Ms. Helen

I went by to see Helen today. She just moved into a two-family house after spending two weeks in a hotel (not a nice hotel, either). She had to move out of her temporary home due to mold. FEMA was paying for the hotel, and is going to take care of the rent on her new place for the next several months, maybe more.

Helen's problem now is stuff, or lack thereof. She's sleeping on an air mattress, on the floor, in the living room. She's got an artificial knee, and to avoid having to go up and down the stairs for now, she's going to stay downstairs.

I'm going to get her a mattress and box spring next week -- unfortunately I can't get it before Wednesday. But that'll be a help. She needs a fridge, though, too. Her insulin was sitting in a bag on the floor.

Helen had a house before the storm, and lots of things. Now she doesn't, and she's bouncing around. That's really all I have to say or think about right now. People like Helen are why I'm here.