Seriously thoughtful Tornado Catastrophe in US South - How You Can Help DixieGal and Others

[Donnageddon]

Take Care, DG and Tim.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Glad to see you. I've missed seeing you post today.

Howdy! We were running around trying to get something done yesterday. I had an early endocrinology appt at UAB, with good news. You know that we have been dieting and exercising since New Years Day, right? At the doc's yesterday, I had lost an even 30 pounds, and my A1c had gone from killer 9 to normal 7. YAY!

Then, I went over to my old office, where they let me use the computers, copiers, all of the stuff that I needd to get my insurance ducks in a row. I sort of broke down when I went thru the door. We had our home for 18 yrs, but I worked there 16 yrs. It felt like home and family.

Then we went by Tim's old office to get some hugs and love.

Today it is raining. I nearly freaked out when it thundered!!!

I'm gonna try to see one of the emergency counselors tomorrow. I am not handling this well. I always thrived in other people's crises. Cool head, etc. I often was called on to go with church people to funral homes to make arrangements, because I could go through insurance forms and haggle with funeral directors. It is shameful how bad the hard sell is when people are grief stricken. My personal ministry was to take over the financial details of haggling with those funeral directors, calling insurance and social security, etc, so that the family did not have to deal with that.

The funeral home directors hate to see me come through the doors with a family! my late pastor went with my sister and me when our father died, and he showed me how to handle it. It has been my mission ever since to do the same for at least a dozen families since 2004. (how dare they try to charge for dirty laundry disposal! I make them just toss these in with the rest when they incinerate a pile. They actually charge families over $100 for that.)

Anyway, my point is that I'm not coping well with being the helped instead of the helper. So I plan tp take advantage of all of the free crisis counseling. And the wonderful kids at Outback who keep pouring very strong pina coladas down my gullet!

[GeoffC]

Stay STRONG Dixie - and you too Tim .....

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Howdy! We were running around trying to get something done yesterday. I had an early endocrinology appt at UAB, with good news. You know that we have been dieting and exercising since New Years Day, right? At the doc's yesterday, I had lost an even 30 pounds, and my A1c had gone from killer 9 to normal 7. YAY!

Then, I went over to my old office, where they let me use the computers, copiers, all of the stuff that I needd to get my insurance ducks in a row. I sort of broke down when I went thru the door. We had our home for 18 yrs, but I worked there 16 yrs. It felt like home and family.

Then we went by Tim's old office to get some hugs and love.

Today it is raining. I nearly freaked out when it thundered!!!

I'm gonna try to see one of the emergency counselors tomorrow. I am not handling this well. I always thrived in other people's crises. Cool head, etc. I often was called on to go with church people to funral homes to make arrangements, because I could go through insurance forms and haggle with funeral directors. It is shameful how bad the hard sell is when people are grief stricken. My personal ministry was to take over the financial details of haggling with those funeral directors, calling insurance and social security, etc, so that the family did not have to deal with that.

The funeral home directors hate to see me come through the doors with a family! my late pastor went with my sister and me when our father died, and he showed me how to handle it. It has been my mission ever since to do the same for at least a dozen families since 2004. (how dare they try to charge for dirty laundry disposal! I make them just toss these in with the rest when they incinerate a pile. They actually charge families over $100 for that.)

Anyway, my point is that I'm not coping well with being the helped instead of the helper. So I plan tp take advantage of all of the free crisis counseling. And the wonderful kids at Outback who keep pouring very strong pina coladas down my gullet!

I think seeing a counselor is such an excellent idea. I was just thinking how I would feel with the summer thunderstorm season approaching if I had been through your experience. Post traumatic stress is real and I would surely take advantage of any help offered. Proud of you!

[poohbear_nc]

Ditto to what Betty said. You essentially went through a battle-field experience -- and us civilians are just NOT trained to deal with the aftermath of such an experience. Please do visit with the counselors. Unless you're planning to move out of this area, you're going to have to be able to withstand future encounters with bad weather of this type.

It's hard to be on the other side of a giving hand -- but you can better understand the motivations of the folk reaching out to you now -- cherish your old & new friends, and lean on them as needed - lots of shoulders! No waiting!

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Anyway, my point is that I'm not coping well with being the helped instead of the helper. So I plan tp take advantage of all of the free crisis counseling. And the wonderful kids at Outback who keep pouring very strong pina coladas down my gullet!

You're now on the other side, helpless and no longer in command. No wonder you're not dealing very well with it! Never be too proud to accept help, when you need it!


(though, these pina coladas might be a good reason to go as well, they're on of the very, very, very few alcoholic beverages I kind of like.



Actually, the only one )

[DixieGal]

If anyone is interested in seeing my pictures, here is finally the link http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...id=EM_sharshar

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

If anyone is interested in seeing my pictures, here is finally the link http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...id=EM_sharshar

Holy crap!

Just glad you and Tim are physically OK amongst all that devestation.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Holy crap!

Just glad you and Tim are physically OK amongst all that devestation.

Me too!

The insurance guy was finally able to get into my neighborhood. His job is to go to disaster areas. He said this is the worst he has ever seen. And confirmed that we are the only people who survived in my neighborhood.

I asked if it would be a total loss. He sort of laughed and said that it was raining hard enough INSIDE MY HOUSE that he grabbed a plastic tablecloth off the floor to cover his head. The roof is pretty much wide open. Needing an umbrella indoors is a sign that the whole thing is a washout.

So my mind is eased a bit, knowing that my claim is being processed so quickly.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Me too!

The insurance guy was finally able to get into my neighborhood. His job is to go to disaster areas. He said this is the worst he has ever seen. And confirmed that we are the only people who survived in my neighborhood.

I asked if it would be a total loss. He sort of laughed and said that it was raining hard enough INSIDE MY HOUSE that he grabbed a plastic tablecloth off the floor to cover his head. The roof is pretty much wide open. Needing an umbrella indoors is a sign that the whole thing is a washout.

So my mind is eased a bit, knowing that my claim is being processed so quickly.

Pleased to hear that the insurance should be OK. Having seen the pictures though I'm not sure how it could have been otherwise!

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

If anyone is interested in seeing my pictures, here is finally the link http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...id=EM_sharshar

Thanks for sharing DixieGal, my heart was in my mouth looking at your pix, but the ones with the timber through the door/walls had it going 9 to the dozen.

Sending you all the good vibes I can!

^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^ ..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^ w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^..^vv^w^^W^. .^vv^w^^W^..^vv

[poohbear_nc]

I look at those pics, esp. that one with the sky going black, and marvel at the miracle that you are with us today. Damn!

[bjones6416]

I'm in the "Holy crap!" camp. It just...brought the outside into the house. Both amazing and horrifying.

[WT Sharpe]

Holy Crap, and did you know your dining table and chairs look exactly like the ones in our kitchen? And the bed looks frighteningly like ours. My wife bought the table & chairs, and she also picked the bed. It was a waterbed, until we realized that cats and waterbeds weren't the best combination, so I bought a regular mattress for it and did a little engineering to make it fit.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

If anyone is interested in seeing my pictures, here is finally the link http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...id=EM_sharshar

simply amazing! especially that you guys were the only ones in the neighborhood that survived! may I please have the plans and materials list of your closet?

I was going to ask about your jewelry making equipment. I saw the polisher and the grinders, did the findings and stones survive?