Communications
Walt Jennings, FSO-CM

 

AN UPDATE FROM WALT JENNINGS
WHO IS DEPLOYED BY FEMA:

I started in Orlando, where it took 1/2 day to sign up and get registered with FEMA. Then 2 days of classroom work, after which we (150 of us) were deemed capable of going out in the field as FEMA interviewers - our job was to be "initial interviewers" taking down the basic information from Hurricane Katrina evacuees wherever we might be sent.

We finished training on Saturday night, Sept 17 and we were to report back on Monday morning at 1000. When we reported for duty Monday morning (Sept 19), Hurricane Rita was heading into the Gulf and we were told that no one was being "deployed" until after Rita had made landfall that coming Friday (5 days away). We were told to stay in our hotel 7 more days and check back on Monday morning, Sept. 26. All this time we had a rental car, stayed in a nice motel in Orlando, plus they paid for all of our meals.

FEMA has 2 training classes of 75 people in each class daily, so they are "graduating" 150 people per day like me to send out in the field, and there were a lot of people in Orlando waiting to be sent somewhere - and after I left, there were +/- 1000 people awaiting "orders."

Then on Tuesday they called 6 of us into the FEMA office there in Orlando and said we were being deployed to............................................. are you ready for this?
Would you believe Las Vegas?

I originally thought they were kidding, but apparently there are Hurricane Evacuees in 26 states, and there were 3000 in Las Vegas with only one FEMA person handling all of their claims and other assistance, who was asking for help. So here we are, 6 of us Auxiliarists (3 from Michigan,1 from New York, and two of us from Florida - the other Florida guy lives in Bradenton).

We were originally told prior to leaving Orlando that our hours would be 7am to 7pm, 6 days per week, but once we got here we found that we (FEMA) were one of 9 different agencies in a large county building and the county who is charge of the building required everyone to be out by 5pm, with no Saturday hours - so we are working from 7am to about 5:30pm 5 days/week.

The days are hectic with lots of evacuees/displaced people coming in with questions about money, housing, food, etc.,and many are upset, mad, and often times very vocal about the government's non-caring attitude because they have not received their assistance check, or for other reasons, but overall it is very rewarding work.
 

[Judi talked with Walt on Thursday(9/29) night and he was working hard but enjoying his weekends off! It looks like he'll have at least two more weeks in Las Vegas]