Matthew 20: The last shall be first and the first shall be last

A few notes from my bothers emails. His wife Kathy is working as a therapist at a relief call center. Here are some stories.

Friday Report from Bakersfield via Ray:

Kathy reports the call center is the largest in the nation;;;they took 7000 calls from families yesterday. She reports the poverty of callers is unimaginable...They have nothing..."The country can't conceive of the need". The callers are the kindest, most grateful people...Some are on hold for up to 12 hours and when they can talk they have no complaints about being on hold. This is for a mere $300.00 from the Red Cross. Most of the callers are single mothers with 2-3 of their own children in addition many have 2-3 children from relatives and neighbors that cannot be found or were abandoned years ago, in addition they often have a mother or grandmother with them. Typical is that at least 2-4 members of the family have a severe handicap, or serious illness....diabetes and heart problems very prominent esp. in the elderly family member. The single mothers, head of household show unbelievable caring and kindness to these "extended families in spite of experiencing trauma reactions from having watched friends, loved ones or strangers die from dehydration, lack of medication, lack of oxygen for elderly heart patients, sleeping on paved roads awaiting evacuation. Many are starting to experience serious depression...PTSD(Post traumatic stress disorder) and for those on anti depressant meds who have now gone 2 weeks without meds the old symptoms are coming back(most anti depression meds will have an impact for about 10 days after one stops). A Very Serious problem is that most have no medication, they do not have their prescription to refill(who carries that with them), and no acess to health clinic to get renewals. Many report that friends and relatives who cannot get life saving medications continue to die or be on the edge (esp those with diabetes, heart, kidney disease or are in need of oxygen).

Most of the Red cross volunteers are quite elderly and do not have the stamina for a 12 hour shift...blisters and exhaustion they experience after 7-8 hours. Decible level in call center is very high....300 people talking at once!!!!. They hold up signs indicating needs: Red=computer has crashed: Blue=Mental health or health/medication need: Yellow=I have to go to the bathroom.

Highlite quote from yesterday: Newly hired worker, previously homeless in Bakersfield now manning phones..."I was homeles till I got this job and going no where and this job is helping me pull my life together and I really am helping others who are in a worse situation than I was".

Thats it for Friday Ray

Kathy says " I am fine and good at this". More of the elderly Red Cross workers are breaking down physically...they are on their feet 12 hours ...no place to sit...blisters....asthma attacks...sobbing for not being able to do more....and just plain exhaustion. Many stories from the callers are freaking out the people who are taking the calls....it often triggers traumas that those who are trying to take the calls have had. Kathy reports working with staff and callers more and more. She says the stories are unbelievable...they call in and report that a family member died today...heart condition...no meds or exhaustion...( 2-3 more incidents on Friday). Lower class callers do not complain, they have resilance under such conditions. Upper class callers are bitching, angry, falling apart, and have little resilance. some are very upset that they are "treated as welfare recipients" and have never experienced what it is like to go without and ask for help. One example ....black person calls who is (was) a cook for a wealth family...and has no $.....Where is the family? Oh! they left the day before the hurrican and flew to their house in Paris. Did they leave you any money? Oh. no, they would not do that when I am not working.

Saturday:

First night Kathy not sleep well. Some of the stories are disturbing. Today is her first day where she will work 7-4PM and she is actually going to a movie tonight. She is now working with the workers and supervisors as much of more than on the phone with callers (about 10 yesterday). Most of staff are not sleeping, sobbing, having stress reactions from the stories. Kath reports that the Red Cross Volunteers are very competent, kind and helpful...one reports this is her 18th disaster she has worked for. She has the team leaders now working positively with their groups ("think of them as your family and you need to care for them") rather than yell and criticise.

One major difficulty is the location of Shelters around the country ....most are in the middle of no where in small towns or isolated areas...no transportation or health facilities....people don't have access to job opportunities, health, school etc.

No one in 4 days now has yet recieved the "government's $2000.00 that you read about or hear on TV." The Red Cross's $300 is all they are getting. Now they are getting some "fraud calls" ....typical is men calling saying they are single head of household with 5 kids and need money....as Kathy said "their just are no men head of households, they are the women." Problem is if money is sent to the men who use someone elses name and address that name is entered in the computer and they won't recieve any more....so if the real head of household calls they are denied the much needed $ and likely are the ones with the kids.

Cause for a sleepless night: Familly leaves ahead of Hurricane and then realizes they forgot some important papers, the children and relative proceed on and the parent returns to get the papers...storm is too close...FEMA closes all roads and no one allowed to leave....person spends time on roof and is swept away 4 times in the winds....in the water is bite numerous times by unknown creatures, recieves many abrashions and is finally rescued...goes to local hospital to get a tetnus shot...hospital wants $10 up front, which she does not have....guess what....she is denied the shot and sent on her way. "George Bushes health care plan in action....no $...no care!!!...I'm sure if the upper class got another tax cut that would not happen" Sometimes I think he and the right wing have played a sick joke on so many of us.

Big problem yesterday was lots of diabetics calling...needing insulin and no sources available. The vulnerable and chronically ill continue to die for lack of health care.