Traveling...

September 21 -

Today was a frustrating day emotionally. It is hard to be here ready and willing to do something but waiting for the organizational structure to take over so we can actually be deployed to a location to start working. That and hurricane Rita is brewing - they are unsure where she is coming so they are hesitant to send us South. The stress of just waiting got to me and made me want to connect with friends back home and in other places - but some of these conversations were challenging ones.

So like I said today was one more day of waiting and travel. It seemed like mostly we drove - went to headquarters (took about an hour to drive 8 miles in Baton Rouge) and then finally got deployed to Shreveport, LA - this city that I had not heard of before is in North Western Louisiana. It is a smaller city with a much smaller Red Cross office and tomorrow they will likely have four different shelters operating. However it seems as if things are changing by the minute so there is not definite plan to where I will be working. Rita now seems to be a category 5 with winds of 165 MPH. People in Louisiana and Texas are being evacuated and moved North. Busses were stationed at a rest stop we drove by on the way to Shreveport - AT LEAST 50 of them - all waiting and empty to move in and help people get to safety. A very odd site. People who have already been displaced are going to have to move again. Traumatic for all involved.

Tonight I went to dinner and to Barnes & Noble with two coworkers. We had a good time. Earlier we had flipped a coin to decide who would be going where - I "lost" but who knows what difference that even makes. I do know that I will likely be staying in Shreveport but that is about all I know - that and the fact that I get to seep in a bed while I am here - yippee! :)