Called to Texas, Hurricane Katrina! October 2005

October 28. 2005  We are the First SBA Officers to Arrive!

Dora, Edmund and Stacey are shown as we arrived in Houston to rent autos after Hurricane Katrina was declared.  I worked for SBA (Small Business Administration) doing disaster loans. Previously I had flown from Sacramento with the three shown and we secured cars in Houston and drove to Baton Rouge.

 

 

Sunrise in Louisiana--Seen driving from the gym Dora and I were staying in on the way to Baton Rouge to help applicants housed in a shelter. 

We worked there doing applications for help for New Orleans evacuees and then I was transferred to Texas to work in Port Arthur.

In Port Arthur I showed my inexperience again at how to organize the applicants to keep order.  Also my partner nagged me all the time because I was the leader but he had more experience.  When I was ordered to leave Port Arthur because Hurricane Rita was on the way,  he wanted me to let him drive us to his home to the west first so he could check on his home.  It was quite a distance and I was not going to do it without authority.  I finally arranged for him to go with a leader to his home and then I carried out the instructions I was given and headed north to escape Hurricane Rita.  All of this is done on the run.

It was an exciting trip up north to find a place to stay, we stayed one night in a school gym and then finally settled in a nice little town called Tyler for one night in a hotel. Then there were so many Texans evacuating who had called ahead and secured the rooms we had to move on to Fort Worth where three of our group lived.  Since we arrived late at night I did not go to a hotel but went with one of the FEMA leaders who had a large home there.  The next day I was called to task on that,  I should have gone to a hotel and not to their home.  Wow, I was learning everything after the fact on this trip.  I just smiled and complied. 

We worked in the Fort Worth office over the weekend and then headed back to Houston to stay then were assigned to mobile Recovery Centers for Hurricane Rita. This was my first experience doing this so it was interesting to observe that the leader (a guy) kept his guy friends close and sent us women out to the posts farthest away.  Yes, there is discrimination in the government!!!!

My sight was in Spurger, about 130 miles from Houston and 54 from Beaumont. Until we could move back into Beaumont when the power and lights were back on it was a grueling drive back and forth to Houston. The trees were broken like toothpicks or completely toppled over from Rita. Many of the trees fell on homes and it will be a long process getting people back to a normal way of life again. Most everyone is so appeciative of the help FEMA, SBA and the Texas Government are giving them. 

Working in the tent with all the other workers...not as much privacy as I needed.

When I would arrive back in Houston, my FEMA friend would get on the phone with me and tell me which exit to take to get back to my hotel, there were so many it was very confusing.  We did not have GPS at this time.

Larry, the Texas Government representative I am posing with, joined SBA as a Loss Verifier after working in Spurger for the month. 

This was my first experience being a leader out in the field so I did not know a lot.  When I was offered the motor home to be in for interviewing the applicants I said, "Oh, I don't need that, this is just fine for interviewing."  So FEMA got to use the motor home.

Actually working there would have been so much better because of being able to have more privacy and hearing them better than working out in the large tent.  My mistake.  I had a lot to learn.  Leaders would often assume I had more experience than I did because of my age I guess.  So I had to learn to hard way.

Stacey and Marcine the FEMA ladies are career women who volunteered to work for FEMA. They were so good with the applicants!

They got to work in the motor home and it was very nice for them!!!

November 19, 2005  From Spurger to Beaumont and then to Galveston!

Charlie is the leader in our Beaumont Office and makes sure we do the best job we can for our applicants by doing complete interviews and getting the information needed. He has been teaching us all to know how to team lead a Disaster Recovery Center for SBA.

 

Evanne is the one who sees that all applications are fed exed to arrive at the processing center in Fort Worth the next day. There is a lot of preparation and record keeping and she is busy, busy all day but so well-organized she makes it look easy. (It isn't, in a large center like Beaumont.)

 

Spurger Disaster Team! A few of them have been working in the Beaumont Disaster Center this month before going home to their regular jobs. They volunteered to help FEMA and were paid by their regular employers. What a great group they have been! 

Also pictured are some of the Shaw team that makes the centers function so well. I have been in the Beaumont Center for the past few weeks also. I have met many new SBA friends and have enjoyed that. 

There are too many good places to eat in Beaumont, however, and that is the main attraction.

We have had several of the smaller centers close and so at times we have too many of us there for the number of applicants. Some are sent home or to another area each week. 

 Maria sent my laptop and Bob, the FEMA computer expert fixed it so I can go wireless or data port in the hotels I stay in...and he zonked out the many bugs I had! I now can communicate again!! Thank you, thank you so much, Bob. 

This week I am the lucky one as I have been sent to team lead the Galveston Center. Haven't been to Galveston yet but understand it is like Pacific Beach/Mission Beach in California, Yea!

Leaving the Beaumont Office and on to Galveston where I will be working in the DRC there till it closes.

The birds crowd at the end of the ferry and swoop around you.

A welcome from the birds.

Since I won't be home for Thanksgiving I thought I would get a little nostalgic and use my Thanksgiving picture from last year to get me in the mood for the holiday. I had been working in Sacramento processing loans from Hurricane Charley, etc. so my daughter Maria brought her family from Susanville and we had Thanksgiving dinner at the Black Angus in Folsom. My family is too far away this year so who knows where I will eat. Maybe go view the birds again. As I drove down from Beaumont I could still see so much debris and devastation around. There is so much recovery left. The biggest threat I hear about as I meet with the applicants is the evergrowing mold in their homes...there just isn't enough money or help to put it all back together. 13 of our applicants last week were still living in their cars!!! 900 trailers went out from Jasper to applicants this week but we just can't seem to keep up with the need. 

November 25, 2005   Christmas Tree Lighting

Tonight Kyle, Gwenda and I went to the Strand and saw the Dickens characters getting in the mood for Dickens on the Strand next weekend. They come to the Harbor area all dressed in their Dickens finery to entice us to come back next week and spend a lot of time and money buying food and such at a Dickens Christmas on the Strand. Sounds wonderful. It has been a part of Galveston for 32 years.

 After this the Harbor Parade was a delight to see. Boats were not only lighted but they were decorated with balloons and decorations. One boat had a huge shell with a beautiful mermaid in it. Kyle had made reservations at Willie G's (hour wait) so the timing was perfect. Willie G's is a very popular restaurant at the Harbor. I

I decided to try the blackened redfish since John seemed to think it was so special. It was so good. Just perfect. When we arrived home the Christmas tree in front of the Rain Forest Restaurant had been lighted and decoarated. This will be my tree this Christmas. For a little town, Galveston has a lot going on. Looking forward to the next few weeks. 

December 3, 2005  Victorian Christmas Home Tour

The tour started out at the Sacred Heart Church, one of the treasures of the Galveston Island. It was built after damage during the 1900 storm. Everything here is related to before or after the 1900 Hurricane. This church was modeled after the Alhambra in Spain and is the only Roman Catholic Church in the United States with Islamic architecture. We listened to the Moody Methodist Handbell Choir.

 The homes that we saw were mostly built as tenant homes or bride and groom starter homes between 1892 and 1900. They have all had several owners and been lovingly restored and refurbished with modern kitchens. The woodwork has been refinished and in most of the homes is the original. Very beautiful. 

Most of the homes are being used by their owners as vacation homes. The tvs are well hidden in armoirs. One of the owners actually lives full time in her home and it was spectacular. I especially like the full mirrors at each end of the bathtub so you could look forever at yourself in the tub! 

It was a fun evening of walking through the town, riding in a horse carriage and viewing homes of another era. The homes have long windows on the porch that could be opened to use as doors! They also have porches on the front or back to take advantage of the breeze from the gulf. One of the locals who had lived in San Diego told me the difference in the gulf water here is that it is very dirty from all the fishing that goes on. She also said there are not good beaches or sand like California and it costs to park and go to a beach where you can swim. She likes the California Pacific beaches much more and the Pacific Ocean which is so clean! 

December 4, 2005  Dickens on the Strand Parade

Above is Gwenda Barker, my SBA partner at the Disaster Center in Galveston. She is getting into the spirit of Dickens on the Strand when Galveston 's historic Strand area transforms into the Victorian London of legendary author Charles Dicken's era. What started in 1974 as a potluck supper to attract interest in saving the crumbling Victorian commercial buildings from demolition has become a worldwide attraction and is considered one of the 100 best events in the US. The parade is huge with more than one bagpipe group and several bands of sorts in uniforms. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my batteries so can't elaborate more. You can tell the Galvestonians from the tourists because they are in elegant Victorian dress--quite spectacular. Something to come for in your travels, it is the first week in December and hosts over 100 entertainers on six stages and on corners throughout the area. The crafts and arts for sell are also really first class. Quite a show. And what a tribute to Dickens though he had nothing to do with Galveston. His great-great grandson Mark Charles Dickens even comes to do signings of his ancestor's works.

December 14, 2005  Year End Review

As I sit here and view the sunrise in Galveston, Texas I am thinking of my life in 2005.   2004ended with a major snowfall in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah. All of my living children and grandchildren had gathered for the traditional ski and snowboard Christmas. In total there were about 100 of us gathered there this year as my husband Richard's brother and his family also make their Christmas at Park City.  This began in 1976 when Richard had the wonderful idea of a simple, close knit way to spend Christmas.  It has been good and rich and we miss Richard and my son John as we open our presents and play our games and remember the past.

We are in to the grandchildren skiing now and soon it will be great-grandchildren with all these handsome grandsons and beautiful granddaughters soon to get married.

After processing loans in Sacramento for 7 months I came home in April to Lake Almanor and beautiful new wood floors in my home and Bandido waiting for me. Meagan, John's daughter, dressed here as a Thailand princess, had invited me to Hong Kong and Singapore and in May

it was a memorable trip. Unfortunately all my pictures are in another place but we have extensive beautiful pictures of Meagan and Matt and I seeing the sights and eating the marvelous foods.  Meagan was a terrific host and guide and I will treasure that trip forever.

My daughter Linda came up and spent time alone with me in early June--not often a Mom and her daughter who has six children can do that. It was memorable as well.  In July, Meagan came to visit for the 4th and then Meagan, Linda and her two children Tanner and Sarah, and Maria's son Mitch all went to my Dad's cabin in Silvergate, Montana, to Yellowstone, and to Jackson Hole, Wy. Unfortunately pictures of all these things are in another place but we had a wonderful time and I am so lucky my grandchildren will travel with me. During the summer new carpet was laid in the bedrooms and significant leveling for a flagstone patio in front of the back deck and then Hurricane Katrina hit and I was off to Sacramento and then Houston and then Baton Rouge where we had an office across the street from Hurricane Katrina victims housed in a huge stadium--and we slept in a gym miles away and then off to ...

Port Arthur, Texas where we ran from Hurricane Rita and drove to Tyler in north Texas and then stayed in Fort Worth until we could come back to Houston and then off I went to Spurger, Texas where I braved the heat and humidity and cold and rain to take applications from the victims of Hurricane Rita.

On October 29th I was able to be in San Diego, Ca for the wedding of my granddaughter Kristi Pulsipher and her fiance Mike Stewart. The reception in El Cajon was outstanding with lush settings, wonderful food, and fun dancing.  Then it was on to Beaumont, Texas where we were

meeting with victims from both Hurricane Katrina and Rita. After being the only SBA rep in Spurger it was fun to have other SBA personnel to eat with, talk to, laundry and work with.

From there it was on to beautiful Galveston, Texas and a walk on the beach. The year will end with Christmas in Carlsbad with the Jimmy Hardy family and who knows where the New Year will take me. I've already chosen a goal for the year. "Being an Up person in a Down World!" Can I do it?--not sure, will need lots of help. Onward and upwards as they say. 2004 with the death of my son John, and Hurricane Charley, Francis, Jeanne and Ivan was a very tough year and 2005 had its ups and downs so what now...

December 19, 2005  Sightseeing before We Part

This will be the last weekend in Galveston for me. Wednesday I am flying to San Diego, Ca to spend a few days with Linda's family and then over to Jimmy's for Christmas. To celebrate our last weekend Gwenda, my SBA co-worker, and Peggy, our FEMA friend started off to see one of the historic homes in Galveston. Prior to the 1900 hurricane Galveston was the busiest port and many wealthy people resided there.  The Greshams built this huge home in 1886 at a cost of 

$250,000.  It has been designated one of the 100 outstanding buildings in America. The interior was carved by German immigrants.  The woodwork is rosewood, satinwood, white mahogany, oak, maple and pine.  Some of it is that priceless burl unattainable now.  The outside was built by Italian immigrants.  In 1920 it was sold to the Sacred Heart Church and the Bishop lived there until the Church headquarters were moved to Houston and it was turned into a tourist attraction--and it is something to see. 

We also went to the Gingerbread House to do some fun shopping for Santa Claus rings, Listerine decanters, gorgeous jewelry, unusual umbrellas and many gorgeous things to look at. Then it was time to go to Moody Gardens and see the fish in the aquarium, the birds in the rainforest, a fun Winter musical, and to view thebeautiful lights all along the bay and on the grounds.  Of course, we had to eat kettle corn, chocolates and such. It was a fun day. 

Moody Gardens with Peggy.

Gwenda and I will come back to Beaumont where we will be working after Christmas until that DRC closes also--we have just not been able to see it all of Galveston we would like to, darn.  Peggy is going home to Louisiana though and who knows when we will see her again.  She is a sweetheart.  I am lucky to be able to go home for Christmas but it does cost me!

January 15, 2005  A Good Change at Beaumont!

Who works for SBA in the Beaumont DRC? Sirdon and Mary from Sacramento.

Karla from Ohio and me, of course.

Last week we had some good changes made in the office--Dave was made the Team Lead and we are all enjoying the new peaceful, calm environment we are working in. Dave is from Sacramento. 

Suzanne is also from Sacramento.

Here is Mary again with Dean from Sacramento.

Our closer, Barb, is from Fort Worth.

Gwenda went to work in the Austin office and Evanne was sent to the fires in Texas and we will miss them. However, we are all happy with the leadership change. Saturday morning I saw my coworkers walking in with the biggest smiles I have seen in a long time. It was a pleasant, peaceful morning and we all celebrated at Olive Garden!!!

January 22, 2006   Happy Birthday!  73 Years Young!

Another birthday on the road. Mary, Suzanne, Sirdon, Dave, and Dean, the other SBA reps from the Disaster Recovery Center, shared my birthday with me at the Country Italian restaurant of Johnny Carino's. I had the grilled salmon which has pecan and sauce on the salad. Really yummy and enough for lunch. My favorite cake is the Red Velvet and it says "Over the Hill" on top of the cake.

 

All of these SBA reps are from the Sacramento area and have been left to serve in the Beaumont, Tx office. The Texans who served with us were called to the fires in north and central Texas.

January 29, 2006  Trip to Galveston

So what do you do on a sunny day off from the Beaumont DRC? You drive to Galveston! Mary, Suzanne, Barb and Janet drove to Winnie and then down 73 headed for the ferry and--Lo and behold after driving through a yucky part of Texas you come upon a beach area called Crystal Beach and there are some very lovely streets just a few steps from the beach.

                                        Riding on the Ferry from Crystal Beach to Galveston--

Children try to be brave enough to 

hold out the bread while the birds swoop down for it.

 

Galveston is always fun--Mary, Barb and Janet bought bracelets, charms and earrings in a new favorite store The Front Parlor. 

Posing in front of the warm Gulf across 

from where Gwenda and Janet lived in 

Galveston. I was trying to get a picture 

of the unusual blue and pink Gulf skyline as well as the ladies of SBA on the Boardwalk at Kemah. Beautiful, right? One final thing to end the day--dessert at The Flying Dutchman--only Suzanee resisted--we had Italian Cream Cake and Pecan Pie with Bourbon Sauce. Yum, yum--a fun day.

It was a fun trip for a very hard working group of ladies!!!!!

February 2, 2006  Good bye, Mary and De Loris

We know we are getting to the end of Disaster Assistance when some of our favorite people are sent home. Mary (on the left) will be going home tomorrow and we will miss her "merry" smile and upbeat 

spirit.  Out social life will probably dwindle as well.

 

 

she was the one who saw that everyone was included and that we celebrated regularly together. Here our Beaumont group is downstairs at the Hampton Inn with the Orange group saying our farewells to Mary of Beaumont and Deloris (second on left).

Seen in the forefront of the pix is Dave, Barb, Dean, Mary, Suzanne, Sirdon and Karla and in the rear of the picture is Deloris, Amy, Marlene, and FEMA reps from the Orange office. Supposedly we are still waiting for 4 states to be declared for flooding but evidently there are still too many of us out here. It won't be long and I will be going home, too.

February 8, 2006  Now Karla Leaves Us.

Our Beaumont group dwindles. Karla was called yesterday to go to Napa in California where approximately 1000 homes were damaged in the flooding and landslides of last month. We will miss Karla. She was our Excel expert who created forms for us to use to make our closings and such go a little smoother. Besides that she sings like Janis Joplin! And she is from Ohio! It seems the "out of staters" were called to California and four of us Northern Californians are left in the Beaumont office with our lone Texan Barb, "the closer"! Go figure!

March 4, 2006  California, Here I Am!

Back on my own front porch with lovely snow on the trees and back in my own comfy bed...

and back in front of my own fire on my own couch--Aah, life is good! 

Mark and Maria picked me up at the Reno airport on Friday and it was a beautiful sunny, snow laden view all the way home.

This truly is paradise as I was was often telling my Texas friends...

After six months, it's good to be home...there is still lots of work left in Texas though, I deserted my post to recoup a little...

2008,  I will be 76 in January but was called to work in Sacramento for SBA...Katrina Wise!!!!

 

Today I learned the group of us in training here in Fort Worth are a "test group" to see if the Sacramento office can be used for processing disaster loans while being under the leadership of the Texas office leaders (in Sacramento with us, of course.) 

It was very interesting to learn of everything that went wrong after Katrina hit and what has been done to make sure all those things never happen again. 

Previously the DCMS loan program was built with the idea of being used by a maximum of about 2,500 loan officers, now 12,000 can be online at once. Previously they had two scanners in this office, now there are 52. 

They had geared up to be able to handle a disaster twice as large as the Northridge, CA earthquake since it was the largest they had previously handled. Then Katrina hit and it was six times as large! 

Anyway it is amazing all the work they have done to correct everything that went wrong. We also watched a CNN presentation on the insurance problem with the argument over whether it was the water or wind that caused all the damage--and what the insurance companies would not pay for. It does matter what home insurance company you have and you should understand your policy very well! 

I know this news is not as exciting as some other might be but this is my life...a man told me today he was older than me... I am three months older than he is and the oldest one in the group as usual.  All the people I used to work with remember me and talk to me though, that is nice. 

When Betsy and I went to the Verizon store we giggled at the fact the Verizon man explained the directions to her as if I was too old to understand. C'est la vie!