Our group from Gaza looking at Crisis Management and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Assistance (PTSD) Programs spent a busy two workdays plus weekend in the area. The five member group consisted of humanitarians working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNICEF, and other conflict resolution & humanitarian organizations and were accompanied by two U.S. Department of State interpreters. Their professional objectives for their national program, as outlined by the Department of State, were to:
· Study effective crisis response models;
· Gain further knowledge on how to organize successful and effective humanitarian and rebuilding interventions;
· Discuss best practices for recognizing and treating PTSD;
· Explore private-public partnerships in crisis management.
In order to meet these goals, the group met with several groups in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties; and as Ida, first as a hurricane and then as a tropical storm, headed straight for the region, the delegates were able to witness firsthand emergency preparedness in action, better than any staged drill or across-the-boardroom-table meeting.
On their first day in town, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council (GCCDC) gave the group a tour of and historical orientation to downtown Pensacola. Ken Cromer of the American Red Cross of Northwest Florida next met with them to discuss PTSD assistance programs and disaster services. Mayor Mike Wiggins then joined the delegation to welcome them and to bestow upon them honorary citizenship.
Next, Natalie Seaber of West Florida Hospital met the team to discuss hospital crisis management, and several employees elaborated on their roles. The hospital pitched a decontamination tent in their parking lot especially for the group’s visit and also introduced them to their onsite hospice care unit. The GCCDC thanks board member Jack Kichler for coordinating this visit and Dennis Taylor, Carol Saxton, and Margie Hobbs for their participation in this special appointment.
The excitement of the day continued at the tailgate party and homecoming game at Pensacola Catholic High School where the delegates and a handful of GCCDC members enjoyed pompoms, “American football,” and an evening of fun. Sister Kierstin Martin and the surrounding spectators in the bleachers all helped the group feel welcome.
On Saturday, the group attended the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival, shopped at local stores, and, in one case, visited with family who had driven in from Alabama. The next day the group went canoeing down Blackwater River. They raved about the experience despite capsizing three times and several miles later unanimously expressed disappointment in having reached the end of the trip.
On Sunday evening, Escambia County announced that its schools would be closed on Monday and Tuesday due to an approaching hurricane. The group was scheduled to leave town on Tuesday, but with the turn in the weather, we prepared to say goodbye a day early. They, however, would have none of it. They were here, they reminded us & personnel in Washington, D.C., on a crisis management program and felt that they could learn the most and help the most on the ground in Pensacola. After reviewing road conditions and consulting with county officials, the decision was made to honor their request by keeping them in town but off of the beach. For safety’s sake, the group checked out of their hotel and moved inland to the lovely North Hill Manor B & B. (Thank you, Bob & Bonnie Robertson, for your quick response to our request.)
As the storm was still out in the gulf, they were able to continue their project. GCCDC volunteer Barbara Henry joined them on their Monday appointments, keeping an eye on the weather.
Barbara Vititow, Coordinator of the Feeding the Hungry Plus Team, welcomed them to the First United Methodist Church. The purpose of this appointment was to demonstrate the important role of volunteerism, and the Gazans helped both in the dining room and in the kitchen.
Soon afterward, the group met with Tammy Burton at the Santa Rosa Kids House to hear about their facility and to share strategies for working with kids under stress. The group next headed to the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center for an impromptu tour of the facility and to observe it while fully activated. We would like to thank Keith Wilkins and John Dosh for making this possible and Trisha Pohlmann for her insight and knowledge shared during the tour.
