Red Cross Update - Status Quo

Evening all. I am home and exausted. The damn plane never came in today. It was a day of rumors as we waited at 10am, 12pm, and 6pm for a plane or planes to come with our roughly 2,500 IDPs. That didn't stop us though.

I got to the Boston Red Cross office at 7am to help drive people down to the cape. I ended up taking 3 of the volunteer coordinators who were up until 3am making phone calls to get people in to volunteer and up again at 6:30am to head to the Cape. So I had 3 girls passed out in the Subaru with only WBUR to fill the void.

Arrived at 9am to setup cots, chairs and tables. Before and around lunch we unloaded 3 large vehicles full of snacks, juice and water, and lots of clothes. I was up to my ears in boxers, briefs and sweat suits. We sorted them all by size and paired them up so they're ready to go.

The whole operation, (run by the Governor's Office and including the Salvation Army, Mass EMA, Massport and a few other groups), did a few half-assed dry runs to test but by the third one prior to closing up shop....everyone was exausted and not many people were left.

I'm staffing resource handout so I felt like a greeter at a tradeshow - except I couldn't crash on my bed after hours - no plane meant no one was staying meant I had to drive the 2hrs home. I got lost to boot but still managed to stay on time per se.

Plan is to return tomorrow and arrive at 9am. I may be commuting with another local volunteer and the plan is to stay overnight tomorrow night......provided FEMA gets their act together and sends us a plane. I can totally see the US Govt balking sending long-term residents, (2-3mo), to Otis Air Base so soon after a committee agreed with the Pentagon's recommendation to close it.

Until tomorrow - I can be reached at the same places. Entertaining SMS messages welcome, (Thanks Elyn!!)