Journal # 1 (September 26, 2005)

I have spent the past few days preparing for my deployment to the Gulf Coast, DSHR # 871, to help disaster victims. So far I am impressed with how organized the Red Cross has been. I had been told by the Red Cross to be prepared for harsh conditions. The conditions are said to be horrendous and staff volunteers have been instructed to travel light, using only back packs or duffel bags. Staff shelters and assignments are fluid and we must understand the extreme hardship conditions on this disaster relief operation. There will be no electricity, air conditioning, and probably no water; very little cell phone coverage and no hard line phone coverage. The recommended items range from flashlight and batteries to toilet paper. I was told that a request for an additional 350 mental health workers from the North Carolina area had recently been requested; there is an enormous need. I would like to thank the Counselor Education Department faculty and staff, my colleagues and my master supervises for their support. Without your support, I would not be able to volunteer. In an indirect way, we are all contributing to this disaster relief effort.

Journal # 2 (October 2, 2005)

I was scheduled to fly out of Raleigh through Memphis on to Mobile. My 7:30 am flight was delayed by five hours. My fight was rescheduled for 6:50 am, which took me through Cleveland to Houston on to Mobile. On the flight from Houston to Mobile we flew over New Orleans; I could see Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi river and the flooded out neighborhoods of New Orlando. Flying over Mobile, I saw tarps over roofs that were protecting what was left of the homes. My thoughts were of the long road to recovery of these poor people. I spent my first day at a Service Center and Shelter. The Red Cross volunteers are so extraordinary. I have met a retired psychiatrist from Virginia, a psychologist who has a private practice in Boston, an 18 year old college student from Ohio, and many more amazing volunteers.

The Red Cross Service Center is housed at a Church in Bayou La Batra, Alabama. Their refrigerator at the church has been out of commission for some time. All of the volunteers, including myself, put together money and bought the Church a brand new refrigerator. This community has also experienced the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The people here are in much need of support and help. I have counseled many men, women, and children who had recently experience a death of a loved one, and destruction of all of their property. The tears shared could fill oceans. The staff and volunteers are also in need of support and counseling. We work 10, 12, and 14 hours a day. We listen to people share their experiences of the devastation all day long. The clients are in such need; so, the work goes on. I am so busy, I don’t have any time to process the day.

Journal # 3 (October 5, 2005)

Last evening a volunteer Red Cross nurse was walking to the Civic Center to see if she could relieve any other nurse who might want to take off early. In the distance, a pregnant lady asked if the nurse knew where the bathrooms were. The nurse directed her to the portable potties out front. Soon after the lady screamed “oh no!” When the lady lifted her skirt, the nurse looked down and there was a baby’s head sticking out looking around; the baby then looked the nurse directly in her eyes. The nurse yelled to a police officer “call 911, this lady is having a baby.” As soon as the nurse put on her surgical gloves and put her hand under the baby’s head, he popped out. Both baby and mom are doing fine. The nurse told me that after she returned to her room she thought to herself, “what just happened.” I think the nurse is still in shock.

Today I went to Mississippi and Louisiana. My first stop was at a Service Center in Picayune Mississippi. This Service Center helps over a thousand people a day. There are usually 20-30 police officers present.

After leaving Picayune, I went to Bay Saint Lois, which was ground zero for the eye of Hurricane Katrina. The devastation here is difficult to comprehend. Homes which once stood near the shores are completely gone, leaving only their foundations. As I drove into the neighborhoods, there were people attempting to salvage their once cherished possessions. Trees were snapped like twigs, and homes crunched or gutted out by the powerful surge - - home after home, block after block, and mile after mile. The closest I can come to describing the destruction is that it looks as if someone dropped an atom bomb on each neighborhood. In Gulfport and Biloxi, hotels were destroyed, and gambling casinos moved from the water front and deposited inland.

Tomorrow is my day off. I plan to go back to those neighborhoods, take some water and snacks, and talk with the people to let them know that we all are praying for them and hoping for a speedy and healthy recovery.

Photographs from areas served by Mr. Nears- - click here

More to follow: