Dish Pit Guru and Inventory Girl

So a week into being here and I have been nominated as the Dish Pit Guru....this is basically a glorified way of saying that I have the dubious honor of managing the industrial dishwashing station which is actually not so industrial because there is not yet plumbing set up at this temporary encampment. But, 4 days into being here, I showed that I was slightly more responsible perhaps than your average hippie (not that I would define myself that way necessarily) and therefore I am once again doing what I seem to do best - order people around. It also means as point person, I get to participate in a daily meeting which of course you know is my favorite passtime.

Then, a couple days after that, I was asked to replace some guy who is taking a break after being 3 months in the disaster area. So I am now pulled into helping do inventory and procurement of all things necessary to run this operation. Promotions work quickly here...didn't even have to have an interview...of course, when your getting paid such a large salary...

Days have been long and exhausting with incessant wind. This morning we woke up to a tornado warning in the area and scrambled to tarp everything up before the heavy rains hit. What keeps me going, however, is the chance to meet such amazing individuals who are not only part of St. Bernard Parish but also those that have been volunteering here. Emergency Communities is like a small village where everyone knows one another and each individual has their specific task. The central area is in what used to be the parking lot of The Finish Line, an off-track betting place and it encompasses the kitchen, the dome (dining hall) and distribution center. Beyond the parking lot area is the 'tent sprawl'...or our nylon version of the suburbs. There are little 'neighborhoods', walkways to stay out of the toxic mud (this place was under several feet of water after Katrina hit) and people who are here long term are even constructing small shacks for themselves out of plywood. One guy in my neighborhood who goes by the name PawPaw Hoot (convoluted story behind that), actually still has his Christmas lights up. Every day more structures are being built on site - showers (as there is currently only one), a new office, shelves for the distribution center...the list goes on. The place is constantly changing, adapting and streamlining to make it easier and more efficient to serve meals to an ever growing number of people (we're now up to 1,200).