Well, back by popular demand is the publication of my experiences while on a DR (Disaster Relief operation). I've made it to Greenville, Tennessee and it looks like I'll be here for at least a little while. There is a good chance I'll be going to Chattanooga at some point, but I won't worry about that for the time being. There were a few tornadoes here which were, from what I understand, quite powerful (EF3 or so). Even though we are over a week out from the actual event the operation here is just getting started. Most of the national-level volunteers got here yesterday or today, and more are arriving tomorrow. In fact, until yesterday there was only one health services person in this area, and she is local. The national need for volunteers is phenomenal right now and I think Alabama took many of them over the past week.
Anyway, I got into Kingsport, went to the local chapter, got a car, and was sent here to Greenville. Upon arrival at the headquarters (which is in the dining room of a fairly large restaurant) I linked up with my fellow health services workers and learned about my tasking. For the foreseeable future I will be working on a condolence team, composed of myself, a caseworker, and a mental health worker. This entails procuring information about those killed by the tornadoes, meeting with their families, and providing aid in the form of money for funeral expenses as well as health and mental health services. From what I understand, there were 13 or so people killed in this area and more with still life-threatening injuries. Long story short, this will undoubtedly prove to be a very difficult 2 weeks.
Well, now I'm at my hotel with my roommate, a nice semi-retired psychologist from Myrtle Beach, relaxing and preparing for tomorrow (and watching CSI). I think I'll go to sleep and give another update tomorrow night.
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