Tornado Entry: 20

Back in 1989 when Ron was working at Kodak, his job required him to do team training. There was an aptitude test he used in those classes that he administered to me. It was a long series of questions, with no right or wrong answer. Upon grading you were assigned a designation by letters as to your strongest attributes. I can see that paper in my mind, but a quick search of my files failed to turn it up. Ron was impressed by how my attributes in things mechanical and working with my hands pretty much jumped off the page. Those skills have been working overtime lately.

Saturday I had a crew of 10 to clean off a lot for a trailer. This was way out in Cottondale. The original trailer was picked up off the block foundation and thrown into trees. The bottom frame and floor is still tangled up there. Our job was to clean the walls and debris to allow a bobcat access. The family survived in their “storm cellar”.

This is the first I’ve been out in this backwoods section of the county. The people living here are proud, but poor. They are also a living example of how Alabama is part and parcel of the “Diabetes belt”. The family we were helping out are all diabetic and overweight from the grandmother to the mother & father, to the daughter. I don’t judge, but the facts speak for themselves. I’m just seeing the tip of the iceberg; how can our broken health care system even attempt to keep these people halfway healthy?

The family was on site helping out as much as they could. In respect to them I did not bring out my camera to take pictures of the job.

Some of the team were complaining how it was a waste of their time to clean the site by hand, as a bob-cat could have done job in no time. I told them I would contact Todd and relay their thoughts to him. These people don’t realize; I usually know as little of the job as they do. Todd explained once again we only have one functioning bob-cat and the site has to be cleared by hand to the suspended frame so it can be brought down and cut up. Wood and metal must be put into separate piles and the rest of the debris put into the empty dumpster which had been delivered to the site that morning.

Hearing our status from the powers in charge we went to work: The front wall and ceiling of the trailer were flat on the ground, covered in debris in front of the suspended floor/frame. That mess was shoveled into wheelbarrows and wheeled to the dumpster.

By the time we got to really moving that stuff, the bottom of the dumpster was full and the entry door was closed. Our easy time was over, now we had to lift the debris over the sides. I noticed one guy from the team studying the contact information on the dumpster and talking on his cell phone.

Jamie: What are you doing, who are you calling?

Man: I’m calling the dumpster people to bring us another dumpster, this is nearly full.

Jamie: Please don’t do that. Tell whoever you are talking to, to disregard your call. Samaritan’s Purse is NOT responsible for this dumpster, it is the homeowner. There is a LOT of room left. It is NOT our call to have it hauled out.

It took every ounce of my energy to not go off on a tear. Who does this guy think he is? He can just call up out of the blue and make the decision that would incur more expenses. I’m not power hungry, but the team decisions must go through me. That damn dumpster is not a team decision.

My God, the rental, delivery and pick-up on these is now $500.00. This guy has not even looked over the edge and he is the authority the dumpster is full. I can just hear the wrath of Todd if that man had his way……

There was so much dead air space to be filled up. From loading UPS trucks and Billy's vans and trucks over the years I learned you need to have things filled solid. I’m starting to believe that God does provide us with tools. I pulled a round trampoline mat out of a tree. This was the perfect size to hold 3-4 wheelbarrow loads of insulation and debris. Having about five people grab the sides, we could raise it even to the lip of the dumpster. I was on top to hoist it over the edge and roll the contents out. I then worked to pack it down solid.

The cool gray morning burned off to a clear blue sky and a roasting hot sun. We tried to find some shade for our lunch break. I could tell the team was tiring out early.

Getting back to the job at hand I had to yell from the top of the dumpster for help in transferring the debris. People no longer ran to help unquestioned. It is amazing how deaf people become when a disagreeable job is to be done. I try not to get annoyed. But, it is not like I’m asking them to do more than I’m doing myself. Truth be told, I’m the one soaked in God knows what stinking to high heaven spreading out wet fiberglass.

The job ended with a core crew of six. The metal siding was the last major clean up we did rolling it up like a rug. It sounds easy enough, but the work to clear the wood framing and insulation away to enable this was pretty impressive.

The family was so grateful. They got a decent insurance settlement and have another trailer all set to be put on the site once the debris is cleared away.

I was tired and smelly when I turned in the paperwork. I’m not sure if I’ll volunteer out Sunday afternoon or not. If we don’t have enough people to take out the four by noon, I’ll probably go out again.

I can still detect a “dumpster smell” on me even after two hot showers scrubbing down with Dr Bonner’s Peppermint soap. The stories I’ll have to tell from all this…life really is good….