Suffolk, Va. – It is day 2 …and we began by going to a local “look & leave mission” conducted by the Suffolk Emergency Management.  Residents gathered on the lawn of the Parks and Recreation Department to hear instructions on how they would be escorted to see their home for the first time since the storm.

It was a day of flooded emotions . . . sadness, anger, frustration, love, compassion and accomplishment.  Questions consumed them such as “What is left? Is my still home standing? How many personal items (pictures, graduation invitations, wedding gowns, etc.) will I be able to find and stuff in my plastic bag that was issued to me when I arrived?”

I watched as the residents were told they would only have 10 minutes to look at their home and retrieve any personal belongings.  They all huddled in circles and were grouped by neighborhoods. 

I stopped to talk with the Bob and Joanne from the Burnett Mills Subdivision. The couple was probably in their sixties, and I listened as they began to talk about how hard it was to believe and accept that this really happened to them. 

They had insurance, but the depth of their pain was just as real as someone who did not.  They reminisced about each special tree they had personally planted, how much they loved their home and just hoping there would be some special items left they could retrieve. 

I bent down to pray for them, asking God to comfort them.  As I ended the prayer, Joanne wiped tears away saying, “Thank you. I need that.“  I stood up gave Bob a big hug. With the embrace came tears. . . Real people with real pain.

As I walked away, the first bus of residents returned from their “look and leave” experience.  I will never forget the sight as they filed off the bus, crying with deep sobs.  One African American gentleman helped his family off the bus, with one small bag filled only halfway with items he was able to retrieve.  He looked up at the City Councilman present with silent tears rolling down his face and said, “How? How can this happen to us? This is the very thing that happened in New Orleans during Katrina.”

Other residents were shouting in anger; others numb from the shock.  Operation Blessing teams listened to their stories and passed their concerns on to city officials.  We called the Billy Graham Chaplains and asked them to come and talk with the residents as they were returning.  

It brought us such strength to have this rapid response team that we could call on to focus on the emotional care of the residents as we continue to get volunteers and construction teams mobilized to help these residents pick up the pieces of their lives.  The chaplains moved slowly through the crowd, listening to stories and loving on each family member represented.

Today started as a day of pain and hurt but ended as a day of reward and accomplishment.  We were able to be a voice for the residents and break through barriers so that experienced disaster relief professionals and volunteers will be able to help these residents begin collecting their belongings and clearing their debris starting tomorrow – day 3.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 2:49 pm and is filed under Jody Herrington, North America, US. Tornadoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.