Joplin-Saturday June 4

Joplin-Saturday June 4

Hello friends, just wanted to pass along some "news on the ground" in Joplin, MO from a Columbia friend...grab your mug and drink deep...

 

Catherine Shanahan

Today’s post is going to be rather long. So much is going on. I have been getting up at 4 o’clock, praying for a while, getting dressed, and then coming down the street to McDonalds where I have a cup of coffee and try to process all of this.

I wrote about the first evening I was here and how things looked just like the pictures you have seen. That is true, but I had only seen a part of the destruction that evening. Yesterday, I was able to go see another area, which defies any words or picture to describe it. Obviously I can’t describe it, but I will say that as people told me, “Nothing can prepare you for what this looks like.” I couldn’t even think enough to pray, I just kept saying that little phrase in the Bible, “Jesus wept”. The fact that less than 200 people were killed is a miracle, even if it doesn’t seem so. I cannot imagine anyone escaping the area I saw yesterday. Miracles truly saved so very many hundreds if not thousands. I have heard many stories of escapes, as you all have, and it is amazing at how the hand of the Lord worked.

Yesterday was very busy. Disaster recovery includes so many things that have to be done. I thought I would be out in the field more, but doing what I am is really giving me an inside look at how disaster recovery operates. In the gymnasium where I am most of the time, we send out teams for Volunteer Coordination, Volunteer Health/Counseling, Site Assessment, Debris clean-up, Community Services (taking people to the store, laundry, etc.), Mental Health, Nursing, Transportation (getting all of the volunteers to and from locations), Spiritual Counseling, Food Services, Child Care, Helping folks fill out paperwork, Mass Care, Logistics, and Supplies (where I have been). I know I’ve missed a bunch.

There are so many hundreds and thousands of supplies needed. Yesterday I had to call Home Depot and Lowe’s, and a bunch of other stores, all over MO and in KS and AK trying to find items. I put in orders for 2,000 push brooms, hundreds of orange parking cones, 3,000 rolls of duct tape, 500 more cots and blankets, just to name a very few of the thousands of items just for yesterday, the topper of which was 50,000 packets of Pop Tarts, Yes, 50-thousand! And the ordering of mass quantities of supplies goes on day after day.

There are far more workers behind the scenes than out in the field. These are the folks that quietly go about their jobs for 10-12 hours a day, making thousands of nametags, putting batteries in thousands of flashlights, putting pillow cases on thousands of pillows, filling vehicles with gasoline, hauling hundreds of cases of water to outside workers, and filling out untold stacks of paperwork. Please pray for these folks who don’t get as much encouragement as those more visible. Every one of these people are doing what they do just because they want to make the victims lives a little easier.

And the wonderful nurses, EMT’s, military personnel, police, fire, clean-up teams, and shelter workers. These have such a hard job here. The Red Cross does a great job providing them with rest and counseling. How many thousands of hands are working to help this area is just something to see, not to mention all of those who have made it possible for volunteers to be here, including my employer, Columbia College.

One of the many things that I saw in town was Postal Inspector trucks. I guess they have to deal with tens of thousands of pieces of lost mail. Wow, the effects go on and on.

This town has really stepped up as well. Pharmacies giving out free prescriptions, free laundry services, free haircuts, you name it, someone is providing it.

I am extremely blessed. I have a lovely place to stay. Last night the main warehouse where the volunteers were staying was condemned because of structural defect. They are now being sent to various locations, and many don’t even know where they will sleep. Many are in tents on the lawn of the University (as are many victims). God will make a way, as He has for all of the needs that have come up.

In contrast to the wonderful people I have been around, as I was driving back to where I am staying yesterday evening, in the right land of the highway a bunch of items had flown out of the back of a pickup truck. I pulled over to help these two ladies get them out of the road, and as we were cleaning them up the cars (except for a couple) didn’t event slow down, and some even honked and cursed at us. These ladies were crying and told me that this was all they had left in the world and people were just running over it. We were on a very flat area that was easily visible long before you got to where we were, and the left lane was completely free of items. A lot of what flew out of the truck was toys. One car drove by and just ran over a bunch of toys, and she cursed out the window at the ladies. She could have easily gotten into the left lane, but didn’t. It was so sad to see how hurt these ladies were. I got to pray for them, and I am thankful for that.

This afternoon I am going to The Bridge. It is an area where 40+ agencies are set up doing hands on work with the victims. I will convey that our area is thinking of and praying for them. Today is already hot and humid. I ask God to protect all of the victims and volunteers.

Again, thank you for all of the prayers for this area. Everywhere I drive I see signs thanking everyone who is praying.

Also pray for the Red Cross. I am so impressed with how good this organization is to both the victims and the volunteers.

All of the prayer requests of mine from family and friends have been answered. I am safe, not yet affected by the heat, working for a great supervisor, I feel good and not tiring out very much at all, and using my skills to help. God is so very good.

Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible for me to be here. All of those who helped others get here are here too in spirit, and God sees that.

Until tomorrow.