I am sitting in a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle just north of New Orleans (north of the lake). It is about 9pm local time and I am "minding the store". This is a very high tech communications vehicle with among other things satellite internet.
I am at a food distribution and logistic support area. It is secure with a police presence. There is a large semi-trailer with a kitchen. I think they are feeding 16 shelters. Food and water roll in and out 24 hours a day.
I have direcTV and the situation is about as depicted on CNN. Confusing, scary, heartbreaking and very surreal. I had 4 hours warning. Left my camper and Gloria in California and did a fast run, driving the ECRV from Sacramento CA to Baton Rouge LA.
The job is a technical challange. We have been installing temporary low band (47mhz) mobiles as base units at several kitchens. Tomorrow we do another. Ham radio is being used a lot. We have a 50 foot tower on the truck and will mount a mosley ta-33 jr and a tri-band (6-2-70cm) vertical on it in the morning. We have deployed several laptops and VOIP phones using the T1 grade satellite internet connection. Much more techie stuff to be written about later.
Personal gear is minimal. I have been in three ECRV's and sleep mostly on the floors of various buildings. My thermorest(I think that is the brand) has been great. Better than a hard floor. Used a space blanket (tyvec type) for several days and that worked OK, but the lack of ventilaion caused me to sweat a bit. Managed to scrounge a blanket this morning.
Food is great. Nice to be at a kitchen. We keep two cases of MRE's and two cases of water in the truck. we can be moved at a moments notice to anywhere.
Sorry this is such a disjointed report, but I am doing work stuff at the same time. Just switched from the large generator that supplies the kitchen to the truck generator. The kitchen generator (huge thing) is overloaded and we keep loosing their power. Then the satellite connection drops, loosing all the internet sessions and VOIP calls. VOIP (Voice over internet) works great. Now running on the trucks generator, but low on diesel. Not enough to run all night. Will shut it all down in an hour or so. Hate it when the fuel tank gets low. There is no fuel to be purchased here and if we have to leve suddenly, we won't get far.
No cell or other phones here. No power, no nothing. We are just on the edge of the destruction zone so the roads are in good shape. We are about 1/4 mile from the interstate so the trucks can get here OK. Feels funny to be sitting in air conditioned comfort, playing ham radio, using the internet and making satellite phone calls. When I step outside, I enter a different world.
All is well for me. Probably be here until the 19th. Normal Red Cross tour for my skill is 3 weeks. Probably go back to CA for awhile, then back here someplace.
This is truly a disaster in evey sense of the world, I am making notes and will try to write about it all later.
To see the truck I am operating, check
www.ecrv4712.orgnomad