We loaded up a few vans just after 7am and headed over to the shelter. It was a short 10 minute drive and as we drove we listened to one guy in the car talk about how women talk so much more than men. Ha. Ironic.
On our way there Dani saw some Geese and was so excited. I responded by saying "oh man, I just want to squeeze them" to make fun of Holly. It was funny and everyone laughed.
When we got to the shelter we entered directly in to the sleeping area. It was kind of overwhelming at first. There are around 250 people living here in the shelter and almost all of them were just waking up. Cots were everywhere. They filled up the entire gym. I didn't know whether I should smile or not when they all turned to look at us while we walked through.
We went down to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to meet the Shelter manager and receive our assignments. Dani was out on security. Crystal went to dorms. And Holly, Jenna and I were assignment to Logistics. We headed out for a tour of the shelter and then our first assignment was to help move boxes around in the kitchen so that more outlets would be available for cooking and coffee pots. Then we went upstairs and helped set up about 10 cots.
After that I was asked by Dan to go around to each of the women's bathrooms to wipe down door knobs, sink handles, stall doors and locks, and toilet seats and flush handles. There are 3 viruses that have been going around both the clients and volunteers. One is a really bad cold, the other is the common flu, and the last is the noro virus. At least 1-2 people on the day and night shift have been assigned to disinfect things all day every day to try and prevent it from spreading. All staff has been instructed to use sanitizer and wash our hands as often as possible. Most of us have latex Gloves on most of the day while we work with clients and equipment.
After cleaning I met up with Holly and Jenna and we set up another 35 cots. It took a while but we became champions at setting up cots. (See picture below)
After we finished I was sent to stand at the front door to check for wristbands as people came in. If they didn't have a wrist band or a badge they weren't supposed to come in. Basically I just stood there for 3 hours because who wants to sneak in to a shelter?
We had a meeting with our logistics supervisor about how to get everything done that we needed to and then I went and decontaminated all of the women's bathrooms...again. I did a few other odd jobs here and there and then I was time to head home. Most of the girls in the staff shelter took showers that night because we all felt so gross. The showers were super hot which I was grateful for. Then we went to sleep! I was so tired that I couldn't even finish my blog post for the day. But here it is now.
Story 1: I forgot to say that after the lady yesterday found out I was a Mormon she asked if I was going to pray for everyone there in the staff shelter. I enthusiastically said yes and then she walked away.
Story 2. While I was in line waiting to get dinner one of the clients in front of me turned, looked at me, and said someone is calling for you. Confused, I asked "me?" She explained that they were calling for a Red Cross worker. So I looked over to the tables where people were sitting just as someone yelled "Help! He's chocking! So I jumped over a table, pushed an old lady out of the way and....I actually just ran back to where he was sitting while thinking "I can't believe this is happening. I sure hope I can remember what I learned in First Aid". When I got there I said the First Aid "Sir, are you okay?" He was definitely frazzled but the lady next to him said that he was doing okay and he wasn't chocking anymore. Then he says "But I think I'm going to throw up". So I grabbed a trash can that was sitting 5 feet away and put it right next to him. He kept downing food and so I tried to get him to slow down and take it easy. He admitted that he hadn't been feeling well all day so I convinced him to let me go get medical services so that they could talk to him. He ended up being okay, thankfully, but it was quite the experience.
Uplifting Thought: Obedience Requires Faith, But It Is Absolutely Worth It.
love your smile!
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