The people are in a region are in transition this week because the situation is starting to change. For the first two weeks everyone was working in crisis mode. Lots of small fires needed to be put out now. It was a matter of housing and feeding the masses. It is now time to start dealing with the long-term impact of what has happened.
There are now, just two basic groups of people. Those in shelters and those who are with friends and families. From my small experience, everyone who has wanted to move from the shelters have.
In The Shelters
Those I encountered in the shelter fell into two categories. The first group still believes that they are going to return to their homes. Being in the shelter has given them limited information, this combined with the power of not wanting to accept what has happened has then in a state where they believe in just a few more days they will be able to return. Looking at the zip code of where they have come from, this is just not going to happen. They have no homes to return to. The second group is people who have found the shelter to be better than the life they left behind. They have three square meals a day, are in a building that is safe from the elements, and are safe from the crime of their neighborhoods.
The problems the communities face that are trying to help these people are complicated. The question is: How do you care for people, but make sure they are doing everything they can to help themselves?
I am not bright enough to come close to being able to wrap my head around this one.
In Homes
The long term problems for those in homes is just as complicated. For the people who have been displaced the question is what to do in mid to long term. Many people are not going to be able to return for many months. Do they buy homes in the communities they are now call homes? Do they look for new jobs? Or do they wait?
It is no easier for the communities they have moved into. People have taken friends, family, and strangers without question, but that doesn’t mean it is not hard for them as well. Many of the towns in the area have grown from twenty perencet to one hundred percent bigger.
Just imagine twice as many people every where you go. On the road. In the stores. At the bank. In your home. Everyday. All the time. For a few days (or weeks) it is fine, but as a certain point it becomes a real strain. I talked to some folks who have taken in as many as 10 people. Image you home for the next five months with ten more people living there. Imagine every drive you make around town taking twice as long, Until Christmas.

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