EOC me.
Through my connections as an Emergency Administration student, I was able to spend eleven hours working the phones today at the Fort Worth Emergency Operations Center.
It was my first time inside an activated EOC, and it was fascinating to watch everything that was going on from our phone bank on the other side of a glass wall. Representatives from Fire, Police, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Health and Human Services, Parks and Recreation, and many more agencies all have seats within the EOC.
Everyone was busting their butts to try to find places for refugees, locate missing family members, arrange city employees to staff shelters, and coordinate with other area EOCs.
When the Incident Commnder came out and proudly announced that Fort Worth had reached their goal of finding shelters to accomodate 4,000, it was neat to feel that I was just a tiny part of helping those 4,000 people.
I hope to go back to Fort Worth tomorrow for more. I’m also scheduled to work Monday and Tuesday at the Dallas EOC.
Now I really know I want to do this.
Thank you.
I have been thinking of disaster-relief you since Katrina hit. It’s important work.