On the Road Again::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hi guys.. it has been awhile. I got deployed to first Denton and now San Antonio to stand in front of Hurricane Dean. It has been an interesting trip.. I have to be either available or deployed for 60 days a year to maintain my active status with FEMA. We had some words between Region and myself about the terms of the contract I renewed with them this past spring. :-D eventually they saw things the way I read the words........ So I made myself available Aug 1 and I am going to do my 60 days of service and call it a year unless something interesting comes along.

I had a different mission this time.. I am "forward deployed" ahead of Hurricane Dean which was once forcast to hit the center of the Texas Gulf Coast.. and is not forcast to hit mexico way south of us... Frankly i am not sure.. once it hits the Yucatan it usually turns north a lot.. last couple that hit there did that.

I am embeded in the State of Texas evacuation center on an old air base in San Antonio. I am with an IT weenie from Denton and the two of us are FEMA for this site. There are hundreds of state and local officials, fire and rescue and police here from everywhere planning evacuations and executing their plans for a big hurricane coming ashore. I have to say.. these guys were ready to rock as soon as a blip occured on the satellite imagery. FEMA will not have a role till a disaster is declared but we are here in an advisory capacity till it hits .. and when the rest of the staff gets here today we should see all our OPS and management features in place to just hand off to the state when they ask.. it is very cool. If it does hit shore here I will likely be forward deployed to help build Disaster Recovery Centers toward the coast from the JFO which is already in Austin for this disaster.

Could be home in a week or six...LOL who knows. anyway.. it is back in the grind.. i am enjoying my new pay grade although I am still a grunt in all ways practical.