First day on the job...

The alarm rang at 6am. I was fed, dressed, and at the office at 7am sharp. I called the lady at the office who was my point of contact. She instructed me to call in on the morning conference call and listen in...ostensibly to learn what was going on.

Turns out that half the country...the middle half...is underwater. FEMA is stretched. There's a lot to do and not many people to do it. The resource curve is catching up, though. Despite what the media likes to report, this is an amazing organization full of amazing, motivated people.

After the usual paperwork, I got a cell phone, an ID badge, and an assignment. The Public Information Officer function is short-staffed so they asked me if I was interested in helping out with that function since I have a small amount of experience. I got 'interviewed' for that position and they must have thought I had a face for radio...fine with me. I got assigned to a Community Relations (CR) team.

Community Relations is the process where FEMA gets into an area and establishes a presence. The goal is to get the citizens affected by the disaster to call the 1-800-621-FEMA number and register for assistance. Getting that word to everyone in the area is a challenge and it involves going to churches, businesses, bars, old-folks homes, etc and mostly door-to-freakin-door to talk to people. We also are out there to be identify the needs of the community.

So that's what we did today. We were in the smallish town of Watertown, WI where the Rock River ran amuck. The damage wasn't catastrophic here, but there were a LOT of flooded basements. It was a good warm-up. There will be a lot more tomorrow.

Nothing really remarkable. My co-workers are a nice bunch from the 4 corners of the country. One from Jersey, another from Mississippi, another from New Hampshire, and finally one from North Carolina. We didn't spend too much time getting to know each other. I look forward to getting to know these folks as the time goes by.

I really am hoping for a group of people to hang out with after hours. I know that will materialize soon enough. For now, I have my laptop and cell phone to stay busy with. Tonight after work, I tried to get some indigenous treats. Culver's is a local fast food legend that makes some amazing hamburgers!! I also picked up a six-pack of 'Spotted Cow' Ale. Very nice!

Not a bad day...I'm back in the saddle. I look forward to meeting up with some online friends that live here in Madison...that will be fun. One more Spotted Cow and off to beddy-bye