|
Big Muddy
Editor's Note: The following story tells actual
events that occured after severe 1993 Mississippi River Flooding.
June 28
The swirling muddy waters of the Mississippi River come right
through the doors and windows of sandez house. Sandbags have
kept the water away for a little while, but now there is no
stopping this flowing monster. Joey has just turned five years
old. He grips his new truck and his mother, holding a flashlight
in one hand, picks him and steps out on the roof. Joey's older
sisters, Elena who is fourteen and Samantha who is eight, were
picked up a few hours earlier and taken to their grandparents'
house many miles up the river. Now the police boat is chugging
slowly toward Joey and his mother.
June 30
Joey's father is bagging sand and loading the bags on trucks.
Crews working round the clock are hoping to protect the town
from more serious damage. He wonders about his family. He has
not been able to phone or get to then for three days.
July 2
Elena and Sam finally see their father. He tells them that
their mother and Joey spent the night in a hospital and then
were taken to a Red Cross shelter for a few nights. "Joey
just isn't acting right"' he says. "He won't eat or
let your mom out of his sight. I guess he was pretty scared."
Their grandmother took the father aside and said, "The
girls are quarreling a lot and Sam won't go to bed at night.
I don't know what got into them."
July 3
The family is finally reunited. Elena cries when she sees her
mother. Sam is pulling on her mother and jumping up and down,
trying to tell her what she has seen on television about the
awful flood. Joey clings to his mother's leg and does not say
anything. Soon Joey's father leaves in his truck to drive back
to their house to see what damage has been done. He doesn't
say much either.
July 21
A five year old boy is checked into a cooperative Disaster
Child Care (CDCC) center at a federal Disaster Application Center
(DAC) in St. Charles, Missouri. His mother must stand in a long
line with other flood survivors waiting to be interviewed and
to fill out form so that she can get clothing and food for her
family and son help in finding a place to live. This family's
house floated away during the flood and they lost almost everything
they owned.
The FEMA Center has been set up in a huge sports arena. It
is raining hard outside and the noise inside is deafening. The
child care center is in a corner, using tables and chairs as
makeshift walls
The child does not speak. He does not cry. He stares vacantly
out of his pale hollow face in the direction his mother has
gone. Jenny, the CDCC care giver who holds him, speaks quietly
to him. "Joey, look. Your mommy is right over there. I'll
be here with you until she comes back." No response. "Why
don't you sit right here and just see what's here." No
response except a stiffening of his tiny body.
Jenny sits on the floor in a corner with a couple of teddy
bears and other dolls and stuffed animals. Another child plays
near-by with small emergency vehicles, making siren noises.
Joey covers his ears and snuggles up against Jenny with his
thumb in his mouth. She notices that his pants are wet so she
wraps a blanket around him. She picks up a soft teddy bear and
holds it next to her other knee. She begins to sing to the teddy
bear. Joey peeks up at Jenny and then hides his head again in
her lap.
After more than three hour, Joey's mother returns for her child.
She looks anxiously past Maria, the care giver who helps her
sign her son out. She sees "Joey siting next to a dishpan
filled with cornmeal with his back to the entrance. He is scooping
cornmeal into paper cups. "I am filling sandbags with my
daddy." Joey says to "Jenny. "See how fast I
can work?"
Joey's mother's eyes get wide and her mouth drops open. Through
tears, she tells Maria, "Those are the fist words I have
heard him speak since the night of our rescue." You see...what
happened..." She chokes up. "When I was handing Joey
off the porch roof to the fireman in the boat, the boat suddenly
moved away. But it was too late. I lost my hold on Joey and
dropped him in the water. I dropped him!" she cried. "my
baby went under and it was very dark and raining. It took a
long time to find him. Joey nearly drowned before they pulled
him out. joey hasn't talked since then."
Maria put her hand on the sobbing mother's arm and said "I
know how frightened you must have been. What an awful feeling,
to think you might lose your child. I am glad he is here safe
with us and with you." Maria smiled at the mother. "Come,
let Joey show you what he is doing over here."
When Joey and his mother left the center, Maria handed the
mother a couple of pamphlets. "Here are some tips that
might help you understand what Joey is going through. And here
is the name of the person over at the family services desk to
contact, if you want someone to talk to about your experience."
To be continued...
Questions for discussion
- What do you think members of the Sandez family were feeling
as the flood waters were rising around their house?
- What did you notice about the children's behavior in the
story? Why do you think they were acting that way?
- Who are the victims in the story
- Who are the "good Samaritans" in the story?
- What do you think needs to be done to help this family in
the first stages of disaster?
|
