We stayed ahead of the storms on our way to DC. On Wednesday, April 27 we were in Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was cloudy and a spring storm went through with rain lasting only 15 minutes while we were at the battlefield. East of us, Tuscaloosa, Alabama was hit by a historic tornado that killed over 200 people. As we listened to the news on the radio the next day, my husband and I were both struck by an urge to help. I remembered watching the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and wishing I could help.
Now we were driving in the direction of Tuscaloosa. We could head south of Tuscaloosa, avoiding the area, or we could be in Tuscaloosa that afternoon. Unlike the year we watched the Katrina aftermath on TV, we were now in a position to help. We were Red Cross and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, trained but not experienced. We headed for Tuscaloosa.
As we neared Tuscaloosa, we began to see trees downed on the side of the freeway. Entering town, we slowed to a crawl. Traffic lights were out. We learned later that power was out in most of the town. We followed the GPS directions to the Red Cross office, but were stopped by yellow tape across the road. We pulled into the parking lot of the nearby shopping center and asked directions.
“The Red Cross office is right over there,” a man directing traffic said.
We walked across the street that was closed to traffic and found the Red Cross office. Broken windows and the door were boarded up, and a sign was on the door. Volunteers were directed to go to the temporary shelter at the community center.
We drove to the shelter and introduced ourselves. Can we help? “Maybe tonight, we’re okay for now,” the shelter manager said.
It looked like organized chaos as people entered and were checked in. We looked into the dining room and saw the familiar yellow shirts and hats of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. Perhaps they needed help.
We introduced ourselves and were told sure, they could use the help. “Meet us here tomorrow morning. At 5:30.”
Now we just needed to find a motel outside Tuscaloosa, one that accepted pets since we were traveling with our four cats. We began our search outside of town because we didn’t want to take up precious space victims might need and because there probably wasn’t any motels open in Tuscaloosa since the power was out.
We showed up the next morning and helped feed 800 people. The next day we helped prepare food for another 800 before being on our way. More volunteers had shown up so we didn’t feel like we were abandoning them. They had plenty of help and would prepare 2000 meals that day. Lunch and dinner would be served in the dining area of the shelter. More food would be sent out on Red Cross ERVs (emergency response vehicles).
For us, this was rewarding in many ways. We were only there for two days, but considered this to be super-training. And I feel more confident now that I can respond to a disaster. My arthritis gives me backaches when I stand, sit or walk too long. And I get migraines. But my back didn’t hurt at all for the entire 12 hour day. And no headaches. And 10 years ago my OCD would have prevented me from helping with food preparation. I would have feared causing harm coming to the people we served because of something I’d done. No such fears now.
When we first got involved with disaster relief training, I was reluctant. Could I work long days, then sleep on a cot? After praying about it for several weeks, I plunged into it, reasoning that if God wanted me to help, he’d make it possible. I lost weight, received some physical therapy for my back and stuck to an exercise routine. My back began to feel better. Being physically fit enough to serve God when the time came encouraged me to keep the weight off and keep my muscles strong. I reasoned that I would work as long as possible, with God’s help. If only a few days, fine.
We only worked two days and we didn’t have to sleep on a cot, but it was enough to help me know that God really will equip those He calls.
