Blue Whale Katrina Relief Effort

Tammy & Sadie's Katrina Journal

Oct. 7-8: They have "Filled The Bus" in Rosholt, WI List of Needed Items Donated. [The items listed are specifically requested & needed.]

Sadie, Tammy & Carolyn packing up the donated items. Justin and Steve after the heavy lifting.

Ellie

Ellie the happy helper.

50 cases of water & 50 boxes of needed items were loaded up.

Oct. 11th: Today they departed at 10 am heading for Tammany Oaks Church of Christ to volunteer there time & energy for 3 weeks.

They'll be staying & eating in the bus. 10 am the Blue Whale headed South. 10pm they arrived in Litchfield, IL near St. Louis. A good days drive(500 miles).
In the back is the bed. Once plugged in at
Tammany Oaks, they can camp out and                         Keep them in your Prayers.
help using the bus as their home base.
During the day they will be helping along
with volunteers there that are expecting them.

We'd like to thank the community for all there help.

Also, thanks to New Line 9 and the Portage County Gazette who filmed and did a report about this trip.

Oct. 12th:

Today at approximately 10 am they left Litchfield, IL & they arrived in Memphis, TN. They called home at 9pm all plugged in. They camped by the Mississippi River and got to see a few barges go by; no sighting of Elvis yet. They had another good day of safe driving (300 miles). The total trip down is 1123 miles. Almost there. Keep Praying, so far so good.

Oct. 13th:

The Blue Whale has arrived! After hours and hours of driving, the Blue Whale pulled into its new home for the next few weeks. Tammy and Sadie were welcomed with warm smiles, thankful hearts, and many questions about this "Hippie Bus" that was now joining the fleet of eight RV's in the parking lot. While the weekends bring in around 160 volunteers, the weekdays are long and difficult with more work than the small amount of weekly volunteers can accomplish. Wake-up is at 6:00am. Volunteers have access to outdoor showers where they quickly gain first hand experience of the M.A.S.H.-type showers we all know and love. At 6:30am, the group comes together for a time of prayer and singing before they begin their day. A generous cook prepares three meals a day for the volunteers, and after a morning meal, each person chooses his or her assignment for the day. By 7:15am everyone fed (physically and spiritually), and ready to begin their day of service in the Kingdom. Some will be working with the supplies--separation, organization, and distribution. Others will work on houses which were destroyed. There are a number of assignments each day that are needed to be completed. The day ends as it began--showers, food, and a group devotional. After this, the exhausted volunteers make their way to their beds (some sleep in RV's, others in classrooms) for a good night's rest before they wake up to do it all over again....such is the life of a volunteer. Please continue to pray for these compassionate and dedicated servants!

Oct. 14th:

Today was the first full day as Volunteers. The work was hard, but rewarding. For today's assignment, Tammy and Sadie chose to help clean up the yard of a women who is unable to do any work because of a pinched nerve in her back. The woman has two children, 14 and 4 years old. The whole family was very happy to see the crew of six volunteers who were willing to provide the help that was needed. The beautiful day made the work that much more enjoyable. In addition to their protective gear, the crew had the necessary aid to combat the heat of the day: water, Gatorade, and two young helpers. The 14 year old child labored alongside of the crew, as did the 4 year old sibling, equipped with a plastic rake. After a long day of clearing the lawn of debris, mowing, and other various jobs around the yard, the crew was heartily invited by their gracious host to share in a southern delicacy: jambalaya. Although they were faced with the difficult choice between this great feast and the brown-bag meals they had brought along with them, the crew wisely chose to partake in the delicious home cooked meal. After returning to the base for a refreshing (outdoor) shower, the now-plugged-in Blue Whale was an inviting place of rest. Each day the volunteers chip away at the gates of debris which guard the City of New Orleans. While several brave volunteers have penetrated the city in order to begin work on the inside, the surrounding area still awaits the awakening of businesses and the revival of life in general. May God continue to bless all of those who have dedicated their days in order to restore what has been lost!

Oct. 15th:

Sat. Tammy and Sadie went out with a team of 15 people who went to two houses. A tree had fallen on this ladies house and debris filled her yard. The team concentrated there efforts together on this house first, finished it up and moved on to her neighbors house, all working as a team.   While they worked on the second yard the lady from the first house came out to tell Tammy she needed a break, she was turning red and should rest some in her house. Tammy said she did not need break but the lady insisted, so Tammy went in and listened to her story. The lady was so appreciative and seemed like she just wanted to talk and tell her story.   She lived alone and she talked of her mother who had Alzheimer's.   After a while she ended up going into her closet to offer a box of Mardi Gra beads to all the workers along with some easter candy(The volunteers all enjoyed the gifts) and two straw hats that use to be her fathers. She said Tammy needed a straw hat :) A very productive day, cleared two lawns and then back to the showers, a meal, devotional and the blue whale beds.

Oct. 16th:

Sun. the morning was filled with a revitalizing church service and a more restful day. After the service though they hooked up with a youth group from Oklahoma and some college students and went back out to clear more yards. It turned out that the group from Claremore, OK knew Sadie's father who lives near there. They also took the opportunity to catch a ride to Walmart where they needed some shoes and supplies. The lines were long but it was a needed stop.

Oct. 17th:

Today was possibly the most revealing experience for Sadie. She was sitting next to 6 guys who were being assigned a job down town New Orleans. So Sadie asked if she could go to help and they all said no problem. It was a team of 6 guys along with Sadie and another women. They all were given a white heavy paper over coat to protect there clothes, long fireman boots and a heavy duty air mask and goggles to protect them. They went 30 miles away. They headed S. over a 23 mile bridge over Lake Pontchatrain. Sadie went past the damaged super dome and ended up at a house where they were to haul everything out of the house and set it beside the street. First Sadie noticed everything was deserted, except she saw one guy go by on a motor cycle carrying a gun?   All the houses and buildings were marked with some kind of X code, which meant they were all checked out by authorities.   But here's where it gets disturbing.   She entered the house with her gear on and say a house filled with black, brown, green sludge all over everything. There were two water marks, one 7 foot high on this ranch house and another water line mark at about 5 foot high. The house just wreaked and one of the guys threw up. Sadie said you would not want to keep anything in the house. They hauled wheel barrels full of waste out. They were told to break a few windows to let air in to dry things out. She doubted the house could be saved but it might be possible with treatment and a complete gutting of the drywall...   Sadie said all the houses in that area were just sitting there rotting. However, after there clean up of 3 straight hrs, it could be possible now to save the house. Tammy stayed and helped at the church that day. She sorted items, made a rake rack and cleaned a bucket of money that was found and covered with this nasty sludge. The money will be returned to the owner, cleaner and I'm sure appreciated.

Oct. 18th:

Found out some interesting facts about why there is such a need to clear the yards. First, it is not just small twigs, it is big branches, pine needles, garbage, paper... And a main reason to clear it is so no snakes inhabit the yard. The Water Moccasin and the Cotton Mouth snakes love to make a home in the messed up yards. Tammy, Sadie and a 70 year old gentleman with a car took an assignment to clear another yard close by. They ended up getting the front yard done. The old man worked the chain saw while the two of them cleared. Then around 3pm the fella said he sure wished to buy the girls a malt somewhere and thought if only there were a Sonic open somewhere. Sadie piped up and said she had seen one the day before. So they finished the front yard and headed to get a malt. They got lost a while but finally found the open Sonic. They enjoyed the break and headed back to home base.

Oct. 21th:
LETTER FROM TAMMY:
Hello Everyone!
I have found a computer with which to write to you from Mandeville just
outside of New Orleans.
There is MUCH work to complete here. I have just returned from New Orleans
proper. Today the crew I worked with delivered over 1000 filled backpacks to
5 elementary schools and one Baptist church who will distribute them to the
schools in their immediate area. One school has 75% of its students, one has
58% of students and one is currently housing classes from 2 schools under
one roof. I didn't get percentages at the other schools.

Other days I have been clearing debris from lawns. Huge trees have been
toppled, and I have been on teams to remove trucks, branches leaves and pine
needles. Residents have been a single mom, a single woman who's mother
suffers from Alzheimer's, an 88 year old widow, a retired woman with a
broken wrist, a woman who has had a knee replacement. Yard work may sound
like it is purely aesthetic, but the real issue is the debris provides
excellent homes for snakes, namely water moccasins and cotton mouths. We are
VERY careful when we approach brush and debris piles. I have not seen any
snakes, and have not heard of any being seen by crew members. Other crews
have had seem them, although species were not identified.

I have not yet been inside damaged homes, but my niece Sadie has been on a
"demucking" crew. The damage was complete to all contents. The water line
was over 8' high. Mud had to be shoveled out. ALL demucking crews wear
COMPLETE protective clothing, including cover alls, boots, gloves, goggles
and respirators. The mold could cause health problems, so we are extremely
careful.

Being here defies description. I cannot tell you how exhausting each day
makes all of us. It is physically demanding, and emotionally it causes a
roller coaster. On the one hand, the physical toll causes emotions to be
drained, yet the smiling faces and the words of thanks, bolster us all. It
is hard to stop when on an assignment, and once back at the "base" it is
hard to stay awake until 9:00PM!

I don't know when I will be able to use my email again. It is not a reliable
way to reach me.

Oct. 25th:

Today Sadie & another lady stayed at the church and helped fix up the mash-style showers. The temperature is getting colder so they enclosed the showers with plastic and a tarp on top. She also ended up turning the heat on in the bus today, the space heater wasn't enough. Tammy was still out delivering items to the evacuees or home bound people in need, it was 6:50pm and she still was delivering. Sadie was heading to supper. Long days of work, the volunteer numbers were down this week but the work to do is still unbelievable. Please keep the prayers coming. God Bless.

Oct. 26th:

Letter from Tammy:

Hello All,
Just an update of what Sadie and I are doing in Louisiana.
We are working a lot with schools and delivering backpacks. The story of the
backpacks is really interesting. A high-school girl decided she wanted to
help children in Katrina's area. She convinced her high school to begin a
program called "We've got your back". The plan was to buy a backpack and
fill it with school supplies and deliver them to school children in the New
Orleans area. Nickelodeon picked up the idea, and began advertising it on
the TV. At this time, the backpacks are sent to the girl's high school. We
take a truck over to pick them up. We bring them to the warehouse and sort
them into elementary, middle, and high school appropriate groups. We count
them by age group, pack them, and load them onto trucks. We take the trucks
to schools and usually unload them to be distributed by the principal or the
teachers. At this point, Tammany Oaks has processed about 20,000. Sadie
and/or I have been part of delivering about 5,000!
Somewhere along the line, the Bruce Willis Foundation has also become
involved in the effort, and has been instrumental in directly sending
backpacks and supplies to Tammany Oaks.
The Bruce Willis Foundation has asked what else is needed. We are expecting
to receive building supplies, including sheetrock etc from their efforts in
Hollywood.
Another interesting name who is working with Tammany Oaks is Bob
Barker...Yes, the Price is Right! Bob Barker has donated complete bedding -
pillows, pillowcases, sheets, and blankets. I don't know the count on how
many sets, but well over 100. That is a very conservative number, based on
the pallets I have personally seen. Bob Barker also sent bars of
soap....Bars and bars of soap...Boxes and boxes of soap! I have no idea of
how much!
Last Saturday, I was on a team that delivered 4 Penske truckloads of family
supplies to a school. We cried and hugged people who came and cried to
receive the supplies. One woman told us she thought that no one cared. We
gave food, water, diapers, baby formula, other baby supplies including
strollers, paper towels, cleaning buckets filled with cleaning supplies,
toilet paper, feminine products, Depends, Soap, shampoo, lotion, and much
much more.
I have out morning meeting, and I will be late!
Love, Tammy

Nov. 1st:

Tammy and Sadie left Mandeville heading for home today. They made it to Harding University in Searcy, AR (North of Little Rock) and visited with Sadie's brother Gavin(Tammy's Nephew) for a few hours. They went out to eat together then said their good byes. Then they went to a campground nearby. Driving is exhausting too.

Nov. 2nd:

They left Searcy, Arkansas and were hoping to make it to St. Louis. They hope to arrive home tomorrow Nov. 3rd. Still a long way to drive back.   So keep praying for a safe return.

Nov. 3rd:

Tammy and Sadie arrived safely back in Rosholt, WI today. Family were waiting anxiously for their arrival. The weary travelers came right in time for Dinner at 5pm. They both said it is devastated down there and still needs lots of work. They both have a new understanding of how bad things can get. We thank all of you for your prayers.   Keep praying and helping. God bless.

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Journey of the Blue Whale Katrina Relief Effort

Tammy and Sadie are down there now, they left Oct. 11th, 2005. They completed there Journey Nov. 3rd, but Katrina Relief will continue to need prayers and support. Please read their Katrina Journal.