# 122 The Tunica Tea Party...

Last night I headed on up to Tunica- not to try my luck at the slots, or even to eat at the Paula Deen Buffet (though I'm really wanting to eat some yummy Paula Deen food soon!). Instead, I headed a mile or so from the casinos to the Recreation Center, where the Red Cross had opened up a shelter for the victims who were displaced because of the flood. It was a very interesting evening. My shift was from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and there wasn't a whole lot going on. There were approximately 30 people "residing" at the shelter, and probably two or three times that many who were living in campers and RV's nearby, who came over to eat and to shower each day.

Several Red Cross volunteers, all from the Knoxville area, had arrived in Tunica and Memphis the week before and were in charge. Each day, a local business (McDonald's for breakfast, a local deli for lunch, and a rotating group of local restaurants for dinner) delivered dinner for the residents, non-residents and volunteers. There were dozens of cots set up in the gymnasium, a really nice computer lab with Apple computers, a dining area, a nurse's station, a recreation room with a pool table, tv, books and games, and they could use the nearby gym or pool for exercise. Not a bad set-up, except for the obvious-- these people have totally lost their homes. Most had been there for nearly two weeks and all have been restricted from going anywhere near their homes-- so they are not for sure their homes are lost, but they are pretty sure. They were also told that it would probably be close to three weeks after the river crests before they can go back to survey the damage.

The people there were mostly white, but there were a few black people as well. Most of them come from an area called the "Cutoff" and many had lived there their whole lives. I believe most of the homes in the Cutoff were trailers, but there were also some really nice homes there, as well as a lot of weekend hunting cabins. A lot of people, up and down the River, have already evacuated or lost their cabins or hunting cabins. The people at the shelter were super nice and, for the most part, upbeat. There isn't much information that we know for sure, so people gather around the television for the news all the time and basically sit around the rest of the time. A group of them went fishing yesterday and were super excited that they caught a whole lot of fish and were planning a fish fry for tonight. It was all-in-all a pretty good experience, albeit a terribly sad one for most of those people. I felt incredibly blessed in so many ways.

I didn't do a whole lot to help-- I kept asking if there were things I could do to help, but there wasn't really a whole lot. I did some filing, checked some residents in-- they have to sign in and out when they leave-- did some cleaning in the kitchen, ate one of the delivered dinners, watched America's Funniest Videos with some of the residents, listened to their stories, learned some poker tips from one guy named Carol, and a couple other things.

Here is a map of the area-- the numbers 1-4 indicate the 4 separate "camps" where these people lived.

One of the more exciting things was a tea controversy that rivals that of the British tariffs back in the day. It seems that the Red Cross has pretty strict rules about the food and drink that they can provide for victims. Hot food can only be kept out for 4 hours-- after that, it must be refrigerated or thrown out. Cold drinks must be kept below 40 degrees and hot drinks above 140 degrees. And drinks are really only supposed to be coffee, juice and water. But some higher Red Cross power sent koolaid and sweet tea down to the Tunica shelter. Thus starts the beginning of the problem.

See, the Red Cross day-shifters are strict rule-followers-- the rules don't say anything about koolaid or tea being allowed, and therefore, in their opinion, it shouldn't be made. No matter that the drinks were there-- they were not to be touched. In the court system, these would be the judicial restraint judges (only my law school geeky friends will appreciate that).

In the opposite corner are the Red Cross night-shifters. These renegade do-gooders preferred a more activist approach-- if the Red Cross manual DOESN'T say koolaid and tea CAN'T be made, then it can be made. In their opinion, anything that can be done should be done to make these people's lives a little bit better. And sweet tea at mealtimes is certainly something these people are probably used to drinking.

So the philosophical clash hit its head about 5:30-- when the night shifters' arrived early and there was some overlap with the day shifters. Words were said, meetings were fled, emails to corporate were sent. In the end, the day-shifters went home (to the Royal Inn next door) and the night-shifter's won (their attitude? Fire us and send us home if you want. We are VOLUNTEERS.) Then came the time to put their sweet tea where their metaphorical mouth was-- making the tea. And here is where the plan hit a flaw.

Apparently, no one really knew how to make sweet tea for such a large group.

So, I did the only thing I could think of-- that is, call my mom. She walked me through it, and we were able to make a pretty good cooler of sweet tea. Not sure if it was kept at 40 degrees or below or not. But the residents sure enjoyed it!

It was a big cooler-- I had a bit of help from one of the night-shifters who led the charge for sweet tea, but he wasn't much help other than holding the cooler for me.

Its not easy making tea like this into 5 gallons!!!

Another exciting part of the night? For the first time I can remember, I tasted cabbage. It was part of the dinner that evening and, furthering my previous posts about my culinary exploits, I went crazy and tasted a couple bites. It wasn't the best thing I'd ever eaten, but it was good enough that I'd be willing to try it again sometime! Aren't you all proud of me!!!