NOW PLAYING: CITY OF NEW ORLEANS (INSTRUMENTAL VERSION) CHAPTER ONE Logistics: A fluid situation Written by Marti October 6, 2005 There aren't words to thank all of you for your incredible generosity. You are all the most wonderful & supportive & giving people in the world. The dollar amount to sustain us and for us to distribute where needed is staggering, but the best part is that every penny stands for the warm hearts behind this whole endeavor. For the last two weeks we have been embroiled, and I do mean embroiled, in logistics. The first plan was for the original five of us - Joey, Rickie, Lori, Cindy & moi - to go to the Lamar Dixon shelter in Gonzales. If you read Barbara Pepper's description, you'd probably agree that it's right up there with the Inferno as a destination spot. Being the stalwart soul that I am, immediately upon reading the report I pictured a lifetime of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and tried to back out, but Rickie gave me the "compartmentalize" lecture and I was goaded back into the fold. Our bravery was richly rewarded when Joey found, through a friend of a friend, a private house in Gonzales that would take us in! A house with aire-conditioning & a shower! This began to look survivable, at least physically. And then the reports began to come quick and fast that the state of Louisiana would close Gonzales before we arrived. Lori & Cindy have jobs & plane schedules and decided not to take a chance on that happening, so they signed on with Noah's Wish, which is operating the shelter for the decimated city of Slidell, Louisiana, and is committed to staying until sometime in November, I think. Joey, Rickie & I were of the opinion that the State could never close as massive an operation as Lamar Dixon that quickly and we decided to follow the bouncing ball of shelter/state/volunteer/FEMA/HSUS politics and remain uncommitted to anywhere else. Those of you who know me will not be surprised that my decision was influenced by a wardrobe choice - I wanted to be allowed to wear my Airedale Rescue t-shirt wherever we wound up. Ranette from Vancouver was able to get leave to join us and we advised her the surest bet was to meet Cindy & Lori in Slidell. On Monday, October 3, I called Lamar Dixon and sure enough, they said they were moving animals at that very minute to the Pasado (a Seattle group that's been incredible) rescue operation in Raceland. Thus we began in earnest to explore other options and as we did, we became aware that some operations on the ground were in danger of closing for lack of volunteers, so we moved up the departure date for the three of us to October 13. Rickie is coming here from Greensboro, North Carolina on October 11; Joey will fly in to Asheville about noon on October 12, and we will set out in the wee small hours of October 13 in order to arrive in New Orleans before curfew & dusk. So, things were progressing at this point: we now had a date. Nailing down where to go was another story. From friends who had just returned from Mississippi, I had a list of contacts & phone numbers to call but unfortunately, people up to their ears in saving dying animals don't have much time to call back. Getting information was a frustrating task that took days. Deciding where to go amongst half a dozen or more amazing places doing unbelievable work, was even harder. And with every option we explored, we got a little farther away from that nice house in Gonzales. We are now verrrrry far away in terms of creature comforts, but we're in for an interesting trip! Will save that story for Chapter Two. But for the first time in my life I have very short hair and own a tent . . . . CONTINUE WITH IN THE EYE OF THE STORM: KATRINA "A-TEAM" TRIP HERE
CHAPTER ONE
Logistics: A fluid situation
Written by Marti October 6, 2005
There aren't words to thank all of you for your incredible generosity. You are all the most wonderful & supportive & giving people in the world. The dollar amount to sustain us and for us to distribute where needed is staggering, but the best part is that every penny stands for the warm hearts behind this whole endeavor.
For the last two weeks we have been embroiled, and I do mean embroiled, in logistics. The first plan was for the original five of us - Joey, Rickie, Lori, Cindy & moi - to go to the Lamar Dixon shelter in Gonzales. If you read Barbara Pepper's description, you'd probably agree that it's right up there with the Inferno as a destination spot. Being the stalwart soul that I am, immediately upon reading the report I pictured a lifetime of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and tried to back out, but Rickie gave me the "compartmentalize" lecture and I was goaded back into the fold.
Our bravery was richly rewarded when Joey found, through a friend of a friend, a private house in Gonzales that would take us in! A house with aire-conditioning & a shower! This began to look survivable, at least physically.
And then the reports began to come quick and fast that the state of Louisiana would close Gonzales before we arrived. Lori & Cindy have jobs & plane schedules and decided not to take a chance on that happening, so they signed on with Noah's Wish, which is operating the shelter for the decimated city of Slidell, Louisiana, and is committed to staying until sometime in November, I think.
Joey, Rickie & I were of the opinion that the State could never close as massive an operation as Lamar Dixon that quickly and we decided to follow the bouncing ball of shelter/state/volunteer/FEMA/HSUS politics and remain uncommitted to anywhere else.
Those of you who know me will not be surprised that my decision was influenced by a wardrobe choice - I wanted to be allowed to wear my Airedale Rescue t-shirt wherever we wound up.
Ranette from Vancouver was able to get leave to join us and we advised her the surest bet was to meet Cindy & Lori in Slidell.
On Monday, October 3, I called Lamar Dixon and sure enough, they said they were moving animals at that very minute to the Pasado (a Seattle group that's been incredible) rescue operation in Raceland.
Thus we began in earnest to explore other options and as we did, we became aware that some operations on the ground were in danger of closing for lack of volunteers, so we moved up the departure date for the three of us to October 13. Rickie is coming here from Greensboro, North Carolina on October 11; Joey will fly in to Asheville about noon on October 12, and we will set out in the wee small hours of October 13 in order to arrive in New Orleans before curfew & dusk.
So, things were progressing at this point: we now had a date. Nailing down where to go was another story. From friends who had just returned from Mississippi, I had a list of contacts & phone numbers to call but unfortunately, people up to their ears in saving dying animals don't have much time to call back. Getting information was a frustrating task that took days. Deciding where to go amongst half a dozen or more amazing places doing unbelievable work, was even harder.
And with every option we explored, we got a little farther away from that nice house in Gonzales. We are now verrrrry far away in terms of creature comforts, but we're in for an interesting trip!
Will save that story for Chapter Two. But for the first time in my life I have very short hair and own a tent . . . .
CONTINUE WITH IN THE EYE OF THE STORM: KATRINA "A-TEAM" TRIP HERE