Storms, etc.
Miriam K. Wilmoth, CMT, FAAMT
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
This has been a tough week for the Southeast Region, as we have watched unbelievable devastation roar across our area. It seems to have affected all of the states in our region in some way, and I am certain there are some of our regional members who have sustained personal losses, perhaps on a scale most of us cannot begin to imagine.
If you know of a member in our region who has lost their home or sustained serious damage to it, one who has been hurt physically (or lost a loved one), or has been personally affected by these storms, please notify me by return email at magg...@bellsouth.net. I am aware of some members who may be facing weeks of being unable to work due to widespread loss of power and projected restoration many days down the road. Due to the flooding in our region, some who still commute are unable to reach their workplaces. If you ARE that member who has sustained personal loss, please let me know.
If you would like to be part of reaching out to any members we identify who need assistance, please also respond to this message, including your telephone number so we may be able to reach you if needed.
Thank you, membership, for your sensitivity to the pain and needs of others during this time of devastation and incredible loss.
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mwilmothcmt
I apologize for the re-send on this message, but in the event that
there were members who missed it when I sent it last Friday, perhaps
because their power was still out or they did not have access to a
computer, I wanted to re-issue the plea for information on members who
sustained personal losses during the recent tornadoes and storms. I
have received several offers of help from our own SE Regional members,
as well as offers from AHDI members in other states and regions, and
it warms my heart to see colleagues who want to reach out and offer
help during this difficult time. Please know, if you are in a
position of need, that there are professional colleagues who wish to
stand by you and assist you in your recovery. Whether your need is
for equipment or books, or whether you need someone to handle your
accounts temporarily until you restore your office, the offers have
come in and help is here for the asking.
On a personal note, I would ask that you keep Memphis in your thoughts
and prayers during the next 2 weeks. We are facing what can only be
referred to as cataclysmic flooding from the Mississippi River and its
tributaries. The ground is saturated and rain runoff has no place to
go, and like most of you, we have had incredible rains over the past
several weeks. The river is expected to crest next week at 48 feet,
equal to its depth during the Great Floods of 1927 and 1937. The maps
showing projected flooding touch many areas of our city, including
areas where I know some of our fellow members live. My family lives
on a "high hill," but there is a creek about 8 houses away that
flooded a year ago and damaged 6 homes on our street, during the same
storm system that passed through Memphis and caused the massive
flooding in Nashville. All of that is not in an effort to project my
own personal situation, but to make you aware that we have many
members who may be displaced and may suffer damage to their property
as the river continues to rise this week.
To those of you who responded before, please accept our thanks. I
will be in touch if we are able to identify a place where your offers
of help can be used. To date, I have not heard from any members who
have sustained damage, and I think that is a cause for thanksgiving
and relief. In my heart, however, I think there are those from whom
we have not yet heard, and that is the reason for my forwarding again
the message below. If you did not catch it the first time around,
please take the time to read it, and then respond if you feel that is
what you need to do.
Thanks to all of you, again, for your willingness to stand by your
colleagues in time of need.
Miriam K. Wilmoth, CMT, AHDI-F
President, AHDI Southeast