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In reply to the discussion: DUers post the thing about post Katrina that shocked you the most [View all]Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)at Camp Coast Care in Long Beach, MS.
Thirteen of us from my church spent a week on the Gulf Coast. I was prepared to join the crews that were clearing rubble, but I had a bad cold, so the camp directors told me to stay there and distribute supplies. After a day in clothing and a day in food, I settled into the medical tent, where my job was to distribute over-the-counter meds and first aid supplies. (The tent was staffed by whichever doctors and nurses happened to be there.)
Anyway, a very sad looking man in his 50s or 60s came up to my table and asked if I had needles for insulin injections. I told him that this had to be authorized by one of the nurses, and in any case, we wouldn't have any new needles to till the next day.
He looked as if he were going to burst into tears and said, "I won't be here tomorrow."
This alarmed me. I thought, "Is he planning to commit suicide?" I wondered if I should send for the clinical psychologist who was married to one of the doctors. So I asked, "What do you mean?"
He sighed and said, "My family has lived in this area since 1835, and there's nothing here for us anymore. We're leaving, but we don't know where we'll end up."
Heartbreaking. What could I do but wish him luck?