February 2005 Frontline - Commissioned Officers Association

Commissioned Corps Physical Therapist
Eases Pain from Florida Hurricanes
Article submitted by LCDR Michael
LaPlante PT, DSc,ECS, Chief Physical
Therapist, Winslow Indian Health Care
Center (WIHCC).
Like any dutiful Commissioned Officer,
I replied to the web site on
September 3, 2004 to register for
possible deployment due to Hurricane
Frances. I have been 'deployable' for
many months, so I didn't think this
would be any different from all the
previous times I had responded. But to
my surprise, my clinical director, Dr.
Armao was contacted that day to acquire
permission for my deployment! He and I
both jumped through all the permission
hoops and I was set to go. We were both
surprised by the quick reply of the Corps,
but still thought it was only an exercise.
My weekend was quiet until Sunday
when I was called at 3:15 and told to
board my plane at 4:20. With only
minutes to spare, I quickly packed,
jumped in my car, and sped (but of
course below the speed limit...) to the
airport for my flight. The gracious gal at
the counter was understanding of my
situation, and allowed me to check in
even though I was 15 minutes late. I
boarded my plane and made it to Atlanta,
arriving at 2 am in the cold and rainy
town and, unfortunately, finding out that
I had no place to stay. Following some
difficult maneuvering, I was able to
locate a place downtown, and got in a
solid four hours jet-lagged sleep before
having to rise and get back to the
training center.
After checking in with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), I stayed in Atlanta for two days,
and was trained as a 'community representative'
to work in post-hurricane
areas assessing damage and informing
residents about the types of disaster
relief available through FEMA.
Following training, I was deployed to the
Orlando Area with 31 other Corps officers,
and some civilians, to canvass that
region and get the FEMA word out. This
particular job during deployment was
quite interesting, as I was able to personally
meet with many people who had
their lives completely turned upside
down by these hurricanes. Providing
some comfort and hope that they were
not alone after such a traumatic (both
materialistic and emotional) disaster was
intrinsically rewarding. With FEMA, we
were able to instill a sense of order to
peoples’ lives and give them hope that
tomorrow might really be a better day.
A few days later, my team was
deployed to Citrus County. Along the
coast, we found significant flooding and
damage to trees and most billboards.
Roads were under water and power and
potable water were rare, but I could see a
resiliency in the local citizens that made
me feel good about the people of America
and our ability to bounce back from
many types of life's challenges. My team
member (Phil Toy) and I had just gotten
into the swing of things with FEMA,
when our detail changed, and we were
re-assigned to work at a 'Supershelter' in
Orlando. This shelter was established
because Hurricane Ivan, even larger than
the other hurricanes, was heading our
way. The shelter had the capacity to
house up to 8,000 people, some just
needing a bed, others having significant
medical needs.
On my first day reporting for duty
there, we had an 'all hands' meeting to
outline what our goals would be in
setting up the shelter. I have been in the
Corps for about ten years and, until that
day, had never seen so many officers in
one place at one time. DMATs had gotten
the shelter off the ground, but we were
transitioning in to take over, in partnership
with the Forest Service. One might
wonder why the Forest Service had
anything to do with the hurricane relief,
but since they work large disasters
frequently (forest fires), they are familiar
with how to get large-scale responses
organized.
I was the only physical therapist at the
shelter, so I was appointed team leader
for family activities and recreation.
Imagine a multi-thousand square foot
room, full of beds and cots, and nothing
to do. With little in the way of resources,
our team, which consisted of seven officers,
developed an entire Activities of
Daily Living (ADL) program and an
activity program from scratch. Jodi
Tanzillo, from Shiprock, became our
chair aerobics teacher, Gillian Engleson
(See THERAPISTS, page 23)
CAPT’s Kendra Wallace (left) and Fran Oakley (right) break down shelter beds at
the “Supershelter” in Orlanda, Florida.
COA FRONTLINE • FEBRUARY 2005 21