(no subject)
I answer the phones, deliver messages, beg for help, etc at the Shelter in Daphne where the red cross assists us with evening care, and now Medical and Mental Health.
They are not in charge of the whole place so we can accept donations and let volunteers in from the community to help. It's working rather well.
Enter Fema.
FEMA sent us two men that have been coming to the shelter for a few days at least. I can't remember the exact day I first saw them. They are EMT and Firefighters, from the pacific northwest, highly trained, highly muscled and good looking dudes with calm attitudes. FEMA is making them file paper reports. Their talents are being squandered, wasted, completely unused in my opinion.
FEMA apparently also hired a man called R R, very personable. Reasonably intellegent in conversation. Immediately doing his job based on the flash bulletin he received from FEMA.
Yesterday, at approximately the 10 o clock hour R R called me up. He stated he was from FEMA Community Relations and that he was in charge of Interrum Housing Options department.
His department's goal was to provide Longer Term Housing, or Alternative housing to displaced persons due to Hurricane Katrina.
He stated he was going to give me two facilities that were now open. We were to send our shelter residents to these facilities if desired.
It was not necessary to have already registered with FEMA and the residents to be should show up during 8 am to 6 pm.
The first facility is
1. blanked out so only people in need can get to this place.
The space is set up like college dorms. There are semi private and private rooms with group meals. It is Handicapped Accessable.
The second facility is
2.also blanked out so people in need get there.
This facility has trailers at a campground. No Handicapped Access.
At both:
There will be a Case worker available to make recovery plans onsite. There is no cost for this lodging.
So then i asked:
Sir, are these spots for Alabama Residents only. He replied, "No, Fema will work across state lines to [accomodate] everyone displaced by the storm."
Frog (me) says: "Sir, what are the phone numbers for these sites?"
RR: "I don't know. There are not any listed."
"Sir, How many spots are available at each destination?"
RR: "I don't know. That information is not provided."
Frog:"Can you find that out for me?"
RR: "I don't have that information right now."
Frog: "I'm going to repeat the addresses and ask you some questions about the second facility."
RR "Okay."
Frog, i repeated the addresses. I asked him for his phone number. I asked if it were possible that the facilities were screening to make sure only hurricane evacuees were going to be allowed. "If I make a big poster and place it up at the shelter there is a possiblity that people who live around this area who have no storm damage who pay rent will go up there for free housing to not pay rent."
RR: "There will be case workers available from FEMA onsite." He said they were intending to screen so that only people with storm damage would be allowed to remain at the sites.
Frog thinks: This isn't going to completely keep scam artists out, so we need to get the shelter people and real evacuees there first. How do we do that? How do we provide for these people...
frog: "The first obviously provides meals. The second however, I have a few questions about them.
Are the trailers equipped with kitchens?"
RR: "Possibly Kitchenettes"
"There are no group meals provided there per the information you gave me. Are there grills?"
RR: "It is a state park so that's possible."
Frog: "Do the people need to bring their own food? We have boxes of food we can send them with, but how will they get more?"
RR: "I do not know if there will be food provided for them to cook themselves."
frog: "How many people are you calling today? How do we know, if we send residents up there with no phone number contact, no reservations, loaded with boxes of food for them to prepare that they will not be turned away? These people have very little money. Some have found temporary or part time jobs around this area already enough for gas money, but they do not have enough for a steady food supply.
Do you understand that we need to be able to provide information for these people. I'm only five feet tall. If i send a bunch of people out with boxes of food to a facility that is then full, where are they to go? Those who get the gas money to come back are going to be really, really, mad at me!
How many people are you calling with this information?"
RR: "All of the Baldwin County Shelters"
frog: "Do you call all of Mobile County next?"
RR: "No." He said he was in charge of Baldwin County. I do not remember the exact words.
frog: "Where are you located?"
RR: "At the marriott."
RR then gave me his phone number.
OKay, what do I personally do with this now. I am not the shelter director, but I can't hand this off without veriftying this information.
I do know that Govenor Bob Riley was very insistant upon getting facilities in this state up to standards and that FEMA was going to help with this. It's taken a few weeks and two facilities are available. It's taken that long? wow. Okay, let me think.
I know, I will call the two FEMA building guys. One of them gave me his cell phone number due to another situation.
Good. Located phone number. I asked to borrow a shelter cell phone which can dial long distance. My phone on a table in the foyer cannot make long distance calls.
I called the number the man wrote down for me with one exception, the last number is a 1 but it looked like a seven due to the ink trail at the top of the one. I dialed. I was connected with a FEMA Field Rep in Lousianna because i did dial 7 instead of one. Eventually she found a hardline number for me in Alabama.
Land lines are easier to keep contact with in my experience. I called it.
The man who answered the phone said it was not his department. I explained I was trying to verify this information from a possible FEMA man. I do not have caller ID and even if I did, I need to know for the saftey of the people that this is legitimate, and I need phone numbers for these facilities.
I gave him my desk number (a table in the foyer with a new number from the day before so I had to walk back and get it) and he did call me back.
He said that he had a phone number for reservations. He said the facility was a Fema Training Center converted for this purpose. He then became very stern, told me the phone number, and told me that this number was for TODAY (friday) only, to not give out this phone number, to not post it, to not call it again after today, and to not let this information known to the general public. It was for me, today only, at my request, for the saftey of the people in my shelter.
Then he said I should never call his phone number again, it was NOT his department. How did I get _his_ phone number. I explained i was given his phone number by a FEMA field representative. He was rather nasty in tone and he hung up on me!!!!! while I was talking to him.
My opinion : Thanks Mr. FEMA Man, that's really mature, helpful, and I personally think you should join Mr. Brown in removing yourself from FEMA since you are not able to hold your temper or find me a phone number for the second facility at all, or find a phone number that is valid for more than one day. You did not need to be nasty about it.
I then walked over to the Red Cross table and asked the individuals there for help. They said the FEMA guy should not be calling shelters individually, he should have contacted Red Cross local Head, and we gave the information to the Red Cross Shelter Manager.
When the Red Cross Shelter Manager called RR back RR had some information, this was about an hour later, that yes, there are kitchenettes in the trailer and there were hundreds of trailers available.
RR was also able to tell Red Cross Shelter Manager that there are bunk beds in some of the trailers and beds.
It's still not extremely helpful. I did not have internet access, but I knew i could borrow the cell phone to get the number for the state park, but not a number to know if they would help evacuees. Since Red Cross took this over and the manager of the shelter agreed, they can consider how to diseminate this information.
They are not in charge of the whole place so we can accept donations and let volunteers in from the community to help. It's working rather well.
Enter Fema.
FEMA sent us two men that have been coming to the shelter for a few days at least. I can't remember the exact day I first saw them. They are EMT and Firefighters, from the pacific northwest, highly trained, highly muscled and good looking dudes with calm attitudes. FEMA is making them file paper reports. Their talents are being squandered, wasted, completely unused in my opinion.
FEMA apparently also hired a man called R R, very personable. Reasonably intellegent in conversation. Immediately doing his job based on the flash bulletin he received from FEMA.
Yesterday, at approximately the 10 o clock hour R R called me up. He stated he was from FEMA Community Relations and that he was in charge of Interrum Housing Options department.
His department's goal was to provide Longer Term Housing, or Alternative housing to displaced persons due to Hurricane Katrina.
He stated he was going to give me two facilities that were now open. We were to send our shelter residents to these facilities if desired.
It was not necessary to have already registered with FEMA and the residents to be should show up during 8 am to 6 pm.
The first facility is
1. blanked out so only people in need can get to this place.
The space is set up like college dorms. There are semi private and private rooms with group meals. It is Handicapped Accessable.
The second facility is
2.also blanked out so people in need get there.
This facility has trailers at a campground. No Handicapped Access.
At both:
There will be a Case worker available to make recovery plans onsite. There is no cost for this lodging.
So then i asked:
Sir, are these spots for Alabama Residents only. He replied, "No, Fema will work across state lines to [accomodate] everyone displaced by the storm."
Frog (me) says: "Sir, what are the phone numbers for these sites?"
RR: "I don't know. There are not any listed."
"Sir, How many spots are available at each destination?"
RR: "I don't know. That information is not provided."
Frog:"Can you find that out for me?"
RR: "I don't have that information right now."
Frog: "I'm going to repeat the addresses and ask you some questions about the second facility."
RR "Okay."
Frog, i repeated the addresses. I asked him for his phone number. I asked if it were possible that the facilities were screening to make sure only hurricane evacuees were going to be allowed. "If I make a big poster and place it up at the shelter there is a possiblity that people who live around this area who have no storm damage who pay rent will go up there for free housing to not pay rent."
RR: "There will be case workers available from FEMA onsite." He said they were intending to screen so that only people with storm damage would be allowed to remain at the sites.
Frog thinks: This isn't going to completely keep scam artists out, so we need to get the shelter people and real evacuees there first. How do we do that? How do we provide for these people...
frog: "The first obviously provides meals. The second however, I have a few questions about them.
Are the trailers equipped with kitchens?"
RR: "Possibly Kitchenettes"
"There are no group meals provided there per the information you gave me. Are there grills?"
RR: "It is a state park so that's possible."
Frog: "Do the people need to bring their own food? We have boxes of food we can send them with, but how will they get more?"
RR: "I do not know if there will be food provided for them to cook themselves."
frog: "How many people are you calling today? How do we know, if we send residents up there with no phone number contact, no reservations, loaded with boxes of food for them to prepare that they will not be turned away? These people have very little money. Some have found temporary or part time jobs around this area already enough for gas money, but they do not have enough for a steady food supply.
Do you understand that we need to be able to provide information for these people. I'm only five feet tall. If i send a bunch of people out with boxes of food to a facility that is then full, where are they to go? Those who get the gas money to come back are going to be really, really, mad at me!
How many people are you calling with this information?"
RR: "All of the Baldwin County Shelters"
frog: "Do you call all of Mobile County next?"
RR: "No." He said he was in charge of Baldwin County. I do not remember the exact words.
frog: "Where are you located?"
RR: "At the marriott."
RR then gave me his phone number.
OKay, what do I personally do with this now. I am not the shelter director, but I can't hand this off without veriftying this information.
I do know that Govenor Bob Riley was very insistant upon getting facilities in this state up to standards and that FEMA was going to help with this. It's taken a few weeks and two facilities are available. It's taken that long? wow. Okay, let me think.
I know, I will call the two FEMA building guys. One of them gave me his cell phone number due to another situation.
Good. Located phone number. I asked to borrow a shelter cell phone which can dial long distance. My phone on a table in the foyer cannot make long distance calls.
I called the number the man wrote down for me with one exception, the last number is a 1 but it looked like a seven due to the ink trail at the top of the one. I dialed. I was connected with a FEMA Field Rep in Lousianna because i did dial 7 instead of one. Eventually she found a hardline number for me in Alabama.
Land lines are easier to keep contact with in my experience. I called it.
The man who answered the phone said it was not his department. I explained I was trying to verify this information from a possible FEMA man. I do not have caller ID and even if I did, I need to know for the saftey of the people that this is legitimate, and I need phone numbers for these facilities.
I gave him my desk number (a table in the foyer with a new number from the day before so I had to walk back and get it) and he did call me back.
He said that he had a phone number for reservations. He said the facility was a Fema Training Center converted for this purpose. He then became very stern, told me the phone number, and told me that this number was for TODAY (friday) only, to not give out this phone number, to not post it, to not call it again after today, and to not let this information known to the general public. It was for me, today only, at my request, for the saftey of the people in my shelter.
Then he said I should never call his phone number again, it was NOT his department. How did I get _his_ phone number. I explained i was given his phone number by a FEMA field representative. He was rather nasty in tone and he hung up on me!!!!! while I was talking to him.
My opinion : Thanks Mr. FEMA Man, that's really mature, helpful, and I personally think you should join Mr. Brown in removing yourself from FEMA since you are not able to hold your temper or find me a phone number for the second facility at all, or find a phone number that is valid for more than one day. You did not need to be nasty about it.
I then walked over to the Red Cross table and asked the individuals there for help. They said the FEMA guy should not be calling shelters individually, he should have contacted Red Cross local Head, and we gave the information to the Red Cross Shelter Manager.
When the Red Cross Shelter Manager called RR back RR had some information, this was about an hour later, that yes, there are kitchenettes in the trailer and there were hundreds of trailers available.
RR was also able to tell Red Cross Shelter Manager that there are bunk beds in some of the trailers and beds.
It's still not extremely helpful. I did not have internet access, but I knew i could borrow the cell phone to get the number for the state park, but not a number to know if they would help evacuees. Since Red Cross took this over and the manager of the shelter agreed, they can consider how to diseminate this information.