Team TERT OH-2 has been working for 4 days now, and they have kept up the pace that Team OH-1 set in the first half of the deployment. At present, 3 personnel from the team are working at the backup center, assisting with call taking, and the remainder of the squad is working aboard HAVOC on the 311 helpline. Call volume remains brisk and consistent. Moreover, the team is navigating logistical challenges as well- political figures and officials are visiting the area with greater frequency, creating the need to carefully navigate on the phone, on the air, and at home base.
Much has been written heretofore about Noah Ash, but his presence, accidental though it may have been, is proving to be a critical one for 
the team, and really the entire camp. The types of calls that the TERT team are receiving and processing have been described as the most difficult in their given careers. Considering the wide range of experience that Ohio TERT’s personnel bring to bear, that’s saying a lot. Noah Ash’s natural playfulness and curiosity has brought a light and affectionate counterbalance to the situation at hand. Our newly adopted mascot allows our team to focus on something aside from the difficult mission at hand, and everyone is glad for Noah Ash being there. #WhoseAGoodDoggie
Each team has their own idiosyncrasies. One group might be all about their business, all the time. Another might take a more pragmatic approach to the mission. There’s more than one way to peel a potato, right? Coloring has proven to be a helpful diversion for Team 2. The messages of hope, love, faith, determination and affection for NoahAsh (#WhoseAGoodDoggie) have all served as welcomed subject matter for our resident Ninja Picasso team members. And, the vibrant colors and themes of resilience are right on target for this mission, and this community. The primary goal is to help the team to cope with the call volume and types of calls they’re getting, to say nothing of their entire world being completely out-of-whack. All this said, their ability to cope and manage with their stressors makes them more equipped and readily able to support the gang at Buncombe County PSCC, who are enduring their own nightmares to a level few will ever understand.
Establishing some kind of normalcy is important on assignments like this. At the state APCO/NENA conference this year, the Committee gave an in-service presentation on TERT for interested public safety dispatchers. One of the things said that was important: “…get comfortable with being uncomfortable…” And, it’s proven so, so true on this assignment. At points on this deployment, public utilities, telecommunications, gas, internet, telephone, and even interstates were all either compromised or completely disrupted. Nothing is normal about what is going on in Western North Carolina. The area is irrevocably changed forever. Lives are irrevocably changed forever. So, for Ohio TERT, and all of the acronym alphabet teams, even one normal thing is important. 1 quiet lap around the camp. 1 hot cup of coffee. 1 pleasant greeting. 1 glance at a coloring sketch. One lick from Noah Ash. That normalcy can be extended. One hug to a Buncombe County dispatcher. One word of encouragement to a Buncombe County resident. One piece of information that will connect someone to help.
We love you, North Carolina, to the moon and back.