Deployment: North Texas Tornados

Red Cross...how you have changed! Changed you have, but some things have stayed the same. My old story is about volunteering with American Red Cross, (ARC), in 2003. That was an adventure. And there are lots of stories to tell, but I quit after another 2 years of service. Was it the ARC bureaucracy? Was it my responding to 4 different hurricane shelter assignments in 30 days? Was it the clients who argued their entitlement?  Or was it just the drained, taxed feeling that follows a disaster response? Maybe it was post-trauma surfacing when images of destruction flash across the TV screen? I'm not sure, but here I am again. And it seems to be working okay.
I am sitting in the lobby of the Holiday Inn near Parkland Hospital in Dallas. The hotel is next to the biggest ARC disaster operations center I've ever seen. It's well equipped. A tour of the DST, the Disaster Services Technology room, revealed the center's ability to enable internet access within 15 minutes of losing power and communication services. It was explained to me that the ARC runs on Internet connectivity for disaster response, and with a portable satellite linking system, (Win-Link), ARC can reenable just minutes after losing land based connectivity. Their  ham radio communications system was impressive as well. It's one of 3 digital operations centers in the US. As I was saying, I am in the hotel lobby waiting for a ride to the airport and my flight back to Tucson. My snoring ARC roommate, coupled with the spun-up feeling about going home, kept me from sleeping. It's about 4 a.m. Reflecting, it's been a good experience. This was my first DR, or disaster response. I learned a lot. 10 years ago, there was no CAS, and CACs were just being brought to life. (CACs are Client Assistance Card. All the acronyms are killing me!) So...the tech is much different, but the admin is still the same. The people have changed a little. There are some really smart and savvy young people in Red Cross now. But a volunteer organization attracts a wide variety of personalities. I don't know what to do with some of those personalities. It takes a special person to handle a volunteer workforce. All of us belong, and if I believe in the brother and sisterhood of the Red Cross, I'll keep floating. But if I take personally the sometimes difficult words and actions of others, then I start to sink. I met a woman who has been volunteering for many years who told me that if it was not all about the clients, about giving to them one-on-one, she would not be doing the work. And it's true! If the motivation is about getting to supervise others, brandishing power, exerting control, or feeding the ego, then it's not fun for me. We come from all walks, and we all belong, but it takes special people to give, and make it all about the clients. Hmmm...I hope that I can share more stories here before I push all the memories of the trip back into history. Would I do it again? I'll have to think about it. Today it's about getting home and getting back in the groove. Where's my guitar?!? More later.