A call from New Orleans...... [Archive] - Cyber City Diner at Livewire.FM

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vervilledeb1

01-24-2006, 05:06 PM

Hi All,

I was sitting reading the posts and my phone rang and I want to share with the board. The person calling was one of the survivors of hurricane Katrina once again calling and thanking us at Livewire for the help. To this day I hang up the phone and I am still emotional. I won’t go into the whole story in this post the story is in this link: http://www.livewire.fm/forums/showthread.php?t=222 (http://www.livewire.fm/forums/showthread.php?t=222)

These folks are so thankful even after going through so much. I still hear from them to let me know how things are going and of course they are checking up to make sure I am still here at Livewire.

Something was said to me today that made my heart flip. And it was if a crisis like this comes up again they know they will make it through. It was the people at Livewire pulling together and making things possible. I was asked to please make sure I thanked Franklin and Nico again for opening this board up to help. And I too would like to thank them. Without accidentally falling onto this board I would not have been given the chance to work in helping these folks like I did. And thanks to Monkey Phat for being my “partner” and working by my side so fast and efficiently to get these folks out. Monkey Phat is longer with us due to health issues but she is missed.

For the member who was shown the door and asked me behind the scenes if Nico lets us Mods make our own decisions my answer to this is if you knew the history of this board, if you had read through you wouldn’t need to ask. Had I or Monkey Phat had to seek permission or get an opinion on every move we made what we had done would never had been possible.

The newest update on our folks is as follows:

Joy- back at home in NO and she has her kitty. I heard Ms. Kitty purring on the phone.

Shane and Sammy – relocated to Baltimore with Sammy’s dad. After months of searching for the family dog Ron-Tu he was located and is now living like a king with Sams dad. Last weekend he had his fur “done” at the local groomers.

Karama- He has been nominated for an award for outstanding poet in education. YOU GO!

In my opinion this is what can happen when the human race pulls together for the good of mankind! And for those who ask why I am still here even after the hurricane is over..look at the education I have gotten along with the most loyal of friends. Thanks Franklin and Nico for making this possible as promised to my friends!

Debby

LightHeart

01-24-2006, 05:23 PM

What a heartwarming post, Thank you so much for sharing with us. Hats off to all of you, You are all wonderful caring souls.

InsanitysAngel

01-24-2006, 05:34 PM

Awesome news Debby! Makes a body feel all warm and fuzzy.

:dance:

vervilledeb1

01-24-2006, 06:02 PM

What a heartwarming post, Thank you so much for sharing with us. Hats off to all of you, You are all wonderful caring souls.

I wanted to share this. This is a good example of what we are about and how I "landed" here. To this day I still cannot remember how I got to Livewire. And its still bugging me!

InsanitysAngel

01-24-2006, 06:13 PM

vervilledeb1

01-24-2006, 07:59 PM

You can't remember how you got here? Hmmmmmmm, you said this was the first board you posted on, right? Did you by chance read any others that might have led you here?

Regardless, I'm glad you were here to welcome me into the fold. It's an awesome board and I know I'm thrilled I found it.

:D

I can't remember, IA. I know I wanted to do something to help the victims and I was online. I may have been on a board..errr...old age I swear. I know once I hit Livewire I put in to be a Mod. having no clue what the job would be. I had a good teacher. :worthy: And I have been here since.

And I am very happy you were thrilled to find us. Course you didn't realize we were going to put you to work!

InsanitysAngel

01-24-2006, 08:03 PM

I can't remember, IA. I know I wanted to do something to help the victims and I was online. I may have been on a board..errr...old age I swear. I know once I hit Livewire I put in to be a Mod. having no clue what the job would be. I had a good teacher. :worthy: And I have been here since.

And I am very happy you were thrilled to find us. Course you didn't realize we were going to put you to work!

Ahhhhh, yes, Katrina was the most searched term at the time. That's probably it, a simple internet search.

And I don't mind the work at all. :D

Rico Suavay

01-24-2006, 08:35 PM

NicoMoon

01-24-2006, 09:03 PM

Debby, what can I say, except that your post brought tears to my eyes?

The reason that our Let's Roll project resulted in many, many success stories, some maybe seemingly insignificant, some the kind of drama that books and moves are made of, like your amazing rescue story, is only because so many good hearted people rushed to the internet in the hours and says following the devastation of Katrina.

It was our blessing that we just happened to have a useful resource at the right moment. It was all of our blessing that we found each other. We went online at about 9PM on the evening of September 1, the day the full impact of the storm became apparent. Like you, so much about that evening escapes my memory. I know that we found Monkeyphat, she arrived here and began crossposting her heart out, alerting people to this resource, and inviting people to come here to communicate whatever they needed or had on offer.

By the following morning we were on the phone together watching the site numbers go up, until we consistantly reached over a hundred visitors on the site at any given moment, and those numbers remained steady for days after.

Unlike many other discussion sites, we did not generate any arguments, debates, or discussions, but only information, offers of support, reports from the ground, and coordination of efforts. Much of what went on behind the scenes was never reported on the board. We were all putting in 18 hour days, working non-stop via phone, e-mail, between websites, whatever we could do.

You were among a host of volunteers to respond to our request for volunteers. One by one, we took your phone calls, gave you a quick brief on how to use the controls on the site, and let you go for it. I can't remember how many volunteers we had at the high point, but this board was moderated 24/7 by amazing people who donated all their time and energy to helping to direct the flow of traffic, coordinate energies, keep information flowing, and just looking to find whatever they could to do. It was truly an incredible experience.

Despite the fact that you were involved in a significant moment of high drama, that your efforts resulted in the rescue of an entire neighborhood of desperate people, that you followed up on them person by person through each of their stages of transition, including their reunions with their lost pets, you never missed a beat in taking care of the more mundane and less glamorous projects. You were a force unto yourself, Debby, and no one who interacted with you didn't express to me or Franklin their gratitude and admiration. You are one of those people who can be handed a ball, and know how to run with it. And you ran, and ran, and ran, and never came up for air!

We are so blessed to have found you, Debby, and I am beyond delighted to have this opportunity to state publicly how much I treasure knowing you, having you as a friend and an associate.

You are a trustworthy, honorable, huge hearted person, Debby, and a true inspiration.

I am moved that your friends from New Orleans thought to mention us to you, and I am delighted that we were able to give you some of the tools you needed to accomplish what you did, but I can only return their gratitude to you, because you have mine forever, as well as my admiration.

And I'm so sorry that MonkeyPhat had to leave us, and I hope she'll return, because in her short stay with us, she also really created miracles, as did so many of the others, some whose names and fates we will never know.

Ok, enough! I'm headed toward terminal sappiness now!

But I mean every word I've said, from the bottom of my heart, Debby! You are a true Hero! http://www.livewire.fm/forums/images/icons/dozen_red_roses_expand_vase_sm_nwm.gif

Rico Suavay

01-24-2006, 09:06 PM

Beautiful post Nico ! :clap:

And again Kudos to all involved !

vervilledeb1

01-24-2006, 09:20 PM

Thank you Nico.....

NicoMoon

01-24-2006, 09:23 PM

Beautiful post Nico ! :clap:

And again Kudos to all involved !

Thank you, Rico! I'm feeling quite misty actually! :sad1: In a happy kind of way! :)

One of our goals is to revitalize our Let's Roll section, which is all about grassroots volunteerism, now that we know what good hearted people like Debby, and so many others can accomplish together.

We worked with some other groups to assist in setting up a shared database function for the efficient sharing of information in times of emergency, and we really want to get back to that as soon as we can. It's not a glamorous project, but we really saw the need in the aftermath of Katrina.

It was just amazing how so many people rose to the occasion, and we learned a LOT that we want to continue to build on. We'll definitely be talking about our Let's Roll project again, in the hopefully not too distant future.

Franklin

01-25-2006, 08:27 AM

Hi Debby,

Thanks for sharing this with us. And thanks for being such a "livewire" throughout the evolution of this site.

I second everything that Nico said - I'm not as good as her at expressing myself. Good thing one of us is. :)

vervilledeb1

01-25-2006, 10:09 AM

vervilledeb1

01-25-2006, 10:11 AM

I am feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Congrats to all of you that stepped up to make a difference! :worthy:

Wish I would have know about this before I would have loved to help out.

I guess I still could! Where should I go to, to find out ?

Thanks for the offer of help Rico! Where is it you are interested in helping out?
We are always looking for good people! :pals:

NicoMoon

01-25-2006, 12:46 PM

I am feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Congrats to all of you that stepped up to make a difference! :worthy:

Wish I would have know about this before I would have loved to help out.

I guess I still could! Where should I go to, to find out ?

Rico, we had to pull back from the Let's Roll project in order to complete the commercial development of this site and get it ready for official launch. We feel that our volunteer projects and support efforts will be better served if we have our act together and have the resources we need to really do a good job.

Let's Roll came about because of Katrina, as you know. It was a very spontaneous situation, and quite a wild ride, but we learned a lot from it, particularly the incredible value of grassroots volunteerism.

Debby's rescue story is the most dramatic example of this concept in action. Here were some people waiting and watching, gathering and sharing information, and prepared to act. When the need arose, they responded more efficiently and effectively than all the official groups combined.

Many, many hurricane relief workers, volunteers, and evacuees had a lot to add on the benefit of self-motivated volunteerism. It can be more effective and efficient in providing vital services and support directly to those in need than all the bureaucracies put together. We proved that during Katrina, as did countless other resourceful and dedicated volunteers.

The purpose of the speech is to give you an idea of where we'd like to go with the Let's Roll project. We would like it to be an ongoing forum to advocate for volunteerism, organize, plan, and educate, so that we have a solid mechanism in place in times of emergency need.

Livewire's role in that will always be primarily as a resource. We will always donate as many of our available resources as possible to support the Let's Roll project, but it's unlikely that we'll ever have the kind of time we put in during Katrina again to take a leadership role in the ongoing development of the project.

We do still consider Let's Roll! to be the heart of our project here. It's reflective of everything we believe in, stand for, and dream of, good hearted, conscientious, resourceful people coming together to make a difference.

If you or anyone else reading along have interest in working toward getting Let's Roll revitalized, we'll be more than happy to discuss that with you. I read a report somewhere that google reported unprecedented numbers of searchers under the word "volunteer" during Katrina, and other studies I've read report that it remains a very heavily searched word, so we know there are a lot of people around looking for something worthwhile to put their time into.

Rico Suavay

01-25-2006, 01:49 PM

We would like it to be an ongoing forum to advocate for volunteerism, organize, plan, and educate, so that we have a solid mechanism in place in times of emergency need.

Maybe branch it out to include times when there is not an emergency. Possibly a hub or center if you will that is more or less a help desk with an array of topics.

I am very well versed in veterinary care, and have contacts in all kinds of fields. Insanity Angel can comfirm my willingness to step up to the plate in times of need!

I am always available to help anyone with anything, When I first saw this board, I realized this is a place like no other.

Spending time here and conversing with the people here has enforced my feelings.

I have free time and enjoy helping others.

vervilledeb1

01-25-2006, 01:57 PM

Maybe branch it out to include times when there is not an emergency. Possibly a hub or center if you will that is more or less a help desk with an array of topics.

I am very well versed in veterinary care, and have contacts in all kinds of fields. Insanity Angel can comfirm my willingness to step up to the plate in times of need!

I am always available to help anyone with anything, When I first saw this board, I realized this is a place like no other.

Spending time here and conversing with the people here has enforced my feelings.

I have free time and enjoy helping others.

I am chasing you around the board Rico...LOL. Thank you sooo much for offering to help! And what an awesome idea! Let me "meet" with the "Queen Poohbah". :woohoo: :woohoo:

InsanitysAngel

01-25-2006, 01:58 PM

I am chasing you around the board Rico...LOL.

:lol:

Welcome to my world Debby.

:D @ Rico

Rico Suavay

01-25-2006, 02:03 PM

NicoMoon

01-25-2006, 03:19 PM

:) We do seem to be running around

It is just a suggestion. Most times people really do not have an outlet to go to and figure out how to do things.

This could be a type of setting where its not an emergency, but a place to find information on a subject.

There are lots of people out there that are not internet savey or alone and need an answer or help to find something.

I love doing research, so it would be a good fit.

Definitely Rico! Let's Roll should be an ongoing community of volunteers who are gaining experience in working as a team, researching, following up on projects, whatever. Then in times of emergency, the infrastructure is in place.

It takes a certain kind of person to commit to doing all the nuts and bolts work of organizing people. What we saw with the hurricane relief effort is that once the waters subsided the vast majority of folks disappeared, and the few of us who were left didn't really have the resources to address the vastness of the ensuing problems. Eventually we had to face the facts that we weren't getting enough return on our investment to justify the amount of time and energy we were putting in. And then there's always the problem that we eventually tried to plug into other groups, and we got swept up into the same kind of bureaucratic time wasting that we were advocating against.

Let's continue the discussion, and get you plugged in. Basically, Let's Roll is there, and you are certainly welcomed to jump in and get some discussions going. We will absolutely support any efforts you make in anyway we can, including and especially dedicating some radio time to the cause.

I'm going to hand you over to Debby to sort out the logistics on this one, although I'll do what I can. Right now, I think it's important for us to complete building our infrastructure so our support will be more valuable, and get some money rolling in, as we are planning to dedicate a percentage of our profits to the Let's Roll project.

You can certainly look at the Let's Roll section as blank canvas at this point, and if you're going to put your time and energy into it, you get to direct the focus, choose the projects, whatever you want. We're all for it!

It's an awesome offer, Rico! Many thanks!

Rico Suavay

01-25-2006, 09:21 PM

Thank you Nico,

Like I have said before, I have been on the net for over 5 years now, and have never met a nicer, community minded, unselfish group like you guys and gals.

You guys and gals actually make a difference

I am still working my way around this board and havent really made it into Lets Roll, but I will be headed there now to read up.

vervilledeb1

01-25-2006, 09:23 PM

Rico Suavay

01-25-2006, 09:35 PM

Thanks Deb ! and again thank you Nico!

I will try and be not too much of a bother :juggling:

Off to read I go !

vervilledeb1

01-26-2006, 03:46 PM

Thanks Deb ! and again thank you Nico!

I will try and be not too much of a bother :juggling:

Off to read I go !

Happy reading and feel free to yell! lol :sad11:

Rico Suavay

01-26-2006, 04:56 PM

I actually got a headache and the words were blurring last night while I was reading.

It is a tradgedy that the disaster ever took place, but it is very inspiring to see all the people that jumped in and made a difference

RunAmok

01-26-2006, 06:37 PM

RunAmok

01-26-2006, 07:03 PM

What a great thing to do!! I'm available to help in anyway you want!!

Kudos to you all!!!

Rico Suavay

01-26-2006, 07:16 PM

Sorry I am late for work, I got caught by a train on the way in :)

Not making a good impression ! :sad4:

RunAmuck, you have known me for years now :chatter:

:pals:

InsanitysAngel

01-26-2006, 07:20 PM

Sorry I am late for work, I got caught by a train on the way in :)

Not making a good impression ! :sad4:

RunAmuck, you have known me for years now :chatter:

:pals:

LOL, glad to hear it Rico. I was afraid you might think RA was stalking you.

:lol:

Rico Suavay

01-26-2006, 07:24 PM

Its ok If RA stalks me, I know they are harmless :pals:

InsanitysAngel

01-26-2006, 07:36 PM

Its ok If RA stalks me, I know they are harmless :pals:

Yes, RA is definitely harmless.

:)

vervilledeb1

01-27-2006, 12:34 PM

What a great thing to do!! I'm available to help in anyway you want!!

Kudos to you all!!!

Thanks for the offer RunAmok!! Let me know if there is an area of particular interest for you and I can get you set right up. :jumpers:

Debby

NicoMoon

01-27-2006, 01:15 PM

Thanks for the offer RunAmok!! Let me know if there is an area of particular interest for you and I can get you set right up. :jumpers:

Debby

And the same from me!

And thank both you and Rico for your lovely compliments, we will always do our best to deserve them, but let's not forget that a great community is only great because of all who belong to it!

It's delightful to be able to host great people like you! Thanks for joining our party, and please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, and also to make yourselves right at home.

My favorite kind of guest is the type who isn't shy to go open the fridge, see what's inside, and go ahead and make themselves a snack. Even better yet, when they make everyone else a snack while they're at it!!

In the interest of that cause, we try to keep a well stocked fridge! http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000013_thumbnail.gif

Rico Suavay

01-27-2006, 05:41 PM

My favorite kind of guest is the type who isn't shy to go open the fridge, see what's inside, and go ahead and make themselves a snack. Even better yet, when they make everyone else a snack while they're at it!!

In the interest of that cause, we try to keep a well stocked fridge! http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000013_thumbnail.gif

:woohoo:
Thank goodness, cause I just made a sandwich, grabbed an apple and a piece of pie and I didnt want to make anyone mad

NicoMoon

01-27-2006, 06:01 PM

:woohoo:
Thank goodness, cause I just made a sandwich, grabbed an apple and a piece of pie and I didnt want to make anyone mad

Oh no! You ate my pie??????????????????????????????? :sad4:

http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000015_thumbnail.gif

Oh well, I'll go raid Debby's she said she made chocolate cream pie last night, I think! But then again, I don't know about Debby, cause look what happened when her husband asked her to nuke him a TV dinner.

http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000014_thumbnail.gif

Rico Suavay

01-27-2006, 07:18 PM

Yes I ate the pie :sad4:

That TV dinner doesnt look too appetizing, I will pass on dinner ! :)

NicoMoon

01-27-2006, 09:07 PM

Yes I ate the pie :sad4:

Oh, well then, since you like pie so much, catch this! http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000052_thumbnail.gif

That TV dinner doesnt look too appetizing, I will pass on dinner ! :)

That's ok too, since you ate my pie, and you're feeling right at home, we have something else for you to do!

http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000034_thumbnail.gif

I guess I forgot to mention everything I like about having guests who make themselves at home! :jumpers:

But seriously, I hope you liked the pie. Debby's making us another, and she's a real whiz in the kitchen!

http://livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000053_thumbnail.gif :sad11: :sad11: :sad11: :sad11:

vervilledeb1

01-27-2006, 09:26 PM

Grrr, I'm being good here! And how did Rico get a sandwich and pie? I visit and reach in the fridge and this is what I pulled out!!!!!!

http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000036_thumbnail.gif

:blowup:

Rico Suavay

01-27-2006, 10:44 PM

Stinky Cheese !!!!!!!! :woohoo:

I am all done with the dishes too ! :juggling:

Now I am trying to clean up from that flying pie ! :hangingla

NicoMoon

01-28-2006, 12:35 PM

Debby, I think Rico cleaned us out! That's one hungry fella!

Can you offer him access to your fridge until we have a chance to go shopping and restock?

I can provide him with excellent dishwashing references too!

Or, if you can both hold out, we'll be refreshing the cheese supply and hosting a happy hour at 4PM.

http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000035_thumbnail.gif

RunAmok

01-28-2006, 03:11 PM

RunAmuck, you have known me for years now :chatter:

:pals:

Yes I have, but I can still kick your sorry butt if you steal anymore of that pie. That was mine, mine, mine! Got it? Good. :chatter: :worthy:

I'm not real good with other stuff, Nico, but love to do graphics and stuff like that. If there's any need for that, you just let me know. I don't always check in here, but if you'll send me an email, I'll probably get it faster. :)

NicoMoon

01-29-2006, 09:07 AM

Yes I have, but I can still kick your sorry butt if you steal anymore of that pie. That was mine, mine, mine! Got it? Good. :chatter: :worthy:

I'm not real good with other stuff, Nico, but love to do graphics and stuff like that. If there's any need for that, you just let me know. I don't always check in here, but if you'll send me an email, I'll probably get it faster. :)

What do you mean you don't always check in here, Run??? :sad4:

I was baking a pie for you just as I read this, it caused me to faint and look what happened! http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000063_thumbnail.gif

But I managed to pull myself together http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000061_thumbnail.gif(notice, I even got a boob job! ):disbelief:

And I made you a martini pie! http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000062_thumbnail.gif

I do have some ideas for graphics! Check your mail!

RunAmok

01-30-2006, 11:00 AM

What do you mean you don't always check in here, Run??? :sad4:

I was baking a pie for you just as I read this, it caused me to faint and look what happened! http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000063_thumbnail.gif

But I managed to pull myself together http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000061_thumbnail.gif(notice, I even got a boob job! ):disbelief:

And I made you a martini pie! http://www.livewire.fm//Nico/photos/00000062_thumbnail.gif

I do have some ideas for graphics! Check your mail!

Ummm...(sorry). So many boards, so little time. Got your email and will try to work on something tonight when I get home. :worthy:

RunAmok

01-30-2006, 05:12 PM

I'm going to have to talk to you about this some more, Nico. Would a normal old background work?