"RELIANT CITY"
Last Posting.
Last One.
Well, I'm sitting here sipping a little Kaluha and cream, snacking on some chocolate covered almonds I picked up at the mall the same time I purchased a new book out in the series I've been reading for some time now. I'm planning on kicking my feet up, putting on my reading glasses, and taking a nice long "time out" here after I finish this post.
It has been an unbelievable two weeks. I have met people who made my heart swell with pride, and I've met people I wish I could take out behind the wood shed and teach a thing or two. There were volunteers and evacuees who equally captured my heart, and brought tears to my eyes. There were those little short term relationships you develop with people where you kind of know each other on sight, know something about the other, but on a surface only kind of level. There were those who could be reasoned with, and those who understood nothing but authority exercised firmly but fairly. There were infants, toddlers, children of all ages. One little girl, about age two, who was crying on and on because her mother had gone to take a shower, and her big sister could do nothing to get her to quiet, and when I put my hand out she quit crying and came right to me. Oh man, did she tug my heart strings.
To the magnificent deputies I worked with, my most heartfelt love, gratitude, and respect. No "superdome" here my friends. The professionalism displayed by my fellow officers was AWESOME. It was not surprising however, as they had selected some very mature and level headed folks to come out and make this thing work. I have been proud to be a part of many units, both in the military and in police work, but this was something different. This was not something that happened here in our homes, something that tore apart the lives of those who we daily assist and protect. This was a group of strangers we had absolutely no responsibility for prior to the disaster, yet we treated them with no less respect than we'd treat our own.
The Red Cross volunteers were unbelievable. Now, without question, they were more "huggy-feely" than we were, just the nature of the beast I guess, but they still got things done and put up with circumstances that I would not have put up with in their place. The one young man from Germany with whom I became friendly, the most gracious Ms. Dorothy Weathers, the young lady I know only as Mary, the college kids from out in California, the fellow from San Francisco who helped me out last night with getting a young man processed in even though we weren't really taking any more evacuees at our shelter, they all made an impression on me for the good.
I cannot tell you exactly how I feel about the whole experience, it is still too fresh, too new, too unsettled in my mind. It was like a little world unto itself, we even began calling it "Reliant City". We were the Reliant City Police Department....LOL. My last shift was last night, I got off work this morning at 9am after a 12 hour shift, and that was it. There are still deputies out there, but as the population was less than 1,500 they just didn't need us all anymore. The shifts changed to a regular 8 hour day, three shifts, and they split up the two 12 hour groups into the new three shift schedule. This morning was almost sad as those of us who were going back to regular assignments said goodbye to those who would be staying on out there. I know that sounds weird, as we'll all still be here in Houston, and we'll all still be working at the same department, just like before, but still, it was sad. This shared experience had made a new group out of us, our time out here entails "bragging rights" for many years into the future, you know the "Hey, you weren't there, so shut the hell up" kind of thing....LOL. A shared experience that changed us, made us more than we were before.
The last few nights we were busy consolidating all of the evacuees into the Reliant Arena from the Astrodome and Reliant Center. They are hoping to have the Arena emptied and everyone into regular housing within the next week, and at the rate they've been going I'd say they'll be out with time to spare. I begrudge no one the assistance they are receiving, I am glad we are so strong and giving that we have had the awesome response here in the Houston / Harris County area to this effort. We had more stuff donated than we could give away. We had more volunteers than we had jobs for them. We had companies here in town giving evacuees new furniture to go with the apartments they'd been moved into. We had help to give in overabundance, and we gave. I am so proud of my home town as I've come to know it. The first time I've ever thought of ANYWHERE as my "home town". I'm proud to be from Houston.
Thank you for all of your support and kind words through this experience. I believe being able to come on here and simply put some of my thoughts and feelings into words has helped it be a very positive time for me. There were MANY opportunities for things to turn very bad in there at night and we were able to keep that from happening even ONCE. No rapes, no robberies, no assaults, no nothing. There were a few little spats between evacuees, over some minor issue or another, but they were settled quickly and quietly and with no more disturbance than someone having a TV up too loud. We made something like 33 arrests, the majority for drug related offenses, the majority misdemeanors, a few were felony level, but those two were handled in a very low key manner, no fanfare, none of the usual high fives, etc....lol.
I am glad to be a part of this brotherhood, I am glad to be a part of my police brotherhood, and I'm glad to have been a part of my military brotherhood, all these things have shaped me and made me who I am, and given me the tools for accomplishing what we did here. In a few years it may not seem like it was all that much, hell, in a few months it may be so, but right now, right here, in this moment, I am damned proud.
Your brother,
Mac