Friday, September 09, 2005
Houston Update
Message from Cindy:
"It's Thursday 9:30 AM at the Houston Camp in Mississippi. You guys are probably wondering what its like here. This morning 2 tote tanks (about 300 gal each) were loaned to our Houston base camp by Sun Coast Resources. A truck was sent to fill them with gasoline. The tanks were originally meant for diesel but we needed them for gasoline. So the first Stennis airport employee who pulled up today, filled his diesel tank with gasoline. Lots of phone calls, lots of favors, Problem was solved.
I drove to the Bay hospital, which consists of tents in the parking lot, to pick up colostomy bags badly needed in Pearlington, MS, that were FedEx'd from Houston. Thanks so much. I drove them to the shelter in Pearlington and had them delivered to the patients.
When I arrived in Pearlington, I met a PA (Physicians Asst.) who had just driven in from West Virginia. He came with one doctor and two nurses who had tried for 10 days to get the official clearance from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to come help and decided to CROSS THE LINE. They said to hell with the red tape and drove over. We have now delivered all the privately donated medical supplies and pharmaceuticals and set up a hospital today. In order to set up the hospital, we had to find a location, a fire truck, some marines to help hose the mud of the floor, and move in the doctors and medical supplies.
Today was the first day I saw the Red Cross or FEMA or any doctors for that matter in the Pearlington area. The Red Cross rep came to me and asked what they could to help us. They said they would have come earlier but didn't know the roads were open. Six days ago, we did not know they were open, either. We hitched a ride on a helicopter and have been driving there since.
My brother Bishop and I delivered the last of the clothing and supplies you donated to my brother, Woody's, church. He is sheltering about 100 families at his church. We have already, amongst my friends, found a home for one of the families in Woody's church for a mother and three children.
I am back at base camp and we have our medical crew from West Virginia, Chicago and Clearlake. We also have several groups of family and friends and friends from the Yacht Club who will stay with us. There are thousands of troops here at the Stennis Airport, where our base camp is located, probably because the EOC has made this location their command central.
As of closing this update, another renegade doctor has just arrived and it is 10:10PM. We have just heard that a brand new washing machine has been delivered to our home in Houston to be brought down to the base camp.
That's all for now.
~Cindy
THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
// posted by BWYC member @ 7:46 AM 
