Coping with Sheltering at Home during COVID-19

Local and state officials are using shelter-at-home (sometimes called shelter-in-place) orders to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). By staying home, people can help minimize how many people are getting sick at the same time, protect those at higher risk of severe illness and prevent our health care system from getting overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, sheltering at home can disrupt your routines and make everyday activities, such as work and caring for loved ones, challenging. These changes, on top of the general uncertainty around this pandemic, can create feelings of stress, fear and nervousness. These feelings are normal, and people typically bounce back after difficult times.

The following information can help you cope with stress and support others during this emergency.

What is Sheltering at Home?

·       Sheltering at home means that you remain at home, and only go out to purchase essential supplies, visit medical professionals or leave during an emergency.

·       Following the instructions of local officials will help keep you and your loved ones safe.

It’s normal for people to have these types of feelings right now:

·       Fear about running out of essential supplies.

·       Anxiety, particularly about being separated from loved ones.

·       Uncertainty about how long you will need to shelter at home.

·       Concerns for your physical safety and that of others.

·       Fear of getting sick.

·       Guilt about not being able to fulfill responsibilities, such as work, parenting or caring for dependents.

·       Boredom or isolation.

·       Thoughts of blame, worry or fear.

·       Worry about loss of income.

·       Fear of being stigmatized or labeled if you become sick.

Coping Tips:

·       Stay connected with loved ones through video calls, phone calls, texts or social media. 

·       Remain informed with accurate, reliable information. Avoid social media accounts and news outlets that promote fear or rumors.

·       Monitor your physical health needs and those of your loved ones. Eat healthy foods, and drink plenty of water.

·       Unless you are showing signs of illness or have tested positive for COVID-19, going outside to exercise and walk pets is okay. But don’t forget to practice social distancing by keeping at least six feet away from others.

·       Hold an image in your mind of the best possible outcome. Make a list of your personal strengths and use these to help both yourself and others stay emotionally strong.

·       If you are religious or spiritual, follow practices at home that provide you with comfort and emotional strength.

Helping Others:

·        Reach out to older adults or people with chronic health conditions and offer to help. For example, offer to pick up groceries, medications and other essential supplies. Check in with them regularly but practice social distancing by keeping at least six feet away when you deliver essential items.

·        Talk to your children and explain why this is happening and how long it might last. Use language that is normal and consistent with how you usually communicate. Be creative and think of fun activities that will occupy their time. Keep a schedule, set appropriate limits and maintain usual rules when possible.

·        Take care of your pets, which can be an essential part of your support system. Like people, pets react to changes in their environment and routine, so their behaviors may change, as well. Keep track of their well-being and take care of their needs as best you can.

·        Show kindness to people who may not have a support system or are isolated. There may be limits to what you can do in reaching out, but a little kindness may be just what someone needs.

Helpful Resources:

·        For the latest information, please visit the CDC website at cdc.gov/covid19.

·        For information on staying safe, see redcross.org/coronavirus.

·        Download the free Red Cross Emergency App and First Aid App by searching for American Red Cross in your phone’s app store or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps.

·        Locate your state and local health departments at naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory

·        Call 2 1 1 or visit auntbertha.com for other local resources.

·        The United Way has established a National COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. This assistance may be accessed by dialing 2 1 1 or visiting unitedway.org/recovery/covid19.

Board Member Urges Donations of Time as Well as Money

Jennifer Wolcott said she was inspired by Shelia Gibbs of Lebanon, Tennessee, who told Red Cross volunteers that the loss of her home and possessions was "just stuff" and what mattered was the safety of her family. Photo: American Red Cross/Barbara Wood

Jennifer Wolcott normally supports the American Red Cross Tennessee Region by serving on its board of directors and as a major cheerleader and fundraiser for the organization. 

Recently, however, she donned a Red Cross disaster vest, a hat and gloves and helped crew a Red Cross emergency response vehicle to bring hot meals, snacks, water and supplies to Lebanon, Tennessee neighborhoods devastated by the March 3 tornadoes.

Jennifer joined three fellow Red Cross volunteers: drivers Carol Stafford and Marty Anderson, both of Alabama and Amanda Fisher of Franklin, Tennessee.

After disinfecting the vehicle, which is designed to serve and carry hot food and supplies, Jennifer and the other volunteers loaded up water, snacks and hygiene kits. They stopped at Second Harvest in Nashville to pick up insulated containers of hot food and then hit the road. 

Residents of a mobile home park off Lebanon's Tater Peeler Road that had been devastated by the tornado gathered around the vehicle after the crew announced through a loudspeaker that they had hot meals to offer. 

Another Red Cross vehicle with kits of cleaning supplies -- including rakes, shovels, buckets, bleach and gloves -- pulled up nearby, and the park residents left with armloads of supplies as well as food, many smiling with gratitude. 

Jennifer, who is also Red Cross trained to work in a disaster shelter, said providing help and speaking with those who had been affected by the disaster, gave her "joy." She was especially touched, she said, by a woman who was positive and upbeat despite losing her family home and most of her possessions to the tornado. 

The woman told the Red Cross that the huge pile of debris that was all that remained of the family home was "just stuff" and that what really mattered was that she still had her family.

Jennifer Wolcott, a member of the Red Cross Nashville Area's board, joined an emergency response vehicle crew recently to help bring hot meals, snacks, water and supplies to Lebanon, Tennessee neighborhoods devastated by the March 3 tornadoes. Photo: American Red Cross/Barbara Wood 

"I've said before 'it's just stuff' when it's not everything," Jennifer said. "But when all your stuff is gone, I hope I can be that person. Gratitude can change your outlook.”

Jennifer joined the Red Cross board after serving as a PTA president at her sons' school in Brentwood.  At that time, Jennifer said, she had no idea of the range of activities the Red Cross is involved in, including helping anyone displaced by a home fire. 

Once Jennifer learned more, "I just became invested in the success of the chapter," she said. In addition to serving as a board member and fundraising, she's helped install smoke alarms and encouraged other Red Cross donors to be trained disaster workers. 

"I hope that I can inspire more people to not only give money but to give their time," Jennifer said. "It can be intimidating to take the first step, but once you do, you can realize how awesome it is."

To find out how you can get involved as a volunteer with Red Cross go to RedCross.org. 

Lebanon Family Upbeat After Losing Home

Red Cross volunteer Carol Stafford of Shorter, Alabama gives Lebanon resident Sheila Gibbs a hug after hearing the story of how the Gibbs family survived a direct hit by a March 3 tornado by hunkering down in their storm shelter. 

Bearing hot food, snacks, water and hygiene kits, a Red Cross team turned their emergency response vehicle into the driveway of a Lebanon, Tennessee home on March 9 after seeing a massive pile of debris piled in front of a home that had no roof and only half its walls. 

What they found was a relentlessly upbeat homeowner, Sheila Gibbs, and a large crew of her friends and relatives helping clean up.

Sheila said that while her family lost almost all their possessions, they emerged from their storm cellar with what is most important -- each other.

"It's just stuff," she said gesturing to the massive pile of debris in front of the destroyed family home. But she remains optimistic. "Today I can stand out here and I can dance a jig because I still have my family.”

Sheila said she was out late playing bingo on Monday night, March 2, so she was awake when her daughter called in a panic because she'd heard a huge tornado was headed their way. Sheila said she did her best to calm her daughter, and then hustled her husband and another daughter into their 12-foot by 12-foot storm shelter just before the tornado hit.

Sheila said that she heard nothing, but knew the tornado was gone when her ears stopped hurting.  When her husband emerged from the cellar, he shouted back that he could see to the highway. Most of their home was gone.

The family waited for the sun to rise and then asked the first rescuers who showed up if they could be driven out to safety, Sheila said. They've been staying with her brother nearby while working to clean up the mess left behind.

Red Cross volunteer Jen Wolcott of Brentwood, Tennessee, embraces Sheila Gibbs after sharing some of the emergency supplies and food a Red Cross emergency response vehicle brought to areas of Lebanon, Tennessee devastated by a March 3 tornado. While the Gibbs home was destroyed in the tornado, the family survived unscathed in their storm cellar. 

The family has received a lot of help from the community, Sheila said, with about 30 volunteers helping out on Saturday and up to 80 of them on Sunday.

Once their home is rebuilt, Sheila plans to try to find everyone who helped out and throw a party for them.

We're going to have a shindig," she said, "to repay all of the volunteers."

To find out how you can volunteer and make a difference in your community, go to RedCross.org.

Grateful Client Calls Red Cross 'Heroes'

Jaime Arthur, shown here with Red Cross volunteer Jan Dahlke of Nashville, says the Red Cross volunteers who have taken care of her family after their home was destroyed by a tornado are "heroes."  

"They're heroes, they really are, every one of them," Jaime Arthur says of the Red Cross volunteers who have helped her family since a tornado destroyed their home early in the morning of March 3.

Jaime was away from her husband Albert and their 4-year-old -- dealing with the aftermath of an earlier accident -- when the tornado hit. 

But when Jaime called early in the morning of March 3 to warn Albert and their daughter that she'd heard a tornado was on its way, it was already too late. Still on the phone with Jaime, Albert opened their second-story door and saw a semi-trailer lifted by the wind, and debris scattering everywhere. He put their daughter in the tub and sheltered her with his body. 

"I heard them scream," Jaime said. And then the line went dead. "For a good ten minutes I had no idea if they were alive or dead," she said. 

Then her phone rang. "He called me and let me know that it was over, and they were OK," Jaime said. Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, water started pouring in from the ceiling. “It was as if a bathtub had overflowed on the floor above,” Jaime said. “Except that they were on the top floor.”

"He picked her up and grabbed a few things and they got out," Jaime said. "He was just a hero for her."

The family was soon connected with the Red Cross by members of a local community group and they moved into the shelter that had been opened in Nashville's Centennial Sportsplex. 

Jaime says the Red Cross and its partners have taken care of her family's every need.

"If it wasn't for the Red Cross and what they're doing right, we don't know where we'd be," she said. Residents there have been provided with a clean, warm, dry place to sleep, laundry, showers and meals, as well as medical care. When the family has mentioned needs the Red Cross couldn't take care of directly, a volunteer guided the family to other local organizations that could help, she said.

Shelter workers worked "tirelessly" providing everything the family needed, Jaime said.

"Any time there's been an issue, they've been on it," she said.

Jaime says a volunteer even knew someone at her work and called them to let them know what had happened to her. Since then her co-workers have given the family generous assistance.

Once her family is back on its feet, Jaime says "I would like to give back, maybe to the Red Cross." A former nursing assistant and currently a cook she says she'd love to someday open a restaurant serving healthy food.

 "I don't want to just survive any more, I want to thrive, I want my family to thrive," she said. 

A Heart for Sheltering, A Kindergarten Teacher Gives Back

Following the aftermath of the March 3, 2020 tornado — like most Tennessee residents — Dawn Willis sought ways in which she could give back to the community and help those directly affected. The American Red Cross was in need for shelter managers, a perfect volunteer route for a kindergarten teacher to take on.

In the days immediately following the tornado, Willis went to work by volunteering for the American Red Cross at the Highlands Heights Church of Christ shelter in Lebanon. Her duties included everything from maintaining the shelter operations to ensuring the privacy of shelter residents. As a first-time shelter manager, Willis quickly came to realize the inexplicable amount of manpower needed for disaster relief.

“You have people who have lost everything coming in looking for clothes, food and a hug,” she said. “I jumped in, got busy, and knew I wanted everyone to come into a warm and compassionate shelter.” Willis puts forth a tremendous amount of effort to ensure that any resident who enters the shelter is well cared for. “I take pride in helping my community. This hit very close to home. Some of the people affected are people I have known for many years.” said Willis.

When school lets out for summer break, Willis plans to continue volunteering with the Red Cross. “This has been a humbling experience for me, hearing stories of survivors and helping those in shock, spending time with the kids, and catching up with some of my former students,” said Willis. “I love seeing my community come together and sharing the love. That’s what its all about.”

Couple Loses Everything, Thankful for Red Cross Help

“I watched as the roof was lifted and taken away,” recalls Danny Davis, "the pressure you feel is unforgettable.” Danny and wife, Tina, were among the many people who lost their home on March 3, 2020, to an EF-3 tornado that rocked the tight knit town of Lebanon, Tennessee.

“We both laid on the floor, held on to each other, and hoped for the best,” Danny stated. Despite having lost Danny’s childhood home and all their belongings, the Davis’ spread cheer and laughter around the shelter. As the streets begin to clear and residents are allowed back into their neighborhoods this week, Danny and Tina wonder what their next steps will be.

“Things are just things, but it’s the pictures and the papers that we will miss the most,” said Danny. “The Red Cross has been great. They have helped my wife get the oxygen she needs to breathe, and we are grateful for everyone that is helping.”

The American Red Cross is working hard to get supplies and support to this community. Distribution of emergency supplies such as rakes, buckets, tarps and more will start soon, now that the community is allowed back into their homes. Emergency vehicles are driving through neighborhoods providing food, water, and supplies to help residents get back on their feet and begin the healing process.

To date, the Red Cross has provided hundreds of overnight stays for families and individuals and served thousands of meals and snacks to people who have been impacted by the deadly tornado in Tennessee. As storms continue to impact the region, volunteers from across the United States are coming in to help provide food and shelter, comfort and support.

For people like the Davis’, the support they have received over the past few days is overwhelming.

“It’s still surreal,” said Tina, “We have never experienced anything like this and the help that we are getting is just amazing. Sometimes it’s hard to believe there is good left in the world and then this happens, and I see the good.”