{"id":6803,"date":"2023-08-22T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=6803"},"modified":"2023-08-19T15:23:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T19:23:30","slug":"151-return-to-the-aftermath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/151-return-to-the-aftermath\/","title":{"rendered":"#151\u2014Return to the Aftermath"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"sdm_download_item \"><div class=\"sdm_download_item_top\"><div class=\"sdm_download_thumbnail\"><\/div><div class=\"sdm_download_title\">Blog #151 (Audio)<\/div><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div><div class=\"sdm_download_description\"><\/div><div class=\"sdm_download_date\"><span class=\"sdm_download_date_label\">Published: <\/span><span class=\"sdm_download_date_value\">August 19, 2023<\/span><\/div><div class=\"sdm_download_link\"><span class=\"sdm_download_button\"><form action=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?sdm_process_download=1&#038;download_id=6825\" method=\"post\" class=\"sdm-g-recaptcha-form sdm-download-form\"><div class=\"sdm-recaptcha-button\"><div class=\"g-recaptcha sdm-g-recaptcha\"><\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"sdm_download darkblue sdm_download_with_condition\">Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"download_id\" value=\"6825\" \/><\/form><\/span><span class=\"sdm_download_item_count\"><span class=\"sdm_item_count_number\">0<\/span><span class=\"sdm_item_count_string\"> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"sdm_clear_float\"><\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last September (2022), Southwest Florida was devastated by <strong>Hurricane Ian<\/strong>, a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane. The statistics were (and continue to be) astounding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Third-costliest weather disaster on record<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since 1935<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples were the hardest hit in SW Florida<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highest wind speed \u2013 162mph<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>161 Fatalities: 150 in Florida, 5 in North Carolina, 5 in Cuba, and 1 in Virginia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>$113 billion dollars damage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah\u2026 the numbers are important\u2026 for <em>some<\/em> people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For those that lived through it, those who returned to whatever was left of their homes, and those that continue a daily struggle of existence, these numbers don\u2019t mean that much. They are news headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last October (2022), 10 days after Hurricane Ian made its way through Florida and farther north to the Carolinas, a group of <strong>UMCOR ERT<\/strong> (United Methodist Committee on Relief\u2014Early Response Team) volunteers from <strong>Trinity United Methodist Church<\/strong> in Gainesville, headed down to Fort Myers\u2026 <em>Into the Aftermath<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had volunteered with this group and completed training only a couple of months earlier. I didn\u2019t know what to expect; I don&#8217;t think any of us did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We were in North Fort Myers for almost 3 days, working in two different locations, helping clean out debris, \u201cmuck out\u201d the houses, salvage whatever we could, and spent time helping the homeowners. I was so moved at the time, I wrote a <a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/128-into-the-aftermath\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blog post<\/a> one night during our stay in the host church, <strong>Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"389\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?resize=800%2C389&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Good Shepherd UMC, North Fort Myers: our base camp\" class=\"wp-image-6271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?resize=1024%2C498&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?resize=300%2C146&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?resize=768%2C374&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?resize=1536%2C747&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/20221006_164217.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Good Shepherd UMC, North Fort Myers, FL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To this day, as sad as the situation was, that post remains one of my favorites. That experience truly impacted me in a way I simply cannot explain. And&#8230; it still does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Return to the Aftermath<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This Sunday (August 20, 2023), another group of ERT volunteers are heading back down to Fort Myers. I\u2019m one of them. Me&#8230; a <strong>US Navy Veteran<\/strong> (&#8217;73-77).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I normally post my blog (<em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Veteran&#8217;s Journey<\/a><\/strong><\/em>) on Tuesdays (<strong><em>Navy Friday Funny<\/em><\/strong> on Fridays) and I\u2019ll try to post this one on Tuesday, keeping to my regular schedule. I believe we\u2019ll have Internet access in the church\u2014Good Shepherd UMC is hosting us again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good Shepherd has steadily been hosting volunteer teams throughout this whole ordeal. I know other churches and organizations are also hosting other volunteers, cause\u2026 that\u2019s what you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I\u2019m writing this post before we deploy. I\u2019ll probably also write another one after we return, just to complete the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This Year Will Be Different<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, instead of cleaning out debris, toting refrigerators, stoves, washers, and dryers and dumping them onto the curb, our task will be to help rebuild. It should be a little calmer, but I also tell myself, the folks in the area we\u2019ll be working have been out of house and home for almost a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I cannot fathom. That\u2019s not something I\u2019ve ever experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, we have a smaller team\u2014six of us. Several of us are retired, several still working. But they\u2019re taking time off from their jobs, their schools, their families, to help others rebuild their homes and their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ERT-Trailer_Andy_Kevin.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Trinity Gainesville, ERT Trailer - Andy Adkins, Kevin Curry\" class=\"wp-image-6807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ERT-Trailer_Andy_Kevin.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ERT-Trailer_Andy_Kevin.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/ERT-Trailer_Andy_Kevin.jpg?w=843&amp;ssl=1 843w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Adkins, Kevin Curry (Trinity UMC Gainesville ERT Team Volunteers)<br>Preparing the ERT trailer for early response.<br>(Photo by Jernie Talles Millan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That, to me, is amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In today\u2019s world in the continuous barrage of bad news and headline grabbers, I remind myself that there is a lot of good, a lot of kindness, and wonderful people that want to help. And it\u2019s not just this trip to Fort Myers. There are people all over the world who <em>help those who need help<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Volunteers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we were in Fort Myers last year, I was constantly amazed at the number of volunteers, like our ERT team, that were helping out other homes, businesses, families, even helping the helpers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tents and tables with food, water, supplies\u2026 people driving around with water and food containers to hand out\u2026 churches, boy &amp; girl scouts\u2026 volunteers from out of state. It was truly an eye opener that so many people from so many places came to help people they\u2019ve never met and will probably never see again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a lot of good in this world, my friends. A LOT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also realize that those who live in Maui are facing dire circumstances. They\u2019ve got a long road to recovery, but they need that initial immediate help. I know there are people, agencies, and organizations who are working toward that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, I ask myself this question (once again)\u2026 with all the cruise ships that make gazillions of dollars off trips and tours to Hawaii, why don\u2019t they step up to the plate? They could house and feed thousands of misplaced persons almost immediately. Sure, they may lose a few dollars in revenue but think of all the positive publicity they\u2019d get\u2026 the \u201coptics.\u201d I guaran-damn-tee ya\u2019, I\u2019d much rather book a cruise with a company that helps out in disasters than one who ignores them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then again, no one asked my opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Finishing up<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This post is a bit shorter than my usual (yes, it\u2019s okay to cheer). While we still have a couple of days before we deploy, I\u2019ve got a ton to do. This year, I\u2019m the ERT \u201cteam leader.\u201d I\u2019m still trying to figure out what that means, but I have a lot to coordinate, both here in Gainesville before we leave as well as down in Fort Myers. Fortunately, we\u2019ve got a great team and they\u2019re all pitching in to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ll be honest. I\u2019ve had a few sleepless nights this past week or so. Those dastardly \u201cchecklists\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know what I&#8217;m talking about\u2026 <em>do I take these tools or will we really need them? Did I make the right choices for food? Do we have enough room in our vehicles for everything? Have I prepared our team for this trip\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, the list goes on and on. But I\u2019ve been there before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do what we can with the people we have in the amount of time we\u2019ll be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ll be fine. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve posted this little, short story before, but to me, it speaks volumes in times like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, \u201cYoung man, what are you doing?\u201d The boy replied, \u201cThrowing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don\u2019t throw them back, they\u2019ll die.\u201d The man laughed to himself and said, \u201cDon\u2019t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can\u2019t make any difference!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>\u201cI made a difference to that one.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until we meet again,<br>Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><u>Previous blogs mentioned in this post:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/128-into-the-aftermath\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">#128\u2014Into the Aftermath<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last September (2022), Southwest Florida was devastated by Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane. The statistics were (and continue to be) astounding: Yeah\u2026 the numbers are important\u2026 for some people. For those that lived through it, those who returned&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/151-return-to-the-aftermath\/\" class=\"readmore\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">#151\u2014Return to the Aftermath<\/span><span class=\"fa fa-angle-double-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[63],"tags":[349,350,294,330,348],"class_list":["post-6803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stuff","tag-fort-myers","tag-hurricane-ian","tag-navy-veteran","tag-umcor-ert","tag-volunteer","content-layout-excerpt-thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>#151\u2014Return to the Aftermath &#8212; A Veteran&#039;s Journey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last year in October, I deployed with a group of church volunteers to Fort Myers to help clean up efforts. This year... I return.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/151-return-to-the-aftermath\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#151\u2014Return to the Aftermath &#8212; A Veteran&#039;s Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last year in October, I deployed with a group of church volunteers to Fort Myers to help clean up efforts. This year... 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