Biloxi Blues

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It’s official: I’m being deployed by the Red Cross. I got the call today that I’m being sent to Biloxi, Mississippi. As soon as I got the word, I called the R.C.’s travel agency to arrange my trip. Turns out they don’t have any flights to the region until Wednesday, so at 9 a.m. on October 12, I’ll be flying into Gulfport, which is close by.

I’ve been assigned to work in sheltering. I’m still hoping to work in (or drive) an ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle), but we’ll see what happens when I get there. I’ll be in Biloxi for three weeks, which means I’ll miss the rest of the baseball playoffs, the World Series, and worst of all, Sari’s birthday. The sacrifices one makes, eh?

This evening I went back to R.C. HQ to finish the paperwork. They gave me an official ID badge and a debit card with $900 on it ($150 to outfit myself before I go, and $250 per week for incidental expenses). I also got a really cool CamelBak drinkable backpack. You know, one of those things that’s filled with water and has a drinking tube. So in the next couple days I’ve gotta get the rest of the things I’ll need down there: a bedroll, lots of sunscreen, and all the other stuff thamesrhodes recommended.

So there you go, it’s really happening. I hope I’ll be able to post frequent updates, but I have doubts about the reliability of Internet service down there.

0 thoughts on “Biloxi Blues

  1. Congrats. I admire your committment and, literally, your moral caliber. As Dino said, take copious notes. Your experience will be different than many, because you’ll be oberving as you help others, paying more attention to the experience.
    I’ll be thinking of you.
    lp

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