can also just climb down the stadium steps.
Downstairs is where all of the cots are, on the floor of the arena (they have some rubber panels down on top of the wooden arena) and there are 250 cots set up. I did take some pictures on my camera phone, which if I can figure out how to move them to my computer I'll post them later. There is room to walk - not packed in like sardines. As you walk down the hallway with the elevator you come across the nurses station. Red Cross has a nurse there 24 hours a day, and they are able to give out basic medication, make referrals to doctors, etc. At the nurses station, if you keep going straight you go into the arena, if you turn left you come across another bathroom, for use of the volunteers and those that just can't make it up to the upper level. Then there's some water and snacks, and if you keep on going, up a half flight of stairs and p a ramp with probably a 30-degree incline, you get to the shower room. There's one room of showers - our Basketball Team's lockeroom. Because of this, men and women have to take turns showering with one of the volunteers sitting outside to make sure none of the opposite sex can go in.
Back to the night - I was immediately assigned to work downstairs, even without saying I was there for "security." I met the nurse who I would be working with and who would be in charge down there. She showed me around with what she knew (she had just gotten there herself) and took me downstairs, where we met the other nurses and staff there. There were three or four nurses and staff there, and two psychologists. Grady Hospital in Atlanta is sending over teams of two psychologists to help out. This is extremely helpful, and important later on. The outgoing staff tells us everything we need to know and is on their way. There's me, one other Tech student volunteer, the nurse and the two new psychologists from Grady, one specializing in children.
Its explained to me that one of my jobs is to walk around, helping people feel secure. Apparently some people complained that the prior night people were rifling through their stuff while they slept. My first walk through made me teary eyed.
There's about 60-70 people there, with plenty more expected. About half are senior citizens that came form a nursing home - about 10 are in wheelchairs but none, thankfully, bedridden. The rest are families - A single mother with her two young girls, a kid in a wheelchair because he has a cast on his leg (he's either with his family or with the man that rescued him from the water. Not 100% sure there), a huge three generational family there that took up one corner and had a radio and a baby who started to scream when I got there but quieted down. A fiftyish Vietnamese woman with her elderly mother.
People were still awake and talking, even after "lights out" at 11 (dimmed is the more accurate word here.) This is when I really started to help people. I'd see a senior citizen struggling in their bed, I'd go over and ask if I could help. Most of the time was no, but sometimes they couldn't reach their blankets to pull up, or needed to use the restroom, etc.
The first person besides the staff I got to talk to was Joy, who was about 40 and black. All but about eight people there were black, two were Vietnamese and five or six white. She needed to get some water, and go outside and smoke a cigarette. Having not much else to do, I went with her so she'd have someone to talk to. Joy came from the Chalmette region and was recently in the hospital. She told me she gave birth to twins two weeks ago, one died in the incubator, and the other got swept away in the storm. Even with that, she told me she was blessed. She was one the roof of wherever she was at, and was evacuated to the Convention Center. Most of the people I talked to were at the Convention Center, then the airport.
I walked her and did another check. The younger of the Vietnamese family was still sitting upright in her bed, with a roasary. She was like this for a good hour. She tried to get some sleep, but soon she was sitting upright again. I walked over and asked if she needed any help (whispering of course.) She said no, but about ten minutes later she walked up to me and quietly asked if she could take a shower.
Shower. This is something I could do. I told the nurse, got a new towel and washcloth. Se didn't have any soap. No problem, we went up to "Macys" (that term comes from Joy) and got her a packet (put together by the Heritage Academy - a school in the area I assume) and went back downstairs. I showed her the shower, then close the door and waited outside. She hadn't talked much to that point, but when she was done with the shower she was almost in tears. We walked back to the floor slowly...she was telling me how she hadn't had a shower in a week. She lived in New Orleans East. She was one of 300 who sought refuge in a church. They ran out of food after three days, and were able to get a call out to a "navy boat" and were "rescued" to the Convention Center, where they were for two days. She told me she saw someone murdered there. Her husband was evacuated to one of the hospitals in the area, and couldn't get to see him but was able to talk to him three times on the phone that day. She's worried for her mother - the mom doesn't speak a word of English, so she can't leave her alone in the shelter (which is why she hadn't had a shower yet.) She was so thankful, clutching my arm, as I walked her back to her cot. When I left her, one of the two psychologists went up and talked to her...for over an hour. I was glad they did...she obviously needed to talk and although I can listen just as good as anyone I didn't know the right questions to ask. I never got her name unfortunately.
I won't get into a play-by-play, but there were lots of needing more blankets, needing help up to their wheel chair, etc. One elderly black lady needed to take a shower. Well, we got her up, got her soap, etc. and a new t-shirt at Macys, and got her back down when she started to have heart troubles. Me and one of the psychologists were helping her to that point, we looked at each other and I went to find the nurse. When I came back with the nurse she was looking through her purse for one certain medication - she had about 15 pill bottles in there. After a tense five minutes, she found it, took a pill and started to feel better. After that she didn't feel comfortably trying to walk to the shower. This meant we needed to get a wheelchair up a half flight of stairs. I searched for helpers, but only found one person upstairs that could help. This was about 3:30 in the morning now, but she was a soccer player and helped us lift that wheelchair step by step up. Pushing up that long incline was an experience too. She was able to take a shower and felt immensely better.
I should point out here I signed up for a 10pm-2am shift. The other guy there with me had the same shift but had to leave at 2. I, on the other hand, only have something to do from 5pm to 9pm, so I knew I could stay if needed, and I was needed. I stayed till 6:30am, and getting there at 9:30 was what...a 9 hour shift?
Back to the night - during this whole time people were coming in. A mom and her son Payton came in...her son was a bundle of energy and she was exhausted. I offered a couple of times to have either myself or the volunteers upstairs play with the 8ish tyke, but she politely declined. He ended up dragging her all around the building after not being able to sleep, and went on an about half-hour walk. Eventually they fell asleep. A single guy came in, just making it from New Orleans. I helped him claim a bed, get all of this supplies needed, another trip to Macys, and he was desperate to take a shower. He said he would only be there one night hopefully. I got to know a family of three extremely well - they were lucky...they got out on Sunday. So did the rest of their extended family. Problem is they all went to the same aunt's house - a trailer that couldn't accommodate so many people. They went to a shelter, somewhere in the middle of Louisiana, but they were packed. They told them to head to Atlanta. They got some gas money donated, and drove to Atlanta. I think they're planning on staying in Atlanta. They weren't sure at first, but they apparently fell in love with the city at first sight. The father was asking my about GED programs close by - I referred him to the Red Cross Caseworkers.
During the day, there are Red Cross caseworkers there to help with all the needs of the residents. Contacting gvt. Organizations, churches, trying to find them permanent housing, etc. There are also two doctors from Grady and a pharmacist. One elderly gentlemen was counting down the minutes until the doctors arrives with his back medicine (he asked the time about one every half an hour, all night.) They are free to roam around the neighborhood if they wish at night, but most stay around the arena. Some are getting flights out (one had to be woken up at 4 so she could get to her plane to Florida on time paid for by family members) and others are looking for jobs (a job interview at 6:30.) There is...was...a career fair today for Katrina evacuees in Atlanta. Many residents were wanting to go but were worried about not having nice enough clothes for a job interview. Several spent a lot of time combing through every piece of clothing up in Macys to find something that they could use for an interview (if you are going to donate clothes, keep this in mind. They have a lot of regular clothes, but these people want jobs. Are you going to go interview in a pair of Bermuda shorts and a radio station t-shirt?)
The last conversation I'll talk to you about was with the nurse, psychologists, myself and "Lisa." Lisa worked at one of the nursing homes that some of the people there came from. She stayed behind to help. She said several caregivers deserted. I was in and out during this conversation (took place about 4:30 in the morning, and people needed help in there on a pretty regular basis throughout the night) but caught a snippet about an altercation she had with a policeman. She hunted him down so they could get some help and get their residents evacuated. The policeman (I think it was a policeman. It could have been a National Guard troop) was talking about how he had killed several disorderly people already, so of course he'd help! Against her admitted better judgment, she started to argue with the guy, saying how could he so proud of killing people. They were yelling at each other, and he grabbed her shirt. Later he put a gun in her face and refused to help her. They were eventually evacuated to the Convention Center, and then the airport. She said the conditions in the airport were horrible. Her mom was sent to Houston, and later San Antonio where the mom met up with her sister, and she was sent to Atlanta. This happened with a guy I talked to - families split up all over the place. Luckily she has a nephew in Atlanta (who's appt. is full with other evacuees). She's got a long job history and I'm sure can find a job, hopefully at this career fair today. She dropped her wallet as I was leaving, and everybody there was searching for it. I hope she found it. She said she'd still be there tonight.
A lot of the staff are revolving...I'd imagine it'd be a lot better if they had a regular volunteer staff to help them so the residents would feel more comfortable. Since I don't have anything to do except my job tutoring a 5th grader from 5-9pm, I'll be going back both tonight and tomorrow night, and possibly further (there is no end date to the use of the GT Coliseum for a shelter), to help with "security" pulling another all-nighter at Georgia Tech. I'd like to think this one is a tad more important some of the ones I pulled for late term papers.