Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Duffy's Ark

DUFFY?S ARK

When Jamie Rishard, her seven-month-old son, Alexander, and her partner Rusty Duff went to sleep last Thursday night they weren't expecting to wake up the next morning in more than two feet of water. But overnight, the nearby levee they thought would protect them failed turning their small apartment building in Coralville into an island. With no phone, and no way out, they were trapped.

Cue 1: On the Boat we Went ?I wasn?t real sure what to do . . . on the boat we went!?

Following their evacuation, Rishard, Duffy and baby Alexander were transported to Northwest Junior High School, one of two shelters set up by the Red Cross for displaced families. After seven days at the school, they are still there trying to make the best of a bad situation. During their initial check-in, Rishard recalls being uneasy.

Cue 5: Panicked ?When we first got here, I was a little bit panicked . . . the pack and play came.?

With at least the bare necessities taken care of, the young family was directed to the west wall of the gym - a 12 X 8 foot space that would become their makeshift home.

Their new living quarters consist of two steel and green canvas cots pushed together. Their headboard; a large paper sign that reads ?Red Cross Disaster Relief.?

A yellow highchair has been turned into a table and holds water bottles, a deck of playing cards, a roll of duct tape and a bottle of antacid tablets. While the shelter is far cry from a Hilton or a Marriott, Rishard and Duffy say the accommodations aren?t that bad.

Cue 23: Shelter Organized ??It?s not too bad . . . than I thought it would be.?

But Rishard is quick to add - there is a down side to shelter life.

Cue 22: Privacy ?We really don?t have very much privacy and I?m a private person.?

Rishard?s main concern, of course, is her son, and she says he seems to be adjusting to the new living conditions.

Cue Giggles: ?He?s handled it okay, he?s taking it in stride . . . he does pretty good, don?t ya buddy??

Rishard pulls up Alexander?s blue T-shirt and begins to nibble on his stomach, which makes him giggle and keeps him happy and entertained.

While mom and baby play, I notice that Duffy looks tired and anxious. He tells me he has deeper worries that are keeping him awake at night - like how to take care of his family and how to find a better job to support his family once permanent housing is secured.

Cue 3: It?s really scary ?It?s just kind of really scary . . . someplace, like a factory job.?

Colleen Brems is a disaster mental health specialist for the Red Cross. She says Duffy?s worries are part of the typical pattern of feelings most disaster victims experience.

Cue; Classic Pattern ?There?s a classic pattern we see . . . and stressed out.?

Even though things look bleak and uncertain for Duffy and his family, through it all, they?re keeping a positive attitude about their situation.

Cue 24 ? Cue 25 Jamie and Rusty ?I mean, we?re pretty positive people, what Rusty can?t take care of the shelter will take care of for us; we?re in a safe place . . . I?m just grateful out family?s together.?

Like so many other families displaced around the state of Iowa, Rishard, Duffy and little Alexander remain in a holding pattern, waiting to find out when and if they can return to their home, their jobs and a drier normal life.