stefania4
09-09-2005, 05:09 AM
The job: Red Cross case worker
The responsibilities: Documenting previous address and other information for the Red Cross. Setting up financial assistance. Referring to the onsite nurse if the client needed prescriptions that they were unable to bring with them or were running out (e.g. only 2 heart medicine pills left).
The scene: Literally hundreds of people were milling around outside when I got there on Wednesday, around 11 am. Red Cross staff/volunteers were outside distributing water, issuing tickets, etc.
When I got there on Thursday morning, much earlier in the day, the scene was different. Eight police cruisers were parked outside as the police worked on keeping things orderly. Water and tickets were still being distributed. On my way in several people grabbed my arm and told me they needed to get inside right way because of a health condition - some were crying. It was awful. There was also an ambulance onsite for health emergencies; one woman did leave by ambulance. Within an hour or so EMTs arrived to help assess health conditions outside (e.g. do blood pressure readings, do finger-sticks for diabetics).
The really, really dramatic process improvement: On Wednesday we were doing financial assistance via a MasterCard debit card from Chase Manhattan (I believe). The card is good for 120 days and can be used for anything they need. One guy said he had to get a ride to the Red Cross center because his tire had blown out, and he was wondering if he could use the card to replace it. Absolutely - his car will be vital in terms of getting employment and the other things he needs.
However, the cards were taking 5 - 48 hours to activate. Case workers filled out paperwork indicating how much $ was to be on the card (based on the size of the household), and that information was somehow communicated to the bank. At the service center where I was, I believe it was faxed somewhere. Please note that I don't fault the bank for the activation delay - so far as I know every Red Cross in the country was using this system to assist an ungodly number of evacuees. It's not surprising that any bank would be simply overwhelmed.
When I went in yesterday the scenario changed. The good people of Wachovia Bank had taken over an office in the building, and instead of doing the debit card they were generating a money order (or something similar). They had a shuttle outside the center that took them to a specific branch, where they were able to get cash, then the shuttle brought them back to the Center.
This was incredibly important to both the clients and the volunteers. Some people simply needed money right away - they had less than a gallon of gas in the car, they were going to be put out on the street if they couldn't pay their motel bill, etc. Also, it dramatically reduced my paperwork, which allowed me to see literally twice the number of clients in the same amount of time the previous day.
A friend of mine is in a position of responsibility at Wachovia. I sent some "fan mail" to her office e-mail address, with permission to forward as she saw appropriate.
Evacuees I worked with: All clients I worked with had a Louisiana driver's license. We tried to see the elderly clients first - it was a hot day and it just wasn't in anyone's best interest to have elderly people in the sun any longer than necessary. All of the older folks I worked with were staying with family members, and every last one of them wants to go home to Louisiana.
There were a few heartbreaking cases. One man was evacuated by the Coast Guard with his two children, his grandmother, and two other children. I asked about the last names of the two other children - he has no idea. He went to pick up his grandmother and she was babysitting the neighbor's children while the neighbor was at work. They have no idea if the mother is alive and, if so, where she is. The kids are very young, and have the last names of their respective fathers. He's not entirely sure what to do - there are lots of "safe/missing" registries online, but it's not a great safety move to advertise you've got two young children whose identity you're not sure of.
One young man was 18 years old and here with his younger brother and sister. They have no idea where their parents are, if they're still alive. He's trying to get his siblings in school, find a job and a place to live, etc. I got him a bottle of water and said "Get comfortable, because you're going to be with me for a while." I wrote out a to-do list for him of things he needed to do - secure tempoary custody (using one of the free legal services), get Food Stamps and other benefits (at the DFACS office), register for school, etc. I gave him a directory of providers with stars by some and X'es through one or two (shelters known to be dangerous). Of everyone I worked with I so wish I could see him again. How on earth does an 18-year-old with nothing but a high school diploma and the clothes on his back keep his family together???
One other man I spent time with is going to be OK. He's college educated and staying with his sister (who lives here). He told me what he does for a living and we made a list of places of potential employment. He's planning to start looking as soon as he gets some clothing.
The stories: In a disaster relief meeting this week someone said they suspected that people who have family to stay with somewhere in the US would have already gone to be with those family members. I disagreed, saying I didn't think the buses had signs on them of where they were going, because many of the bus drivers didn't know where to go when they left, and some were turned away from Texas (which had absorbed as many as they possibly could).
Sure enough, that was true. My client who was evacuated by Coast Guard ended up at the Convention Center. They were airlifted somewhere else to get a bus. He said whenever a bus arrived "they were all going the same place - The Hell Outta Here." He said when the bus door opened people simply threw themselves in; anyone who fell was trampled.
Another evacuee said that she could see why families had been separated; some people literally threw their kids on a bus, wanting their kids to get food and water immediately. I can't imagine.
One client hadn't watched the news. She said "I'm assuming my aunt is OK. She was at Charity Hospital; I'm sure they evacuated all the patients first. I'm so glad she didn't have to suffer like we did." Honestly, what could I possibly have told her when she was finding comfort in that thought? It took a few minutes to come up with something to say, knowing that Charity Hospital patients had been some of the last evacuees and did indeed suffer. I finally told her that her aunt was likely to be in another hospital somewhere, and she should post an "I'm looking for" on several websites to track her down.
Why my perspective changed: I'm so glad I was able to do this. Since I work with so many nonprofits I was in a position to talk to people about what they really need, and hopefully point them in the right direction. I didn't have my directory with me, but a friend in the office was happy to look numbers up for me when I called on my cell.
When the disaster first happened I donated money to my church's relief agency, UMCOR. This was partly because I believe they do a great job. It was also because I was still irked with the Red Cross having diverted funds donated from 9/11 to other purposes without notifying donors.
While I still believe I was wrong, I would be willing to donate to the Red Cross. It's a logistical success that they've been able to mobilize and deploy supplies and staff/volunteers so quickly. The place I was working closed last night and relocated to a much larger facility. Other "supercenters" are being opened up around town - one in an old Wal-Mart. To be able to make the debit card/money order change so fast is incredible.
Best of luck to everyone out there who was affected -
Stephanie
The responsibilities: Documenting previous address and other information for the Red Cross. Setting up financial assistance. Referring to the onsite nurse if the client needed prescriptions that they were unable to bring with them or were running out (e.g. only 2 heart medicine pills left).
The scene: Literally hundreds of people were milling around outside when I got there on Wednesday, around 11 am. Red Cross staff/volunteers were outside distributing water, issuing tickets, etc.
When I got there on Thursday morning, much earlier in the day, the scene was different. Eight police cruisers were parked outside as the police worked on keeping things orderly. Water and tickets were still being distributed. On my way in several people grabbed my arm and told me they needed to get inside right way because of a health condition - some were crying. It was awful. There was also an ambulance onsite for health emergencies; one woman did leave by ambulance. Within an hour or so EMTs arrived to help assess health conditions outside (e.g. do blood pressure readings, do finger-sticks for diabetics).
The really, really dramatic process improvement: On Wednesday we were doing financial assistance via a MasterCard debit card from Chase Manhattan (I believe). The card is good for 120 days and can be used for anything they need. One guy said he had to get a ride to the Red Cross center because his tire had blown out, and he was wondering if he could use the card to replace it. Absolutely - his car will be vital in terms of getting employment and the other things he needs.
However, the cards were taking 5 - 48 hours to activate. Case workers filled out paperwork indicating how much $ was to be on the card (based on the size of the household), and that information was somehow communicated to the bank. At the service center where I was, I believe it was faxed somewhere. Please note that I don't fault the bank for the activation delay - so far as I know every Red Cross in the country was using this system to assist an ungodly number of evacuees. It's not surprising that any bank would be simply overwhelmed.
When I went in yesterday the scenario changed. The good people of Wachovia Bank had taken over an office in the building, and instead of doing the debit card they were generating a money order (or something similar). They had a shuttle outside the center that took them to a specific branch, where they were able to get cash, then the shuttle brought them back to the Center.
This was incredibly important to both the clients and the volunteers. Some people simply needed money right away - they had less than a gallon of gas in the car, they were going to be put out on the street if they couldn't pay their motel bill, etc. Also, it dramatically reduced my paperwork, which allowed me to see literally twice the number of clients in the same amount of time the previous day.
A friend of mine is in a position of responsibility at Wachovia. I sent some "fan mail" to her office e-mail address, with permission to forward as she saw appropriate.
Evacuees I worked with: All clients I worked with had a Louisiana driver's license. We tried to see the elderly clients first - it was a hot day and it just wasn't in anyone's best interest to have elderly people in the sun any longer than necessary. All of the older folks I worked with were staying with family members, and every last one of them wants to go home to Louisiana.
There were a few heartbreaking cases. One man was evacuated by the Coast Guard with his two children, his grandmother, and two other children. I asked about the last names of the two other children - he has no idea. He went to pick up his grandmother and she was babysitting the neighbor's children while the neighbor was at work. They have no idea if the mother is alive and, if so, where she is. The kids are very young, and have the last names of their respective fathers. He's not entirely sure what to do - there are lots of "safe/missing" registries online, but it's not a great safety move to advertise you've got two young children whose identity you're not sure of.
One young man was 18 years old and here with his younger brother and sister. They have no idea where their parents are, if they're still alive. He's trying to get his siblings in school, find a job and a place to live, etc. I got him a bottle of water and said "Get comfortable, because you're going to be with me for a while." I wrote out a to-do list for him of things he needed to do - secure tempoary custody (using one of the free legal services), get Food Stamps and other benefits (at the DFACS office), register for school, etc. I gave him a directory of providers with stars by some and X'es through one or two (shelters known to be dangerous). Of everyone I worked with I so wish I could see him again. How on earth does an 18-year-old with nothing but a high school diploma and the clothes on his back keep his family together???
One other man I spent time with is going to be OK. He's college educated and staying with his sister (who lives here). He told me what he does for a living and we made a list of places of potential employment. He's planning to start looking as soon as he gets some clothing.
The stories: In a disaster relief meeting this week someone said they suspected that people who have family to stay with somewhere in the US would have already gone to be with those family members. I disagreed, saying I didn't think the buses had signs on them of where they were going, because many of the bus drivers didn't know where to go when they left, and some were turned away from Texas (which had absorbed as many as they possibly could).
Sure enough, that was true. My client who was evacuated by Coast Guard ended up at the Convention Center. They were airlifted somewhere else to get a bus. He said whenever a bus arrived "they were all going the same place - The Hell Outta Here." He said when the bus door opened people simply threw themselves in; anyone who fell was trampled.
Another evacuee said that she could see why families had been separated; some people literally threw their kids on a bus, wanting their kids to get food and water immediately. I can't imagine.
One client hadn't watched the news. She said "I'm assuming my aunt is OK. She was at Charity Hospital; I'm sure they evacuated all the patients first. I'm so glad she didn't have to suffer like we did." Honestly, what could I possibly have told her when she was finding comfort in that thought? It took a few minutes to come up with something to say, knowing that Charity Hospital patients had been some of the last evacuees and did indeed suffer. I finally told her that her aunt was likely to be in another hospital somewhere, and she should post an "I'm looking for" on several websites to track her down.
Why my perspective changed: I'm so glad I was able to do this. Since I work with so many nonprofits I was in a position to talk to people about what they really need, and hopefully point them in the right direction. I didn't have my directory with me, but a friend in the office was happy to look numbers up for me when I called on my cell.
When the disaster first happened I donated money to my church's relief agency, UMCOR. This was partly because I believe they do a great job. It was also because I was still irked with the Red Cross having diverted funds donated from 9/11 to other purposes without notifying donors.
While I still believe I was wrong, I would be willing to donate to the Red Cross. It's a logistical success that they've been able to mobilize and deploy supplies and staff/volunteers so quickly. The place I was working closed last night and relocated to a much larger facility. Other "supercenters" are being opened up around town - one in an old Wal-Mart. To be able to make the debit card/money order change so fast is incredible.
Best of luck to everyone out there who was affected -
Stephanie