I'm starting to need an extra hand to count the number of tropical storms and hurricanes we've personally covered at KPLC. That means the ones that got close to us and bore watching until they landed near us, and those (Rita, Edouard, Gustav, Ike) which directly impacted communities right here within KPLC's broadcast "footprint."
Rita was the Grandmama of them all for us, of course. You get to know each other REAL well when you're camping out together for weeks on end in a building not really designed for residential use (KPLC's studio facility at Division and Bilb0 streets).
As is so often the case down here, the one thing we managed to do up right was eat well. We had provisions stockpiled, and after a while Debbie (my longsuffering wife and a former broadcaster) and sister stations elsewhere were able to bring supplies in. But mostly we emptied out our refrigerators and freezers and brought what we had here. Several local restaurants pitched in, which was so appreciated.
We have a number of decent cooks working here, so we all pitched in with BBQ pits, boilers and the stove on the news set to create some memorable meals. Several folks who came here from other Liberty (for Rita) or Raycom (for Ike) stations commented that they've never eaten as well as during hurricanes in Lake Charles. Welcome to Cajun Country, guys.
Getting an icemaker in here was a big deal. We didn't rent one, we bought one. So it was here and cranking out the cubes when Gustav and Ike came our way. Turns out we didn't need it; Darren Doherty at the Majestic was cooking for us, and he has an icemaker there in the restaurant which which can make enough ice for the whole Western Hemisphere, so he kept our coolers filled.
Now the one thing we never did figure out was how to take showers. Believe me, we did our best, and went through the Purel and deodorant like they were free gasoline. But among the things you take for granted in everyday life that you realize how much you miss when you're working an emergency is...taking a nice hot shower, with towels, soap, etc etc.
Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Bill Taylor is an old friend of KPLC. I'm not talking about Joe Cironi's kin Bill Taylor who did the weather here and is now the toast of TV in San Antonio. He's a great friend too, and a mighty fine broadcaster at KENS-TV there. But the Bill Taylor most of you have never heard of.
This Bill Taylor 
was our news, promotion and audience consultant for years. He lived in Dallas most of that time, and now resides in Aiken, South Carolina. He's either worked for or owned three television consulting firms during his career, and has his fingerprints on stations and networks all over this country and abroad.
But KPLC was by Bill's own admission one of his favorites. Even when he became a Big Wheel in L.A. (not to be confused with our LA), conducting realtime network primetime entertainment show pilot focus groups (that's where you wire up an audience like a bunch of space monkeys or some such nonsense to see whether they like or hate what they're seeing and hearing), he always kept a personal touch on our station.
Some of our folks loved Bill; others hated him. That's the nature of the business and his role in it. He never took that part of it personally. In the end, he helped make KPLC a better and more responsive television station, and I'll always appreciate not only his extra set of "trained eyes" but his dedication, passion and knowledge.
Bill's enjoying his "retirement" in Aiken now, which is to say he's still as driven and Type A as he ever was. Rather than slink away from the front lines which the rest of us plan to do someday, in classic Bill Taylor form he's jumped into it with all fours.
Bill observed the Hurricane Rita experience at KPLC and the Hurricane Katrina experience at our sister station in Biloxi, WLOX. In both cases, he heard managers and employees bemoan the lack of hot showers. Now, in conjunction with his volunteer role in Aiken's Red Cross chapter, he's doing something about it. He has constructed an amazing thing; a fully configured Emergency Shower Reponse Unit, built into a large commercial truck and entirely self-sufficient except for requiring a water connection.
He bids his wife Donna adieu when trouble strikes anywhere in the country and heads for the action, putting the truck where it is needed most by those people (law enforcement, military, media, Red Cross, etc) who remain on the front lines to work the disaster. To say he is welcomed by these First Responders would be an understatement.
Bill came here as Ike struck the Southeast Texas coast to stage his truck, and immediately moved into the Lone Star State to the center of the greatest need. I asked him to take some pictures and keep notes for a blog post, and here they are.
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and for turning the need of First Responders into a passionate focus of your own retirement, Bill. For so many years you've been a huge part of KPLC's commitment to be at our viewers' and community's service. Now, on behalf of communities across the gulf south region and beyond, thanks for returning the favor. : )
BTW after reading Bill's post, please click to his excellent website for a video and lots more Ike pics.
Hurricane Ike – A Personal View
By Bill Taylor
Like Hurricane Rita in 2005, for most American's Ike is another forgotten hurricane. Memories of Katrina continue to take center stage in the psyche of Americans because Ike’s story wasn't told and re-told around the country like Katrina’s. Once Ike came ashore and didn't annihilate Houston, the national news media quickly turned its attention back to presidential politics and the economy. If you were not in Texas or Southwest Louisiana, it’s difficult to comprehend the destruction a Cat 5 storm surge can have on a huge and highly populated area. Scores of people died; hundreds of others went missing. Tens of thousands lost everything. Here’s a little of Ike’s story told from my personal perspective:
Late on Saturday, September 13th, the day Hurricane Ike came ashore, the Emergency Mobile Shower Unit was staged in Lake Charles, LA with our good friends at KPLC-TV. Lake Charles experienced extensive flooding and to the south in Cameron Parish, Ike’s wind and storm surge reeked havoc similar to the hell Rita brought three years earlier.
On Sunday morning we rolled into Orange, Texas, just over the Louisiana state line. Orange took a severe whacking from Ike; it was estimated that two-thirds of the county was under water at one point. Much of the city of Orange was under water and Bridge City, TX was completely submerged. It will be many years before they recover.
We hooked up with the Mobile Command Center from Denton, TX and a National Guard unit that staged in a grocery store parking lot. The capable staff in the Command Center quickly embraced the Shower Unit. Meanwhile, the soldiers were going door-to-door doing water rescues. They had stories to tell; fortunately there were no fatalities in Orange County even though it was estimated that half of the residents didn't evacuate and rode out the storm. The National Guardsmen also spent time recovering caskets that floated from the cemeteries.
After more than a year in design, construction, this was the first utilization of our shower unit. The goal was to provide hot showers for the soldiers and other first responders as well as disaster victims; it worked perfectly. Sunday evening about 40 National Guardsmen showered. They told me they haven't been able to clean-up for 4 days! The last showers wrapped-up about 2:00 a.m. after the last patrol came in soaking wet from wading through flood waters.
Tuesday morning the Mobile Command Center got orders to relocate to hard hit Galveston County -- they told me they wouldn't go without the Shower Unit. Funny, but true. We rolled-out at noon Tuesday with the Shower Unit tucked in the middle of a 10 vehicle convoy running red lights and sirens on the 2-1/2 hour trip on I-10 and I-45 through Houston and south to the Galveston area. It’s a great way to beat Texas traffic.
We set-up and the Bacliff Volunteer Fire Station a few blocks from Galveston Bay. Bacliff was hard hit, but more devastated was the adjacent San Leon, a little fishing village with modest homes and trailers mixed with expensive shoreline homes. It took a 13 foot storm surge and much of San Leon was destroyed. It was estimated that 12 people died in San Leon.
We provided showers for the 40+ first responders every evening. Word spread among the town folks that the Shower Unit had arrived and we had a steady stream of people each day. They are grateful to get cleaned-up for the first time since the storm hit Saturday morning. It was important to take time to ask each of them how they’re doing and get them to talk.
One fellow was particularly memorable. Picture this: long, stringy hair, beard, tattoos, very dirty and overall, rough enough he would be scary if you passed him on a dark street. He told me he was a “tug boat guy.” When I asked about his circumstances, he broke into tears; a tough guy with a broken heart. He lost everything he owned, including his job.
Amazingly, most every victim I encountered showed relatively good spirits. At that early point, most hadn’t started to figure out what they were going to do, still, they showed the American resolve to count their blessings and get on with putting their lives back together. Based on my experience after Katrina, I assure them that it will get better, particularly when the faith-based workers arrive to help with clean-up and re-building.
In my view, most of the Texans devastated by this hurricane are resilient and thankful to be alive. Many were sad and lost, but not angry. They were also appreciative of all that was being done on their behalf. Their misery is far from over; many will take years to recover. Pray for them. Go there and volunteer to help them clean-up and re-build. And, if you’re inclined, donate to the Red Cross which has poured millions of dollars in relief into Texas (money it doesn't have!).
Bill Taylor
Emergency Response Shower Unit
Aiken, SC
Tel: 803-422-9014
www.EmergencyMobileShower.US
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