batten down, barrel through

Yesterday's shelter traffic was folks looking for our residents. "They were just here last night!" I know, I'm sorry for the confusion. Red Cross closed services here this morning. Try having that conversation 25 times without feeling like a louse. Granted, we were ABLE to close - since we also needed to close - because our residents all found alternative housing, but still.

A lot of today's traffic at the shelter was people coming up from the southern coast, knowing (from the news, or another city's Red Cross office, or a local friend or relative) that we were a shelter location and looking for space. And I had to say that this big (now emptying) building was not going to be a shelter anymore. (Tyler opened one yesterday at noon, which is already full. Two more opened today, one was almost full tonight, one halfway. Two more are on call in case they're needed.)

It's been so interesting to see the differences between the way Katrina was addressed (chaos to care in the aftermath) as opposed to the way Rita's chaos seems to be coming on the front end, trying to be prepared. I really believe that Katrina's legacy, even more than the damage the natural disaster imposed, will be the awareness and understanding that the human disaster made essential.

- With the storm still 4 - 5 days away, Red Cross, even in small town Tyler TX, was preparing to open additional shelter locations, and to close the non-essential services (or make other accomodations for them) of the original (Katrina) shelters, freeing Red Cross staff and managers to establish new locations.

- Mayors, disaster management teams, and governors are making more than standard-press-release declarations. People are being TOLD to LEAVE ... AND the cities are providing the means, and are trying to act well in advance.

We're supposed to get lots of rain (like 1 - 2 feet!) and big time wind (50mph, which, y'know, is just a good Texas windstorm, but "they" are saying gusts up to 70!). My flight is out of Dallas on Tuesday, so I guess the main concern is really getting TO Dallas. Shouldn't be as difficult by then, but ... I'm prepared to have a long travel day, just in case.

In the meantime, making SERIOUS progress on getting the building back together. Donations that weren't used are going to new shelter locations. Donations that aren't going to new locations are going to other facilities (who will then supply the shelters as needed). People from the church are donating furniture for two families and that gets picked up - and delivered! - tomorrow. The youth group already had a work project scheduled on Sunday evening, so I get a group of them as my minions - I mean assistants! - to do some repair work just getting the place respectable.

The other legacy -- and I know I keep harping on this, but frankly, I don't know that we can remind ourselves of this too much -- is compassion. The overwhelming ... which is such an underwhelming word for it ... sense of community, of looking-beyond-myself, the sheer giving. The ways people have found to give of themselves. The creativity, the meaning, the passion, the selfless generosity of time, talent and resources.

There's more to it than that ... it's really a God thing, and I'm at a loss for words on it. (Yeah, which is so evident in this blog-slash-novel! Ha!) God is doing amazing things here ... in the lives of people, in the hearts of communities. Even in the midst of horror and tragedy beyond explanation, the goodness of God is living and moving. Just because we can't put words to it doesn't mean it isn't there ...