Installment #1~ Monday Sept 12th ~ Wednesday Sept 14th.
More to come.
Peace~ Dondi
Monday September 12th, 2005
We are in Houston, Texas~ arrived this afternoon after leaving San Diego at 5 am. Drove straight fom the airport to the Astrodome and volunteered for a few hours, mostly on "meal duty" to feed the medical volunteers and others who are very tired. Aramark is supplying the food and beverages, so we were volunteers for "Aramark" tonight.

The Astrodome will be cleared out by Sat. People can have a one-way ticket on Continental or Amtraak to anywhere in the US. Rumor is that FEMA will put them up in apts for 3 months although we have also heard, "only ne month" and "a whole year." Lots of rumors about everything here. The guests are all walking around in new clothes with new babys strollers and seem to be doing well. There are plenty of free phones and the people can call anywhere in the US. There is day care and plenty of medical service. They are going through all the work of getting ID's, SS cards, etc.

Tomorrow we will go back. There are TONS of donations but they dont seem to be getting out~ they are piling up in wharehouses. Very strange. We are not allowed to pass out our phone cards, luggage, back packs or anything we purchased. We are also not allowed to pick up any children or speak to the residents unless they speak to us.

We have been told to be on a "buddy system" especially when we use the bathroom. Bright lights are on 24 hours a day to prevent crime. There is live gospel music and a basket ball court set up that seems to be busy all the time. I havent seen any white "residents." We have been told that, as volunteers we can only use the words "residents" or "guests" never survivors, evacuees or refugees.

The bulk of the volunteers are from California~ very low turn-out of Texas volunteers.

Several people tell us they are desperate for volunteers and they are happy we are there. Others tell us that there was "overkill" with volunteers and we are better off going to Mississippi. Hmmm. Should we make the 6 hour drive to Mississippi or stay here and continue to help?

We will try to get some sleep tonight and go back to the Astrodome tomorrow morning and give of our time all day. I will know more then.

September 13th, 2005
Today was a better day. I felt like we were more utilized. We checked in at The Reliant Center which is right next door to the dome and went to our first duty of "meal service." The man who was directing the entire "meal service" are was a sweet, big, firm black man who used to play for the L.A. Rams. He told us to PLEASE not argue with anyone or lose patience with anyone. He reminded us that the "residents" had been standing in the hot sun for hours and some of them still hadnt received their money or school clothes that they were promised for their kids. He made us get into a huddle and all touch hands. He would say, "We are going to ride this mule and let it go!" He would ask us all to repeat, "Ride this mule and let it go!" He would role play and say, "Where is the sugar?! There isnt enough salt! I want more bread!" We were told to give the residents ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING they wanted even though they would come in with "attitudes." In other words, "Ride this mule and let it go." When you ride a mule and let it go, it goes where it would like and you are just on it for the ride. But, if you pull back the reigns and try to stop it, it stops and it wont move. It was a good lesson. I was glad we were there for it because then we were whisked away and asked to help give out shoes. So, me and the two "Jeff's" went to an area where we were told there mightbe a riot. Twenty soldiers of some sort were brought in to help "maintain the peace." This company we were "working" for was called, "Share Your Soles." We were to give two pairs of shoes to each person and then "get them out of there." Well, the process was slow. It was hard to find styles the people liked (there were alot of boring "white people" shoes ~as one lady remarked with a laugh) and it seemed alot of women were size 10 and alot of men were size 13.) But, the people were nice and I FINALLY felt like I was helping. I helped alot of kids try on shoes. I was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and I think they were drawn to it. The kids were adorable and I REALLY wanted to pick them up but I was told not to. After an hour we were told everyone could have 3 pairs. After three hours we had thousands of pairs of shoes left and there was an announcement made for everyone to come and take as many pairs as they wanted. It all remained peaceful and there was no riot. Not even close. We were told not to take any photos but the president of the company was so Jeffery did. He got some great ones. There is one of a soldier holding a little baby while the mother is away trying to find her shoes. It should be on the cover of a magazine.

I hope tomorrow is another day of helping people...another day of feeling like we have helped. I hope it is another day of more insight and realization for me and more solace for others. I was a little freaked out yesterday when we drove up to the Astrodome and the survivors were walking around in high-heels, "bling" jewelry, and designer shoes. I had to remind myself that these people lost everything. I have to always make myself remember that some of them fought alligators, watched their friends and family die right in front of them and that most of them lost EVERYTHING. Today was another "shake your head moment" when someone told me about when the survivors arrived at the Astrodome after being transferred from the pits of the Superdome in New Orleans. They got off the buses tired, dirty, injured, in shock and owning only the clothes on their back. Then before they entered the Astrodome the police said they had to show their I.D.

Wednesday September 14th, 2005
Today was productive and tiring and rewarding. Me and the Jeff's started the day by driving to Unity Church to find out what they needed from us and if there were any donations for us to retrieve. Lots of gift cards, movie passes, restaurant gift certificates and pre-stamped postcards had arrived from many of our friends in San Diego and across the nation. Yipee! They would make alot of people very happy.

The minister at Unity told us about a woman who was taking care of 8 "hurricane" families and having problems of her own with mold in her house. Her son had already had a stomach surgery from the mold. She was sharing clothes with her daughter because they didnt have enough money to buy more clothes. She was hoping she could get a nylon jogging suit. We drove to a sporting goods store and bought her three Adidas jogging suits in different colors. Mom and David pitched in money and so did Unity Church. Jogging suits arent cheap these days and we wanted to give her something really nice so she would feel good.

We collected some addresses from Unity of small shelters in Houston that were not getting as many donations as the big ones that were on the news like the Astrodome, George Brown Center and Reliant Center. We drove to a place called, "Turning Point" that is usually a center for homeless elderly. Now, it is not only that, but a shelter for Katrina survivors. We were told there was a family with kids that had been "placed" there...we were excited. We were going to give some of the "goodies" we had bought in San Diego like parachute men for the boys, and "play jewelry" for the girls. We also had bubbles for all the kids which were a real hit. It just happened to be one of the kids birthdays so the gifts went over like a charm...additionally we had beautiful gift bags filled with coloring books from the Unity Church.

On our way to the next stop...an rest home which had also been turned into a shelter for those affected by Katrina. They requested more donations which was refreshing since the bigger shelters stopped taking donations
several days ago. This rest home was more difficult. No one was there to accept our donations and the place was "uninviting." We took a few phone cards and pre-stamped postcards and put them under the directors locked door in an envelope with directions of distribution for Katrina survivors.

By now we had done alot of driving and were tired. It didnt help that for the next hour we were lost on frontage roads and side streets in Houston. Naturally, bad moods followed. It would have been so easy to go back to the Marriott, get into the jacuzzi and chill out in our air conditioned room. But, the three of us decided to "pep ourselves up" with a Starbucks and continue volunteering for the rest of the night. It was already 9 pm and we were dragging hard from a long day...especially the Jeff's. After our mocha's we went to the Reliant Center (still housing 4,000 guests) and
checked in for our assignments. Three adult volunteers were immeditaely needed!! We were asked to watch some babies before "Health Services" took them away. The parents were out for the day trying to find housing and it was now nightime and they hadnt returned. Everyone at the center knew they would be back...that none of them had transportation and they were taking buses in a city they were unfamiliar with.
To be continued...

9-16-05
This is me in Houston with Kisha, Tieron and Alexander on Thursday September 15th. Kisha is a single mom from New Orleans. When I told her that I would be taking her to her new home she said, "You mean we're going in a car and not a bus?" She was so happy she was crying.

There were not many private cars because neither FEMA, Reliant, Astrodome, or anyone would cover the survivors with insurance if we got into an accident. Me and the two Jeff's, whom I traveled to Texas with, had a rental car and I was the one authorized to drive it. I decided to take the risk and give these survivors some dignity. On this day I volunteered for "Code Pink~Women for Peace." www.codepink4peace.org

Kisha was given a $2,000 debit card, a $2,000 check, a "Red Cross" card for $800, and a food stamp card for $2,000. I took her to an apartment near "Sugar Land" which was in a beautiful area of Houston. Her apartment will be free for the next 6 months and after that it will go up to $550 a month. It was gorgeous with a fireplace, laundry room, two bedrooms, a patio and vaulted ceilings. It was paid for by FEMA. This is a gated community with a pool and Jacuzzi. Kisha was squealing, running through the apartment saying, "Look!! Oh my lord, look!" She said that she felt that god blessed her. I asked her how she qualified for all of this and she said, "I filled out the paperwork two days ago and this morning I was approved. All I had to do was filled out the paperwork."

As we left the Astrodome, her whole family came to say goodbye...cousins, aunts, uncles...they would all be going to their own apartments throughout Houston but weren't being approved until the next day. Her mom asked me if I would take Kisha and the kids to get some food. I said, "of course." We went to the grocery store (see photo) and she filled two baskets with food. She used her food stamp card on about $300 worth of food and I bought her a few pots, pans, plates, utensils and toilet paper. I also gave her some phone cards, coloring books and crayons that I had bought, and a stack of stamped postcards that friends in San Diego had donated. She was very thankful, since in New Orleans her, all her friends and family lived within blocks of each other. Now, she would be virtually alone.

When I took these photos, Kisha was amazed. She had never seen a digital camera, let alone one that had a "self-timer" (see photo of us in her new apartment). The clothes that you see Kisha, Tieron and Alexander in are clothes that they received through donations. As the flood waters rose in Kisha’s little New Orleans house that she was “renting to own” she was not able to save anything except one family photo. All she could do was rush to get the boys out because the waters came so fast (I had heard on the news that in some places they rose a foot a minute).

Kisha has never paid a rent as high as $550 a month but she said she is going to try when her rent is raised in six months. She will look for a job as a nursing assistant. Meanwhile she is going to figure out how to get back to New Orleans to retrieve anything that might be left in her home.

Kisha told me alot of stories about the last two weeks. The most horrifying were of grotesque and terrifying moments in the Superdome in New Orleans. The stories made my jaw drop and also made me feel sick to my stomach. When I find the courage to write about them I will.

Dondi Dahlin
www.DondiBellyDancer.com
www.RayDahlin.com