DR 665 Journal August 28-September 09, 2007
Photo Albums: Bridge Photo Album | HQ Photo Album | HQ-Rochester Album | Margie's Photos | Cleaning cots etc
Narrative: 8/27-9/1 | 9/4 | 9/5 | 9/6 | 9/7-9/9 | HQ Questions and Comments
I left Portland at 8:30 pm for Seattle, where I languished for several hours waiting for my 1:00 am flight. The flight departed on time and I arrived in Minneapolis at 6:00 am. Laura and Logan picked me up at the airport and we went out to breakfast. Then we dropped Logan off at work and Laura and I went over to the river to view the bridge.
A pedestrian bridge had been recently re-opened and we were able to walk out over the river from the west side and view the debris. The arched bridge in the photos is/was immediately south of the I35 bridge and the photos were taken through the arches. 
The debris collection photos were also taken from the pedestrian bridge, but facing south instead of north. The debris area is Laura's former frisbee field.
After taking in the bridge devastation, we drove over to the Minneapolis chapter where they took the children from the school bus.
It was really close to the bridge. We knew that from the news coverage but seeing it added a sense of reality to the news reports. (collected debris on ramp at left)
For those of you from Oregon Trail, I also photographed some of the chapter vehicles.
Check out the rest of the bridge pictures in the Bridge album.
After the tour, Laura drove me down to Rochester so I could start work. We checked me in at the Kahler Hotel (rhymes with Taylor) and Laura delivered me to Headquarters at the Minnesota Nat'l Guard Armory.
I must admit that that first day was difficult. At the end of the day I wanted to go back to the hotel and cry. Then I understood that I was so tired I could barely breathe. I had been up for 36 hours, was in a new situation, didn't know how to do my job, and, did I mention I was really tired. Anyway, things have been getting better every day, and I am learning a lot.
Note: I am sitting outside enjoying the evening and a guy just came and sat down and asked me what I was doing. I explained, and he said I should say he says hi. So, Al says "Hi."
Anyway, I was telling you about my first day on the job. I was delighted to run into Kristy Bishop, who is also working at headquarters. I cheered me to get a hug from a friend from home.
I was also looking for Dorothy and Margie, but I discovered that they were both working out of Winona, a flood affected area about an hour from Rochester. They were staying at the Kahler but were moving the next day. If I wanted to surprise them I would have to do it that night, even though all I really wanted to do was go to bed.
Kristy invited me out to dinner with some of her work group and I have hazy memories of Indian food and friendly conversation. Then I got a ride to the hotel and called to see if I could find Margie and Dorothy. When attempting that call I discovered that they were staying at the "other" Kahler a block away (Suites vs. Grand). By that time it had started raining, big fat drops of warm rain. I called Margie's cell phone and pretended I was calling to check on them from Portland. Margie said they were on their way back to their hotel so I walked over, getting remarkable wet for such a short distance. I waited for a few minutes in the lobby but was pretty sure they had arrived and gone straight up to their rooms from the parking lot so I finally had to call Margie. I asked her to do me a favor and go down to the lobby. Obviously she had a clue at that point but it was still fun to be waiting for her when she got off the elevator. We went up to her room and waited for Dorothy to come by to pick her up for dinner. That was also fun and the visit was worth the wait.
They were actually going out to dinner at my hotel so we walked back and they went to the restaurant and I went to bed.
I still wish Dorothy and Margie were closer but I have been too tired in the evening to socialize much anyway. Today (Saturday) I seem to have turned a corner and wasn't completely wasted at the end of the day.
| OTC Volunteers |
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| Wally Davenport |
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| John Welsh (blue shirt) |
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| Dian Odell |
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| Carolyn Shawgo (DMH) |
More pictures of HQ are in the HQ and HQ-Rochester albums.
At left are OTC volunteers John Welsh, Wally Davenport, Dian Odell and Carolyn Shawgo.
Wally got transferred to Feeding after being deployed in Disaster Assessment as those positions had been overfilled and they were sending some of the DA people home.
John worked as an RNT (computer networking to those non-Red Cross friends reading this journal) supervisor for a week and then transferred to Florida where he is working for national on a long term tech project.
Dian Odell is also a techie volunteer, working in computer customer service.
Carolyn Shawgo is a mental health volunteer and is working out in the field but reports in at headquarters every few days to check in with her group.
When one is far from home it is great to see faces from Oregon Trail. Our chapter does a good job preparing volunteers for deployment, but it is always good to have the opportunity to do a reality check with chapter people to see how they are doing, what problems they might be having, and what we could do back home to improve their experience.
Francie, you can imagine my surprise to run into Pat Ferguson (at right with glasses) as the Staff Support Manager. She has been great, as has the Workforce Planning Manager, Beth (below). She is an excellent mentor and has so much knowledge and experience to share. (sorry Pat and Beth are blurry. I will do better later.)
It has also been fascinating to pick up bits and pieces about how other chapters operate. I will send Francie an email about it all as I figure no one else will be even remotely interested.
Things are winding down as most clients have been contacted and cases are closing. There are still water problems in Rushford (I think) so the kitchen is still open, but people are gradually being released to go home.
Dorothy and Margie are coming in from Winona tomorrow morning and were looking for additional work to do. They were willing to clean cots at the chapter here in Rochester so they will go over there for some serious manual labor on Wednesday. We need to get that work done as the weather is going to change, and the cleaning needs to be done outdoors. I am looking forward to seeing them.
We received cake and ice cream yesterday as an expression of appreciation for the work the Red Cross has done in the community.
Laura and Logan came down for dinner on Monday evening. 
Having visitors from the outside provided a welcome break. I have not been doing much other than working and sleeping and I enjoyed the company. We walked around town discovering how much of the area is dedicated to the Mayo Clinic.
It looks like I will be coming home Thursday or Friday. We have been downsizing staffing through attrition for the past few days and now the remaining few worker bees are being released. The Workforce Planning Manager will hang around to handle any new issues and the remaining staff support people will handle outprocessing.
I was hoping to get a chance to tour the affected areas but it doesn't look too probable at this point. Cars are scarce and needed for people doing real work.
Everyone has been watching Hurricane Felix closely and it is looking like it will not move up to Texas so everyone will get to go home from here.
Dorothy and Margie were in a bit of a merry-go-round the last couple of days, released, then not released, then one released, then the other, then both. Finally, Dorothy was sent back to HQ and Margie was retained to participate in the transition to the chapters. Dorothy headed back this morning and I tried to find a job for her because she wanted to be around for the shutdown to observe and get tips for TOPOFF.
Dorothy was able to a canteen job at HQ for Wed-Fri, but first she agreed to be on a team to head over to the local chapter to clean cots. I really wanted to get out of HQ so signed myself up for the team as well. 
We ended up with three people and spent the morning and early afternoon in the chapter parking lot cleaning cots and mattresses that had been returned from the various shelters. It was in the 90s and muggy, but it was still a treat to get out of headquarters.
While we were cleaning cots, Dorothy received a call from Margie reporting that she had been released from the Service Center in Winona after all and was on her way back to Rochester. When she arrived at headquarters she was assigned to help us with the cots so she met us at the chapter.
We were pretty wasted when we finished the cots and went out for a late lunch with air conditioning. I am getting pretty tired of restaurants but did enjoy the lunch.
Margie was able to find some work through Thurs, at least, so she and Dorothy were able to check in to a hotel and be assured they would have work the next day. 
We are all staying in the same hotel so we got them checked in and went out for Japanese food. The food was good but there was too much of it. I am boycotting restaurants for the rest of my stay as I do not have enough will power to stop eating when the food is in front of me.
Cleaning Cots and Dinner Album
I downloaded Margie's photos and you can find selected ones here. She, Dorothy, Debra, and a new friend Marilyn were working in the Service Center in Winona, and Margie's pictures include the facility and some of the flood damage. 
The last pictures in the album are of the B&B that Margie was assigned to her last night. It was quite luxurious as you can see.
Final word on departure: Sunday. Last day of work Saturday. I got transferred to Staff Support from Workforce Planning to help with the outprocessing as most of the remaining workforce will be checking out before Sunday.
Dorothy and Margie managed to snag a job driving an ERV back to North Dakota and they will be hitting the road on Monday morning for somewhere north of Fargo. Then they will spend the night and fly home on 9/11. Auspicious date for a plane flight. Anyway, their flight takes them back to Minneapolis for a two hour layover and then directly to Portland.
HQ is closed today, Sunday, so Dorothy and Margie are giving me a ride up to Minneapolis so I don't have to take the shuttle. They will drop me off at Laura's, tour the bridge area, and then head back to Rochester.
I had a great trip but am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. I will take tomorrow off to sleep and do laundry and then go back to work on Tuesday.
Questions and Comments overheard at headquarters.
Dorothy, Margie, Liz (another staffing worker) put the following list together over breakfast Sunday (9/9). In general the comments and questions that you hear the most have to do with food, other brewing disasers, cars, and staff cards (in staffing anyway.)
- Where are you staying?/Where are you from?
- Where did you go to dinner last night? What did you have?
- Where are you going to have dinner tonight? What are you going to have?
- Do you have a car? Can I have a car? What do you mean I have to turn in my car?
- Can I borrow your car to go to:
- WalMart
- the Laundromat
- pick up something I left at the hotel
- I didn't put that dent in the rental car. It must have been that person to whom I loaned the car to go to:
- WalMart
- the Laundromat
- pick up something he left at the hotel
- Can I return that ERV to:
- North Dakota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Hawaii
- How do I check the balance on my staff card? What access code?
- Are they recruiting for another disaster?
- What day is it?
- Where is the laundromat?
- Do I look fat in these pants? (Of course you do. Everyone looks fat in those pants.)
- How can I check my email?
- When are you going home?
- When do I get a day off?
- Did you hear there is a hurricane brewing in the gulf?
Comments overheard heard at headquarters.
- What do you mean I can't charge antiques on my staff card
- My clothes don't fit any more.
- I need money added to my staff card because my car has been in long term parking for the last three weeks.
- My chapter told me to pull all the money off my staff card.
- I want to be in the other hotel.
- There isn't enough good junk food around here.
- Where are the Oreos.
- I want Diet Coke, not Diet Pepsi.
- The network is down again.
- Don't connect your personal pc into the network. It will crash the entire national system.
- The cause of all problems on this operation is:
- National
- the DOC
- National Staffing
- National RTT
- That guy who left yesterday
- The Reserves
- Of course I can do __________. Back at my chapter, I am the
- DSHR Administrator
- DAT Captain
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Trainer
- I flew here from _________ by way of
- Phoenix
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Denver
- Guam
- Rangoon
- Lightening struck my hotel the other day and I haven't had power in my room for three days. (Kristy)
- Yes I know Jan Stennick. She is down working in Oklahoma, my home state, as a Client Casework Manager while I am up here in Minnesota doing the same job.
- No, we can't send any of your excess DSHR workers to the North Dakota tornado (a day's drive). We decided to recruit nationally for those positions instead and found some great people from Florida and Maine.
- No, I don't remember the name of the person who told me:
- I could withdraw all the cash off my staff card ...
- I could drive a rental car home to St. Louis by way of Las Vegas ...
- They are recruiting for a DR in Hawaii ...
- They are sending all the extra staff to North Dakota ...
- HQ is closing today at noon ...
- Staffing would be open till 7pm ...
- The operation is closing on Saturday ...
- You can issue yourself a client assistance card if you run out of cash on your staff card ...
... but he/she was older with graying hair and carrying a few extra pounds. Oh yes, and was wearing a gray and white or red and white vest.
- That's not the way we did [fill in the blank] on the last disaster/in my chapter. (This generic comment is perhaps the most popular, except for the conversations about food.)
