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Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Hungry Planet - How much do you eat?
How much does your family EAT/DRINK in a week? A family’s weekly intake “around the world”.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Kaiser Permanente & Hands-On: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast, Part 2
Rebuilding the Gulf Coast, Part II
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By Elizabeth Schainbaum
There was 65-year-old Ethel Curry who survived the wrath of the 2005 hurricanes holding on to her floating refrigerator for five hours before being rescued.
Another man told Kaiser Permanente volunteers that he had to drive 14 hours to Florida from Biloxi, Miss., before finding a place that would take him, his family, and four dogs. Then he watched the deadly storm tear apart his antique store on CNN.
John, a coastal medical clinic worker, watched the trees across the bay disappear. He realized they were submerged by a wall of water approaching his home. He rushed his family into his truck but a fallen tree blocked him from leaving. They stayed in the vehicle as the waters crashed over it. He and his family eventually found refuge by swimming to a neighbor’s house.
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| Volunteers worked at the Humane Society, where this dog showed his appreciation to Tristan Herkimer. Front page: Curshanda Woods, hard at work |
“We heard countless stories like John’s,” said Philip Vardara, RN, MSN, a KP Roseville infection control coordinator. Vardara was one of the 12 KP Northern California volunteers who returned on Saturday, Feb. 2 after a week of rebuilding efforts in Biloxi.
The stories of the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were the most unforgettable part of an already unforgettable experience, the volunteers said.
The dozen volunteers were part of a second shift of employees and physicians that national KP Community Benefit sent to the Gulf Coast region to volunteer in the area still reeling from the deadly hurricanes of nearly two and half years ago.
The first group, including 11 from Northern California, went from Jan. 21 through Jan. 26 to New Orleans, while the second served in Biloxi the following week. Of the 60 volunteers, 23 were Northern California employees.
The Biloxi volunteers completed various chores, some of them heart-wrenching, others back-breaking: hanging dry wall, putting up siding, planting trees, clearing trash and shrubs, taking down fences, digging ditches, painting murals, working at the Salvation Army serving meals, walking Humane Society dogs, cleaning cages and working in the thrift shop, tutoring at the elementary school, mentoring at the Boys and Girls Club, preparing meals, and cleaning base camp.
Tristan Thunderbolt Herkimer, who works with KP's Educational Theatre Programs, was glad to see some attention go to Biloxi, near where his ex-wife lives.
“A lot of attention was given to New Orleans during Katrina, which is fine. However, Biloxi, Gulfport, and Waveland along the Mississippi coast were severely damaged as well. Homes blew across the streets, towns flattened completely, a sense of the communities....gone,” he said. “It has been a couple of years and there is so much work to do. I remembered Waveland when it was a cute coastal town with a couple of shops, library, post office, restaurants, and now....nothing.”
KP Santa Rosa’s Teresa Denniston, CRT, RDMS, compared the area to some of the world’s poorest.
“How sad it was to see such devastation—some of the neighborhoods looked like shanty towns in a third world country,” she said.
For Marc Van Riper, director of KP Santa Rosa’s Administrative Services, the hardest part was seeing the extremes: the mixture of devastation and rebuilding.
“Why one house stands brand new and rebuilt, beside a FEMA trailer, a neighborhood of abandoned homes in the shadow of new multi-story casinos,” he said.
Just as Herkimer wanted to help his ex-wife’s community rebuild, Curshanda Woods’ personal ties tugged on her. Her extended family lives in Biloxi, New Orleans, and other affected areas and a distant relative was killed in the storm.
“I often found myself wanting to help the families that I saw on TV and of course, my own family members,” said Woods, Community Relations specialist working in the regional offices. “I felt it was something I not only wanted to do, but needed to do.”
Volunteers in New Orleans and Biloxi were moved by what children had to say about what happened to their homes.
Denniston tutored a 6-year-old named Tyrone. He told her how his old house got washed away and he lost all of his toys.
“He got a little teary eyed as he told me this story— how devastating to lose everything at such a young age,” she said.
Vardara recalled the artwork done in crayons at an elementary school where he tutored. “The drawings were heartbreaking: ‘I saw our roof blow away’ with a picture of a roof flying above the house.”
KP volunteers were also touched by the many young volunteers who are working to revitalize the area.
Bernadette Gersh, who works in Pediatrics at KP Santa Clara, said: “I feel like there is still great hope for humanity after seeing what volunteers have done to rebuild the communities there."
02/08/08
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Mural Evolution - A Musical Picture Show
As I was taking pictures of the Mural we painted at the Community Health Center, I couldn't help to put this little slide show together.
Click Here:
Mural Evolution Video
Click Here:
Mural Evolution Video
Kaiser Permanente - HandsOn Gulf Coast Volunteers - Photo Montage of our trip
These 120+ pictures are a collection of our time in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Click below:
Biloxi Picture Gallery
Click below:
Biloxi Picture Gallery
Saturday, February 23, 2008
NOLA '08 (New Orleans KP-HandsOn Crew)
New Orleans, Louisiana 2005-2008
Please Take a Moment…
I invite you to please take a few moments and sit comfortably in your favorite chair. Please plant your feet firmly on the floor… Feel the texture and warmth of the carpet or the solid feel of the hardwood or tile floor under your feet... Look around your office, work station, or home and really examine the solid construction of the walls, the ceiling, and the floors... Take some time to admire the colorful furniture, pictures, artwork and décor. What is it that you like most about your office, work station, or home?
Now, please take 10 deep belly breaths in and out slowly... I invite you to relax the area around your eyes... Let your eye lids droop a bit... Now relax the muscles of your face… Let your mouth and jaw loosen and your cheeks soften... Continue to breathe in and out slowly and deeply… Again, take a look around your office, work station, or home… How does this space make you feel? Do you see or hear anything different? Maybe you now hear the heater or air conditioner humming… maybe you see the lights flickering… you may hear music or conversations in the back ground…
How do you feel right now? Are you feeling safe...secure…a part of a team… a part of a family….a part of a community… a part of something bigger than you? Do you trust that the air, heat, and lights will work properly? Do you trust that the floor, the walls and the ceiling will do their job and keep you safe?
I now invite you to imagine a very tiny pin size hole in the ceiling…the hole is so very, very, small…It does not pose any alarm to you…It is not a threat to you or the building…It is just a small pin size hole that catches your eye.
Now imagine that very small pin hole begins to drip one drop of water per hour…It is not a threat to you or the building…it is however a slight bother…No one would wants a drip every hour on their desk or furniture.
Now imagine the water is dripping a drop a minute… then a drop a second, then the hole begins to enlarge to the size of a penny…then a nickel…a quarter…a half dollar…a silver dollar…and the water is now coming in as if someone turned on a hose.
Let’s say that you have seen this happen before and you place a large cork in the hole and it stops leaking…You start to dry up the water and you call for assistance from a plumber or roofer…Again, you have seen this before and trust that someone will come and repair the situation…Your office, work station, or home is still comfortable, useable and safe.
Now… imagine that cork flies out with a loud pop that sounds much like the opening of a Champagne bottle top…The water is coming out like a fire hose, the pressure is tremendous and the hole is now the size of a small saucer… Where are the plumber and roofer?
You of course have seen this before…so you shove a pillow up into the hole…put a plate over the hole… and duct tape around the plate…you place a trash can below the pillow and plate and the water stops leaking…You place another call to the plumber and roofer to find out that they are busy fixing saucer size holes in their own offices and homes…You begin to wonder “what is going on?” Your pillow and plate plug is working well…Your office is still useable, though a bit damp…You still feel safe and secure, though your shoes are a bit wet.
Now, imagine the duct tape making a loud ripping noise… the plate beginning to wobble, the pillow is starting to show itself…All of a sudden with the force and crack of a Civil War canon, the ceiling opens up and you can see all the way to the sky! The water is pouring in so fast and furious that you fall to the ground and struggle to get up right…Your shoes, socks, pants, and the bottom of your shirt is soaked…You are now waist deep in water…
Of course you have seen this once before some 20 years ago…It is just a fact of life here and you know what to do…You shove a mattress up in the hole…remove the door from it’s hinges and place it over the bottom of the hole…You stack your furniture up under the door to hold it in place…You duct tape around the door edges and the leak stops…You place a call to the local emergency services and ask for assistance. Last time this happened it was just a matter of an hour until help arrived…You begin to pack some belongings to take with you when help arrives…Although you are concerned, you have all the faith in the world that help is on the way.
I now invite you to imagine the furniture shaking and wobbling as if there was an earthquake …the duct tape flapping in the wind like the torn sail on a pirate ship…the door creaking and bowing under the pressure of the water which you now realize is seconds away from flooding your entire office, work station, or home…Help has not arrived…You are now doubtful anyone is coming…You can not escape the water if your plug lets go as this time the water line will be up to your nose…How do you feel right now?
The furniture, duct tape, door, and mattress plug although strong and mighty…are no match for the brute force of nature...You have never seen anything like this before…and you begin to wonder if this is the end of your life’s journey.
Then all of a sudden your furniture, duct tape, and mattress plug falls to the ground with a simple thud! You can again see the sky and this time it is beautiful and blue as blue can be…to your surprise there is no more water flowing…you see a bright colored rainbow off in the distance. You begin to feel relief…you begin to laugh…you are so happy that the water is no longer falling that you begin to cry tears of joy… you are feeling as though you have tempted fate and cheated death…The worst is for sure behind you!
Lastly, I invite you to imagine that this awful day was yesterday and you are still stuck in your office or home without help…You are getting hungry and thirsty and begin to eat the snacks you have around the office…A large commercial water bottle survived and you begin to drink from it…
Now imagine that several days have gone by and the water level is still to your waist…
A week has gone by and the water level has gone down a bit, but snakes and alligators are now swimming in and around the hallways and doorways of your office or home…
Two weeks have gone by and you haven’t been able to leave your office or home... No food or water has yet arrived and you are feeling so very weak and helpless…You wonder if anyone cares about you… and will help ever be sent…
Help arrives and you are rescued by boat…
A year goes by……
Another year goes by…………….
Two and a half years have gone by……………………………………….
I don’t want you to have to imagine this, so let me paint the picture for you. If you were working or living in NOLA, especially the Lower 9th Ward or one of the similarly devastated Wards two and a half years ago, you are not likely back to your office, work station, or home because those places no longer exist or have been damaged beyond repair. The decay still evident two and one half years later is both heart breaking and horrifying. (Please view the photos of our work trip to New Orleans).
Help is there in the way of volunteers and the people of New Orleans are truly grateful. It is my opinion, that the people of New Orleans may be the nicest people, with the greatest food and a true zest for life that this great country has to offer. Let us never forget that Hurricane Katrina and Rita hit with a fury our United States of America and the people of New Orleans and the people of Mississippi are our fellow country people.
Please volunteer your time or resources now to make a difference in the life of at least one person or family in New Orleans or Biloxi! I have seen first hand the devastation and destruction and I promise you that your time or money will go to very good use. If you don’t swing a sledge hammer or want to haul gravel, you can plan a trip to New Orleans to sight see, go to the French Quarter, etc… Spend your money in New Orleans as that is great for their economic recovery! Please do your part.
Best Always,
Roderick W. Verbeck, Psy.D, MFT
Clinical Program Manager II
Addiction and Pain Medicine
Moreno Valley Medical Offices
Kaiser Permanente
Riverside California Service Area
Please Take a Moment…
I invite you to please take a few moments and sit comfortably in your favorite chair. Please plant your feet firmly on the floor… Feel the texture and warmth of the carpet or the solid feel of the hardwood or tile floor under your feet... Look around your office, work station, or home and really examine the solid construction of the walls, the ceiling, and the floors... Take some time to admire the colorful furniture, pictures, artwork and décor. What is it that you like most about your office, work station, or home?
Now, please take 10 deep belly breaths in and out slowly... I invite you to relax the area around your eyes... Let your eye lids droop a bit... Now relax the muscles of your face… Let your mouth and jaw loosen and your cheeks soften... Continue to breathe in and out slowly and deeply… Again, take a look around your office, work station, or home… How does this space make you feel? Do you see or hear anything different? Maybe you now hear the heater or air conditioner humming… maybe you see the lights flickering… you may hear music or conversations in the back ground…
How do you feel right now? Are you feeling safe...secure…a part of a team… a part of a family….a part of a community… a part of something bigger than you? Do you trust that the air, heat, and lights will work properly? Do you trust that the floor, the walls and the ceiling will do their job and keep you safe?
I now invite you to imagine a very tiny pin size hole in the ceiling…the hole is so very, very, small…It does not pose any alarm to you…It is not a threat to you or the building…It is just a small pin size hole that catches your eye.
Now imagine that very small pin hole begins to drip one drop of water per hour…It is not a threat to you or the building…it is however a slight bother…No one would wants a drip every hour on their desk or furniture.
Now imagine the water is dripping a drop a minute… then a drop a second, then the hole begins to enlarge to the size of a penny…then a nickel…a quarter…a half dollar…a silver dollar…and the water is now coming in as if someone turned on a hose.
Let’s say that you have seen this happen before and you place a large cork in the hole and it stops leaking…You start to dry up the water and you call for assistance from a plumber or roofer…Again, you have seen this before and trust that someone will come and repair the situation…Your office, work station, or home is still comfortable, useable and safe.
Now… imagine that cork flies out with a loud pop that sounds much like the opening of a Champagne bottle top…The water is coming out like a fire hose, the pressure is tremendous and the hole is now the size of a small saucer… Where are the plumber and roofer?
You of course have seen this before…so you shove a pillow up into the hole…put a plate over the hole… and duct tape around the plate…you place a trash can below the pillow and plate and the water stops leaking…You place another call to the plumber and roofer to find out that they are busy fixing saucer size holes in their own offices and homes…You begin to wonder “what is going on?” Your pillow and plate plug is working well…Your office is still useable, though a bit damp…You still feel safe and secure, though your shoes are a bit wet.
Now, imagine the duct tape making a loud ripping noise… the plate beginning to wobble, the pillow is starting to show itself…All of a sudden with the force and crack of a Civil War canon, the ceiling opens up and you can see all the way to the sky! The water is pouring in so fast and furious that you fall to the ground and struggle to get up right…Your shoes, socks, pants, and the bottom of your shirt is soaked…You are now waist deep in water…
Of course you have seen this once before some 20 years ago…It is just a fact of life here and you know what to do…You shove a mattress up in the hole…remove the door from it’s hinges and place it over the bottom of the hole…You stack your furniture up under the door to hold it in place…You duct tape around the door edges and the leak stops…You place a call to the local emergency services and ask for assistance. Last time this happened it was just a matter of an hour until help arrived…You begin to pack some belongings to take with you when help arrives…Although you are concerned, you have all the faith in the world that help is on the way.
I now invite you to imagine the furniture shaking and wobbling as if there was an earthquake …the duct tape flapping in the wind like the torn sail on a pirate ship…the door creaking and bowing under the pressure of the water which you now realize is seconds away from flooding your entire office, work station, or home…Help has not arrived…You are now doubtful anyone is coming…You can not escape the water if your plug lets go as this time the water line will be up to your nose…How do you feel right now?
The furniture, duct tape, door, and mattress plug although strong and mighty…are no match for the brute force of nature...You have never seen anything like this before…and you begin to wonder if this is the end of your life’s journey.
Then all of a sudden your furniture, duct tape, and mattress plug falls to the ground with a simple thud! You can again see the sky and this time it is beautiful and blue as blue can be…to your surprise there is no more water flowing…you see a bright colored rainbow off in the distance. You begin to feel relief…you begin to laugh…you are so happy that the water is no longer falling that you begin to cry tears of joy… you are feeling as though you have tempted fate and cheated death…The worst is for sure behind you!
Lastly, I invite you to imagine that this awful day was yesterday and you are still stuck in your office or home without help…You are getting hungry and thirsty and begin to eat the snacks you have around the office…A large commercial water bottle survived and you begin to drink from it…
Now imagine that several days have gone by and the water level is still to your waist…
A week has gone by and the water level has gone down a bit, but snakes and alligators are now swimming in and around the hallways and doorways of your office or home…
Two weeks have gone by and you haven’t been able to leave your office or home... No food or water has yet arrived and you are feeling so very weak and helpless…You wonder if anyone cares about you… and will help ever be sent…
Help arrives and you are rescued by boat…
A year goes by……
Another year goes by…………….
Two and a half years have gone by……………………………………….
I don’t want you to have to imagine this, so let me paint the picture for you. If you were working or living in NOLA, especially the Lower 9th Ward or one of the similarly devastated Wards two and a half years ago, you are not likely back to your office, work station, or home because those places no longer exist or have been damaged beyond repair. The decay still evident two and one half years later is both heart breaking and horrifying. (Please view the photos of our work trip to New Orleans).
Help is there in the way of volunteers and the people of New Orleans are truly grateful. It is my opinion, that the people of New Orleans may be the nicest people, with the greatest food and a true zest for life that this great country has to offer. Let us never forget that Hurricane Katrina and Rita hit with a fury our United States of America and the people of New Orleans and the people of Mississippi are our fellow country people.
Please volunteer your time or resources now to make a difference in the life of at least one person or family in New Orleans or Biloxi! I have seen first hand the devastation and destruction and I promise you that your time or money will go to very good use. If you don’t swing a sledge hammer or want to haul gravel, you can plan a trip to New Orleans to sight see, go to the French Quarter, etc… Spend your money in New Orleans as that is great for their economic recovery! Please do your part.
Best Always,
Roderick W. Verbeck, Psy.D, MFT
Clinical Program Manager II
Addiction and Pain Medicine
Moreno Valley Medical Offices
Kaiser Permanente
Riverside California Service Area
Magnolias
MAGNOLIAS By Edna Ellison
I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man,I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . . so many details, so many bills, and so little time.
My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!
To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.
After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.
The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiancée Tim, walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.
I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.
Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias,courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.
As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...no dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good...no shot gun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'
He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.' 'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.' 'What?' I asked.
'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday. He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away.'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.
I nodded.
'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody! I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'
I stood with my mouth open. He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...' I assured him I was no angel. He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?' 'No.'
'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'
I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'
But God found a way through dead flowers. 'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.' Blessed are those who give without remembering....and receive without forgetting.
I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man,I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . . so many details, so many bills, and so little time.
My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!
To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.
After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.
The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiancée Tim, walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.
I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.
Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias,courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.
As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...no dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good...no shot gun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'
He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.' 'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.' 'What?' I asked.
'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday. He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away.'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.
I nodded.
'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody! I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'
I stood with my mouth open. He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...' I assured him I was no angel. He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?' 'No.'
'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'
I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'
But God found a way through dead flowers. 'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.' Blessed are those who give without remembering....and receive without forgetting.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Article on the Pet Crisis in the Gulf Coast
"Kid gloves for pets in disaster"
Rescue plans - Oregon agencies make provisions for animals in the event of an emergency evacuation
Monday, February 11, 2008
PETER ZUCKERMAN
The Oregonian
Next time a tsunami, flood or earthquake strikes Oregon, rescuers will try to save pets and livestock as well as people.
As required by a 2007 state law and post-Hurricane Katrina federal grant rules, public agencies across Oregon are adding dogs, cats, cattle, horses, sheep, chickens -- possibly even snakes and rats -- to emergency-management efforts. Some plans call for animal refugee camps set up next to Red Cross shelters.
The changes will increase costs and the demands on emergency workers, but proponents say rescuing animals is the responsible and ethical thing to do -- for people as well as animals.
Hurricane Katrina provided several lessons. Many residents might refuse to leave without their pets. People forced to evacuate without their animals tend to return before it is safe. Dogs left to fend for themselves could become vicious and attack rescue workers, disaster victims or other stranded pets.
The humane treatment of animals, even in times of emergency, has become a mainstream American value.
"Now people take animal rescue seriously," said Oregon Humane Society spokesman David Lytle. "Katrina was a wake-up call, and this is one of the things we learned."
Clackamas County -- home to 365,000 people, 87,000 cats, 80,000 dogs, 58,000 livestock animals, 9,000 horses and an estimated 1.8 million chickens -- is one of the first counties in Oregon to rework its disaster plan. "Helping pets during disasters is helping people during disasters," declares the county's updated plan. "No one should have to choose between evacuating to safety or remaining with their pets in harm's way."
County officials hope to team with other Portland-area agencies to buy a mobile emergency animal shelter (basically a big truck with kennels), an animal ambulance and supply van, and three giant tents to create animal refugee camps near Red Cross shelters, which forbid pets.
About two-thirds of U.S. homes contain pets, with untold thousands more people keeping horses, livestock and other farm animals. "It's a lot more to worry about," said Gene Juvie, emergency management assistant director for Clackamas County. "A lot more."
The Katrina effect
Hurricane Katrina left as many as 50,000 pets stranded throughout the Gulf Coast, many through forced evacuation of their owners. Some pets drowned; some died of dehydration or starvation; some were killed by other animals. But many were saved thanks to the nationally televised efforts of animal lovers from across the country.
The Oregon Humane Society chartered a passenger jet to New Orleans and sent several drivers there, bringing back 151 cats and dogs and finding homes for all of them.
"The public will no longer tolerate disaster planning and rescue and relief operations that do not account for the needs of animals," said a statement issued about a year after Katrina from Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.
According to a post-Katrina Zogby survey of 3,185 adults nationwide, about half said they would refuse to evacuate ahead of a disaster without their pets, and 57 percent said official disaster rescue efforts should include animals.
In October 2006, President Bush signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. Last year Oregon legislators passed a law requiring agencies to provide for animals in their disaster plans. Later this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture will join the effort with a series of summits to help cities and counties update their plans.
Floods and farms
In the Northwest, where lowland floods come every winter, farms are a particular concern.
In the 1996 Tillamook floods, more than 8 feet of water spilled into Joan Marti's dairy barn. She risked her life to save her cows, swimming through sludge and leading them to higher ground.
About one-third of her herd died. The loss was devastating, and not just because the 86 cows were worth $2,000 to $3,000 each. "It was my moral duty to make sure they're well taken care of," she said, still upset more than a decade later.
This winter's floods were a different story. Encouraged by local and federal disaster policies that now include animals, Marti had a cow evacuation plan, backup generator and large earthen mounds -- elevated bovine safety zones -- partly subsidized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
None of her cows drowned.
Building on such success, the Tillamook Police Department is putting together a reverse 9-1-1 system that can place automated calls to hundreds of farmers at once, warning them of rising water or other potential emergencies.
When Vernonia flooded last fall, emergency managers coordinated with businesses and volunteers to drop off hay and other supplies at a covered basketball court, creating an emergency livestock food bank. The state veterinarian stood by for anyone who needed help.
Firefighters in Clackamas County Fire District No. 1, typically the first responders in an emergency, now carry pet resuscitation kits provided by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Oregon. They are tailored to fit a range of muzzles and whiskers.
Deputy Chief Scott Weninger emphasized that people will always have priority, but times have changed.
"They expect us to save their animals now."
Peter Zuckerman: 503-294-5919; peterzuckerman@ news.oregonian.com
Rescue plans - Oregon agencies make provisions for animals in the event of an emergency evacuation
Monday, February 11, 2008
PETER ZUCKERMAN
The Oregonian
Next time a tsunami, flood or earthquake strikes Oregon, rescuers will try to save pets and livestock as well as people.
As required by a 2007 state law and post-Hurricane Katrina federal grant rules, public agencies across Oregon are adding dogs, cats, cattle, horses, sheep, chickens -- possibly even snakes and rats -- to emergency-management efforts. Some plans call for animal refugee camps set up next to Red Cross shelters.
The changes will increase costs and the demands on emergency workers, but proponents say rescuing animals is the responsible and ethical thing to do -- for people as well as animals.
Hurricane Katrina provided several lessons. Many residents might refuse to leave without their pets. People forced to evacuate without their animals tend to return before it is safe. Dogs left to fend for themselves could become vicious and attack rescue workers, disaster victims or other stranded pets.
The humane treatment of animals, even in times of emergency, has become a mainstream American value.
"Now people take animal rescue seriously," said Oregon Humane Society spokesman David Lytle. "Katrina was a wake-up call, and this is one of the things we learned."
Clackamas County -- home to 365,000 people, 87,000 cats, 80,000 dogs, 58,000 livestock animals, 9,000 horses and an estimated 1.8 million chickens -- is one of the first counties in Oregon to rework its disaster plan. "Helping pets during disasters is helping people during disasters," declares the county's updated plan. "No one should have to choose between evacuating to safety or remaining with their pets in harm's way."
County officials hope to team with other Portland-area agencies to buy a mobile emergency animal shelter (basically a big truck with kennels), an animal ambulance and supply van, and three giant tents to create animal refugee camps near Red Cross shelters, which forbid pets.
About two-thirds of U.S. homes contain pets, with untold thousands more people keeping horses, livestock and other farm animals. "It's a lot more to worry about," said Gene Juvie, emergency management assistant director for Clackamas County. "A lot more."
The Katrina effect
Hurricane Katrina left as many as 50,000 pets stranded throughout the Gulf Coast, many through forced evacuation of their owners. Some pets drowned; some died of dehydration or starvation; some were killed by other animals. But many were saved thanks to the nationally televised efforts of animal lovers from across the country.
The Oregon Humane Society chartered a passenger jet to New Orleans and sent several drivers there, bringing back 151 cats and dogs and finding homes for all of them.
"The public will no longer tolerate disaster planning and rescue and relief operations that do not account for the needs of animals," said a statement issued about a year after Katrina from Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.
According to a post-Katrina Zogby survey of 3,185 adults nationwide, about half said they would refuse to evacuate ahead of a disaster without their pets, and 57 percent said official disaster rescue efforts should include animals.
In October 2006, President Bush signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. Last year Oregon legislators passed a law requiring agencies to provide for animals in their disaster plans. Later this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture will join the effort with a series of summits to help cities and counties update their plans.
Floods and farms
In the Northwest, where lowland floods come every winter, farms are a particular concern.
In the 1996 Tillamook floods, more than 8 feet of water spilled into Joan Marti's dairy barn. She risked her life to save her cows, swimming through sludge and leading them to higher ground.
About one-third of her herd died. The loss was devastating, and not just because the 86 cows were worth $2,000 to $3,000 each. "It was my moral duty to make sure they're well taken care of," she said, still upset more than a decade later.
This winter's floods were a different story. Encouraged by local and federal disaster policies that now include animals, Marti had a cow evacuation plan, backup generator and large earthen mounds -- elevated bovine safety zones -- partly subsidized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
None of her cows drowned.
Building on such success, the Tillamook Police Department is putting together a reverse 9-1-1 system that can place automated calls to hundreds of farmers at once, warning them of rising water or other potential emergencies.
When Vernonia flooded last fall, emergency managers coordinated with businesses and volunteers to drop off hay and other supplies at a covered basketball court, creating an emergency livestock food bank. The state veterinarian stood by for anyone who needed help.
Firefighters in Clackamas County Fire District No. 1, typically the first responders in an emergency, now carry pet resuscitation kits provided by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Oregon. They are tailored to fit a range of muzzles and whiskers.
Deputy Chief Scott Weninger emphasized that people will always have priority, but times have changed.
"They expect us to save their animals now."
Peter Zuckerman: 503-294-5919; peterzuckerman@ news.oregonian.com
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