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Establishing a Temporary Community and Sense of Normalcy
Written by
Glenda Plunkett
, Special to Redcross.org
Tuesday, September 13, 2005 — BATON ROUGE, La. – What would you call a place with a barber shop, medical clinic, church services on Sunday and school teachers? A community, perhaps? It may not be the image one conjures when thinking of a hurricane shelter, but the American Red Cross shelter at the Baton Rouge River Center has all of those things.
Children spend leisure time outside sledding down a grassy levee on piece of recycled cardboard, while upstairs smaller kids are entertained by someone making balloon animals. Spontaneous balloon swordfights spark smiles. Teenage boys share camaraderie and competition as they play basketball at a hoop hung on an outside door. Meanwhile, Red Cross workers hustle about providing comfort to those who need it most.
The medical facility is equipped with doctors, a couple of dozen nurses, medications and an emergency diabetes staff. One doctor, Dr. Chris Montgomery, from Ohio, and Dr. Arthur Mcunu, from Minn., drove to Baton Rouge to help.
“This is a valuable service. We have all kinds of specialists here. Some are top notch surgeons, some in obstetrics, while others are pediatricians,” Montgomery said. “We have helped with wound care, seizures and diabetes among other healthcare problems. If you had a small town of 6,000 and opened a clinic you would see the same things. You would get the same care.”
When asked what made them respond Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Mcunu responded, “It’s the least we could do.”
Haircuts are provided for free to the evacuees thanks to a barber shop established within the shelter.
Local school teachers volunteered to come in and tutor the children evacuated from their homes, this helps provide the children with a sense of normalcy.
Father Young and Archbishop Munch, of Baton Rouge, volunteered to serve church services on Sunday to those who wished to participate. The members of the congregation were moved to tears.
Residents share their stories and talk of more normal times. There is a kind of peace about Miss Margarite, 85, from New Orleans, as she talks about the home she left behind. Her husband built it. She cleaned it herself and still does her own laundry. She loves to cook. Her daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter share the shelter with her. They talk of making gumbo, or turkey fixed with cornbread stuffing. Stories that bring calm and remind the family that there will be more family moments to come.
“The Red Cross shelter is alright,” said Margarite. “You eat three times a day. We are not outdoors sleeping on the ground. We are kept warm at night and cool through the day. The people are nice and do everything they can for you.”
The River Center Shelter is an interim solution until evacuees find a means to move on. Congregate living over a long period of time has many obstacles and many challenges. For now the Red Cross and their clients at the River Center Shelter are working through their situation with a cooperative atmosphere and community solutions.
Glenda Plunkett is with the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross. She is a member of the Red Cross Rapid Response Team currently deployed to Houston.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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