Transcript Slide 1
Acupuncturists Without Borders Global Disaster Response Field Notes 10-18-05 It is painful to see the devastation - unbelievable. Pictures don't do it justice. It will be a long, long time before this area is inhabitable again. The level and depth of the destruction is phenomenal. Everywhere you go are crumbled houses, totally destroyed buildings, electric wires dangling, streetlights not working, toxic mud. Returning residents look dazed. Spray paint marks the front doors of houses with information about the people and animals: “One dog under house”. Someone described the feeling of being in the 9th ward, she said: "There is an ominous silence...no birds, no kids, no dogs barking..." List of Venues – Acupuncturists Without Borders New Orleans area: Common Ground Health Clinic, Common Ground Distribution Center (Algiers and 9th Ward), Algiers; Algiers Park; Washington Square Park; New Orleans Public Library ( FEMA); Lower Ninth Ward (Red Cross); Emergency Operations Center; Covenant House (teens at risk); Odyssey House (halfway house); Tent City emergency responders. Baton Rouge and Lafayette: St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, U.S. Health Services and Staff of School for Visually Handicapped; Cajun Dome (Red Cross). Other areas: Monte de Olivos Church, Metairie; Emergency Communities, St Bernard Parish; FEMA sites St. Bernard parish; Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, Michoud; Belle Chase National Guard base; Police; Firefighters. Field Notes Men who’ve been working long hours in toxic clean up operations for weeks on end, come to our tent in the evening. They carry a blank look in their eyes, their bodies slumping with fatigue. Women cooking for relief camps, nurses helping in a hundred different ways, listening all day to the tragic stories, truck drivers, firemen, policemen, national guardsmen, people from all walks of life at first they are often curious: “Acupuncture? That can help with stress?” AWB Field Notes 10-18-05 Yesterday we gave acupuncture treatments in the 9th ward with the Red Cross and Common Ground. It was a hard sell to get the Red Cross to let us do acupuncture, but it happened, and they have invited us back. The venue was very difficult emotionally and physically. It is a very devastated area. The flies are terrible and the smell unbearable...rotting garbage, mold, and perhaps undiscovered corpses. We had to wash the sidewalk with bleach to clear the maggots before setting up the acupuncture table. Little bugs stick to the sweat on ones body, and it is very itchy. Bulldozers are busy clearing areas and dust is everywhere. Somatotopic representation on the ear Katrina Facts Katrina geographical impact zone: 90,000 mi2 (Newsweek) People displaced: 1.5 million (CNN) Number of people needing mental health services in the aftermath of Katrina: 500,000 (U.S. gov/Newsweek) Recovery time for 2/3 of individuals with PTSD: 6 to 9 months (N.Y. Academy of Medicine/Newsweek) Cost of one ear acupuncture treatment: ~ $1 (AWB) Acupuncturists Without Borders – Vision Statement Acupuncturists Without Borders is devoted to bringing compassionate and effective relief to people affected by natural disaster, war, and conflict in communities around the world. Utilizing community style acupuncture and working with local organizations, our initial presence in an area is devoted to overcoming the immediate effects of trauma. Once these needs are met, where possible, we continue to build local alliances to cooperatively plan and create a more in-depth training program for local health professionals and community members. On the web: ww.AcuWithoutBorders.org Katrina Facts – Six Months later Population of New Orleans pre-Katrina: 462,000; a/o 2-26-06: 189,000 Public School enrollment pre-Katrina: 60,000; a/o 2-26-06: 10,000. 2006 Hurricane Season begins June 1. Acknowledgements Hsieh Yu Chin and Pema Karpo Darryl Fuhrman/Hal Holmes Center All the many volunteers of AWB Acupuncture aficionados of Ellensburg The people of Louisiana www.AcuWithoutBorders.org Note: Any views or opinions expressed in this presentation are my own and not necessarily those of AWB. Jordan Van Voast ©