Flooding

[bmccasland]

Yeah, and I have a warm place in my heart for some CMA (Chrisian Motorcycle Assoc) guys who set up a field kitchen in Chalmette. In the early days after the storm I was working in the area, and when I came back that evening suffering from heat exhaustion, these big burly biker guys brought me in the kitchen, parked me in front of a fan, put a bottle of cold water in one hand, bottle of cold gatorade in the other and made me drink both, gave me a cold cloth for my neck, then told me brownies cured everything and handed me one. Then they offered me hot dinner. Meanwhile I'd been watching shell shocked firefighters from all over come through their line, enjoying their first hot fresh meal in days instead of MREs. The CMA guys didn't ask permission (FEMA or Red Cross) other than the local sheriff - they just moved in. Once the Red Cross found out about the kitchen, they restocked it. They weren't pushy about a message, had little pocket sized Bibles on the buffet line, they were living their faith.

[boy in a kilt]

I saw those CWA guys running around too. They didn't seem like the sort to ask permission and there probably wasn't anyone to ask anyway. We had the Salvation Army handing out food and cold soda in our sector too. I never managed to get any of that. Usually because when they stopped by, I was either out rooting around for supplies or in the middle of something else. But, I always knew I had an MRE somewhere with my name on it. Good enough.

I made semi-regular food and water drops to a few families down there. I had to show a few of them how to work an MRE heater and some of the ways you can mix stuff to make it taste better. One poor lady got the Army's version of dirty rice and was utterly appalled.

When you've watched someone pick over what's left of their belongings, or talked to someone who is having to start over with nothing, flood insurance seems pretty cheap.

[Geonz]

Puts into perspective the fact that my basement is all wet for unkonwn reasons right now. It's not raining and it was dry this a.m. The plumber's coming tomorrow.j... and since I've loaned my house out it doesn't even *bother* me directly and they're going to cover it ... but there are boxes I'd moved that have gotten wet... I'm afraid some old school files will ahve to go, whih prolly should have gone a long time ago... and Pete just brought me a beer 'cause they think I need it when *he's* hte one just spent an hour hoovering out the muck.
But it's so far from being everything!!!

[Flybye]

Yeah, and I have a warm place in my heart for some CMA (Chrisian Motorcycle Assoc) guys who set up a field kitchen in Chalmette. In the early days after the storm I was working in the area, and when I came back that evening suffering from heat exhaustion, these big burly biker guys brought me in the kitchen, parked me in front of a fan, put a bottle of cold water in one hand, bottle of cold gatorade in the other and made me drink both, gave me a cold cloth for my neck, then told me brownies cured everything and handed me one. Then they offered me hot dinner. Meanwhile I'd been watching shell shocked firefighters from all over come through their line, enjoying their first hot fresh meal in days instead of MREs. The CMA guys didn't ask permission (FEMA or Red Cross) other than the local sheriff - they just moved in. Once the Red Cross found out about the kitchen, they restocked it. They weren't pushy about a message, had little pocket sized Bibles on the buffet line, they were living their faith.

What a great story. I have the opportunity to live across the street from a man who is am member of the Christian Motorcycle Association. He is one of the greatest men I have ever met. He get SO EXCITED when they head out for an adventure. Once their group spoke at a church and I had an opportunity to hear their stories. They were people who had experienced horrific childhoods - verbal, physical, and sexual abuse - and later in life had recovered from addictions, scraped themselves up from the bottom of the barrel and went on to help others. Some truly amazing people. Thanks for sharing.