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Friday 2/18/07
What a fabulous week! A few more houses in the works including one for Gus - thats been a long time in the works.
The trees in Bert's lot are laying down - one got dropped on the power lines and that created quite a bit of drama for a while. The electric company loves us *G*
The boys from Washington were here this week - our electrical/plumbing crew. They had such a great time - they are coming back !
Last night, finally, the boys got to working on the kitchen. I almost have a sink in there. I cant wait until that project is complete. We can move the temporary kitchen back to the kitchen and that gives us another bedroom.
We have multiple foundations to get put in next week - we are now on a roll on these little Elkview Homes. 84 Lumber finally got the plans drawn up by a local engineer and they are now ready to go meeting the new codes.
Tinker continues to thrive - has adapted well to this "volunteer" life. He believes all the volunteers have come to his aid and attention exclusively. *G*
We are going to see another influx of volunteers this weekend - will be a full house with next week all mapped out. One group will be working, exclusively, on siding with Luanne.
Rich is planning an excursion to New Orleans with Art Johnson tomorrow - I told them they had to behave as we could not afford to bail them out. They said that was no fund. I can just see two old men whooping it up at Mardi Gras - cant you? Especially after a long hard week like this one has been.
Two of the boys have a "paid" job tomorrow - keep em with spending money! Makes for happy long term volunteers.
Sunday is warehouse cleaning day! Good grief how do things get in such disaray? But its gonna be spring cleaning they boys tell me. And, there are a mountain of power tools the owner has given us permission to use now. We are going to drag out all those expensive shop tools and get a "shop" finally organized in there. I cant believe the equipment he had in there.
So, that was our week. How was yours?
Monday 2/12/07
Another great day! The long term tape and texture skilled worker, Ken, has arrived along with John Goreman who claims he is jack of all trades but master of none - so now he is a tape and texture apprentice!
The Washington electrical/plumbing crew is making great headway. They were last here when I was moving to this location (in fact they assisted us with our move here to Tabor) and came back for some more work. They had so much fun last time that they flew in a few days ago to give us another five days of hard work. Electricians and plumbers are such a precious skilled craft down here.
Wayland arrived today - all set for two solid weeks of work on Miss Hazel's home. We should finally get that completed.
March forward we are well booked for volunteers and looking forward to a productive summer. The unskilled volunteers are getting their classes in at Home Depot in their various home towns and are polishing up their skill sets prior to arrival. This system, along with the requirement that they bring a skilled mentor, is changing the way we are handling unskilled workers. They are coming in able to be far more productive in this new phase of re-construction.
The "boys" trailer is looking great and should be out of here in a couple of days. The rough cut oak on the deck is a fine tribute to Katrina! It was cut locally from storm downed trees at a local lumber mill.
The boys also arranged for a laddder rack to be put on the one pickup and they have the motor tore apart on the utility truck getting ready to rebuild it - we found a sponsor for that work.
The office continues to hum and thrives with activity from morning till night. If it wasnt for the team from Ohio Disaster Relief - we could not manage the huge volumes of paper in this office. I can not believe the volume of work they have undertaken in the office on a weekly rotating basis and how smooth the operation is. The phone rings in there from morning till night. We really need a second line.
A special thanks to Mark, a local draftsman, who drew the plat plans for Miss Evelyn on Sunday (the ox in the ditch theory *G*). What a beautiful job! We are ready to start Miss Evelyn's 2,000 sf home in Middletown this coming week. Smokey is handling the foundation and the crew from Picayune is handling the black in. This home has been a year in the planning. We are all excited about getting this home underway. Miss Evelyn is a community leader and has contributed so much to her church and Middletown. She has waited patiently for all of these plans to come to fruition.
A local contractor has offered the operation a 12,000 sf warehouse to pre-fab walls for the 576sf Elkview Home. The contractor will be working alongside us on this project in a combined "free enterprise" and volunteer effort. We have about 200 homes to build and need a way to quickly assemble these homes onsite and get them blacked in. Plans are in the works for the pre-fab. The first four will be stick built and are in the quue with funding right now in-hand. More will be coming down the pike this week.
The land we purchased for Bert should be seeing a house in April instead of October as planned prior. We found a confirmed a sponsor for him today. Yeah!!!!!!!!!! We went out to the land yesterday afternoon and visited re the clearing task we have to undertake prior to ground breaking in April. The culvert has been installed. I am rounding up a clearing team to clear out enough brush/trees for the house to be built. The rest will be cleared at a later time. In this case - one tree at a time. Anyone want any wood? Firewood? Else we are going after a burning permit. Someone needs to bring lots of marshmellows!
The same contractor sponsor of Bert's home is also going to build an entire neighborhood in October. The only criteria is that they be family homes with children. We are currently working on that list to provide to them. This is an exciting project.
And that was just Monday - you should see the schedule for Tuesday !
Are you ready to come down and volunteer? We so desperately need your assistance. The work here has just started.
The enormous volume of trash left after the Mardi Gras parade on Sunday was half cleaned up when I drove down 90 today on the way to Bay Saint Louis building department yesterday. The City Crew was out there bagging furiously. I still fail to see the point of a Mardi Gras - it still escapes me. *G* Come on fishing season I say ! Come on crabbing season at the end of this month ! Now there is a good local activity that I truly enjoy. And there is nothing like a good crab boil on the Bar-B-Que !
And how was your day?
Saturday 2/10/07
This has been a fabulous week. A mile of work orders accomplished, four new houses in the works, a grant for a pastor, and another refurbish job.
The fence is almost up around Herlihy Park too. It has been a fabulous week. The contractor has been working hard over there and it looks great!
And, we are well on the way to starting the rebuilding of St. Rock Methodist Church - Yeah!!!!!!!!! We had a construction meeting here last night on the church - we should be starting on that foundation within the next two weeks. Everything else has been organized including a construction coordinator. I am so impressed with the teamwork of this small church. Once built though - we are going to need your help to finish up the inside. The building plan right now is a 40 x 50 metal building (already ordered) that will be used for a community center after they build an addition, down the road, for the much needed larger church. But for right now - this will be the "church".
I have two other churchs' I am working on. Both in the poorer parts of the county, both Baptist, and neither has a sponsor yet. But we are moving forward on both of them. If you are interested - please contact us. They will need materials and volutneers. Most important - they will need a sponsoring partner church.
We have electricians and plumbers here from Washington this week and we have a long term tape and texture man arriving today - he will be here three months.
We handed out 35 work orders this week - one nail at a time, one family at a time. Every little bit moves us that few inches closer.
A good local friend confided in me yesterday that his wife has been diagnosed with cancer. This person has been a staunch supporter and true leader in the community. I cried when he told me. I still am brought to tears by this. I am so frustrated, at times, here of the one step forward and two steps backward. I probably need a break from all of this. But no one on the horizon who can step in to take over this office for a week or two. I keep thinking God will provide. And he does. But not a long term construction coordinator. All I want for Christmas is a long term volunteer construction coordinator. Surely, out there, is someone who is retired who could come down for three months or more for some good spam sandwich, fried spam, baked spam, diced spam and beans, spam and eggs, spam and....... *G*
Today the full time volunteers have a "paid" job working on a contractors trailer here. Not sure, exactly, what it is that they will be doing. But I see the trailer being backed in here right now. I see it does not have a deck on it - so I presume they will be decking the trailer for him. That should fiscally help the full time volunteers here. Spending money for Saturday night. *G*
Its Mardi Gras here on Sunday - this should be interesting. I know there is a team, close by, that has been working on floats for months and months. I still do not understand the Mardi Gras concept at all. Has to be a purpose - but I still fail to understand it all. Excepting it seems to be a time for everyone just to party for the fun of it. Of course I look at it from the narrow perspective of all that money that is being spent on floats could be spent on sheetrock, nails, screws, shingles etc. etc. Hmmm.........
And that was our week - how was yours?
Thursday 2/8/07
A great day today - four grants came thru for four new houses plus two grants for refurbishing two houses. The house in Poplarville is completely blacked in and we are off to work on the inside.
Our new "addition" is settling in - the cat rescued from the swamp. Sure a pretty thing and, typical of siamese, is chatting up a storm.
Very busy day with clients and Laurie stopped in from Perlington with her new "T Shirt" *G*
We have volunteers coming in tonight from Washington - one is returning from a stint here a few weeks ago. He must have not "got enough" the last time of this hard work here.
So, how was your day? Ours was great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday 2/7/07
Very interesting Waveland Alderman's meeting last night. There were two donations reported on the agenda. Both designated to the General Fund and both without any stipulation. One was from a town in Pennsylvania for $2,505.00 an odd amount? The other, $7,000.00, was from Dr.C who helped us with the attempt to remove the donations from the old Alcan factory last week. What is more fascinating - Dr. C denies he ever gave the Waveland City Hall such a donation. This entire saga gets stranger and stranger. Of course - there were no Public Comments allowed again as people had not "signed up" prior to do that. People were were not sure where or when they were supposed to sign up and it was not explained verbally or in writing.
Apart from the politics - the relief effort goes on. It has been hectic in the office for the last two days. We had a construction coordinators meeting in the office last night on new construction. We have several of the little Elkview Homes we need to get built. Our foundation contractor is going to train our volunteer crew on the correct placement of pilings. We will only use the volunteers on foundations when there are absolutely no funds to pay a contractor for that work.
The other interesting evolving story are the DRO's who are furious at anyone who has reported issues with donations to the authorities. One of these DRO's was threating a donor yesterday because they were filing criminal charges regarding a donation load. This DRO was upset that the public attention is affecting other donations to the area - especially "them" even though, in this case, they were not the offending party. This DRO was making idle threats concerning the cooperating DRO's who are standing up and saying that there needs to be more accountability for these donations. As I have said before. Who is more guilty - the person actually stealing the donations or the person keeping the secret that they know about the other person is stealing donations? I say Hooray to the person filing charges today!
The sun shined all day yesterday - an absolutely gorgous day. I got called out in the field as a FEMA contractor had found a person who was hard of hearing and also could not read or write. I was there to see what I could do to assist this person with his house. He lived out in the county. While there I could hear this cat screaming from the swamp across the street. So, before leaving, I left the contractor on the road and wandered into the swamp in my sandals to rescue this cat. Half way across the field I was yelling at the cat that I was going to be darn tooting mad if there were any aligators lurking in the tall swamp grass. My friend at the road was roaring with laughter at this idle threat. I finally made it to the cat - who I determined to be starving and, after some coaxing, caught it and brought it out. It now resides in the warehouse - where it tried to demolish the cat food bag paper and all to get at the food. We have not named this new waif yet - but he sure talks, and talks and talks. Anyone want a cute siamese when we get him healthy again? *G*
And thats how my day went. How about yours?
Saturday 2/3/07
A couple of trips out of town this week - one up to Hattiesburg via Poplarville to see a house I had raised funds for and now it was blacked in, and one over to Biloxi. It is interesting to see where the progress is and the progress is not. Compared to Biloxi/Gulfport - we have not made as much progress here as other areas. At first we pointed to Louisiana as being slow. But, we really need to look a little closer to home here and wonder why it is so slow here - especially here in Hancock County where we have so many DRO's working so hard to make a difference. Why is the money trail so slow? Why so many homes with no obvious signs of re-construction, and why so many empty lots with FEMA trailers as the only addition since the storm? What is the missing link in the equation here?
Another busy day in the office. There are just not enough hours in the day to handle the paperwork load of this type of work. If it was not for the volunteers who do the filing in the office - I do not know how this work could be done here. We have probably used more trees storing information for this disaster than the disaster destroyed. *G*
I am ready for spring - tis time to go sit on the dock and go fishing again. As much time as I have spent working here on the shores of the Gulf right on the ocean - I have rarely got to the beach to enjoy the sea and the sand. And I live here within a mile or so of the beach. That is really sad.
There is not much entertainment here short of the beach, gambling casino's and the bar. And the favourite eating spots here are the buffet's at the Casino. I was taken out to dinner last night at one of the Casinos. And I heard much chatter about it being crowded that night as it was "Social Security Pay Day". And, it was very crowded.
And as I wandered to the resturant through the crowd - I pass right by one of my clients who I had just raised funds to build a house for. And the client is there happily pulling on the $1 slot machine. The client quickly turned their head hoping I would not notice.
We work so hard to "make this right" and raise these funds based on "need" where there is no margin between light bills, water bills, medical bills, and groceries - but the client is out on the slots on Friday night. Breaks my heart. These are Casino's thriving on "FEMA funds". At first it was the FEMA funds pouring into the coffers - now its the Social Security and Grant Monies. And when its all gone - they will be standing there in front of me again explaining that its "all gone" with excuses as to how it happened and wanting me to perform a miracle and build them a house on the self entitlement program.
But the Casino - you can close them all as far as I am concerned. The irony of this relief effort does not escape me. The Casinos' managed to get up and running - but not City Hall, not the infrastructure, not the roads, and most of all not the majority of the damaged or destroyed homes.
Some day I just struggle to justify this entire effort excepting there are those that are not gambling or frittering away their opportunity at a new start. And it is those good souls I keep struggling to find long term solutions for.
There is no glory in volunteer work - its only the knowledge that there are those that could not have got this far if it were not for the volunteers.
There is a lot of trust in God here on this.
And that is how my day is going? How about you?
Thursday,2/1/07
Life is just a bowl of roses. Yes, siree.
There is so much going on here politically - it is better than a soap opera and there is no charge for admission. You just have to stand around and dodge the mud slinging from over the other side of the fence. It must be the way they do business down here I have decided.
But, I am learning - there is "tea" and "sweet tea". I always wondered what the big deal was about "sweet tea" - afterall how hard could it be to put sugar in the tea. But for some it seems to be a chore down here. So much for southern charm. And heaven forbid you stand up and do what is "right". The elephant is standing in the corner here with regard to the handling of donations - but no one wants to get involved. They would rather stand there and lie by ommission as long as it doesnt affect their donations. I am not sure who is the guiltier party? The one stealing or the one lying about it happening?
And, a birdie called and suggested the fishing is great in Mobile, Alabama, and invited us to drop anchor for a couple of days. Sounds like a good plan to me !
Work here continues at the same furious rate. The office was packed must of the afternoon. All with a positive message of support. I appreciate that. Nice to know your work is appreciated from time to time.
We all went up to Picayune tonight to spend some time with Eugene and the crew. This was Eugene's last sharing night - he is going home. A new coordinator is coming onboard this next week. Beautiful night for a drive to the country.
And that was my day - how was yours?
Saturday, 1/28/07
The good thing about Sunday is that the government offices are closed on he weekends and gosh dang it - the newspapers do not tend to print stories about the "City" on Sundays. *G* I wont be in the newspaper tomorrow is my bet. *G*
Its been a great day - got some grants done, the office moved around, we found the drain out front so we dispensed of our swimming pool that tends to form when it rains. The landlord just happened on by with a stove for us and clued us in the the drain "secret". Pretty cool trick actually!
The gang is all here tonight having a fine ole time. Might not be at the Ball with local societies best - but we are having a fine ole time sharing war stories from last week and having a fine ole time with good ole friends. Nothing like good friends !
And how was your day?
Friday, 1/26/07
Another fun productive day. Some of the I-Beams got delivered to a volunteer group. The office was humming all day with clients. And, best of all - the sun was shining all day!
This new office of ours is so comfortable - the very best arrangement since I have been down here. The volunteers seem so comfortable here. I just love the fireplace in the front room on these cold nights. And Kenneth just cut us a big pile of firewood. There are some wonderful locals down here.
Needam cares approved two grants for two clients - and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys are the greatest! Needam Rocks!
The newspapers and television were still on a roll all day with calls - I have to wonder why so much attention to this "issue". Surely we have more important matters that need attention - like the construction or refurbishing of the 12,000 or so homes in Hancock County.
The greatest accomplishment this week was the blacking in of a home in Poplarville. I thought I was never going to get the funds to pull that project off. But it tis done according to the volunteer crew. Now to the second phase -finishing off the the inside. With faith - all good things are accomplished.
They tell me Sunday that we are putting a ladder rack on the trucks this weekend - a welcome addition to the fleet. It has been a safety issue for quite some time.
TGIF - thats all I can say.
And how was your day?
Wednesday, 1/24/07
My goodness, so much ado about nuttin and, better yet, so much said that amounts to nothing.
Despite all reports, my stint at 609 Central dated from about the 9th of December to the 2nd of January - a little over 25 days. And if the reports are correct - so much reported for such a miniscule portion of time. *G*
Back to "reality".
Much accomplished here today. The two bathrooms downstairs are being prepared for an influx of volunteers over February. The girls from the Ohio camp finally got those two rooms cleaned and ready to put the toilets/bathtubs back into operation. Rich says the marble surround weighs 800lbs - we dost believe he exagerates but, then, he did carry them out to the warehouse with much assistance. Now its time to drag them back in. I just think he dost groan as they are "pink". He has complained bitterly that the bathrooms all are "pink" in this house - he sure was impressed when he found out that the gold faucets are "really" gold. The owner explained he made the mistake of telling the wife she could have anything she wanted in there. He about fell over when he got the bill. And all these years later - he is still telling the story.
Had some interesting calls of support from all over the country today. Also got about four grants done - planning on several again tomorrow. Time to get back into the swing of things now the office is up and organized with some good full time help. Intakes still going on at a rate of ten new people per day.
Also working on building some panelized housing here on-site. Since we are building the same house over and over - no reason we can not "build ahead" and get them assembled when the right volunteer groups are in camp. This should speed up the process some what. We got a large section of the warehouse cleaned out today.
And how is your day going?
Tuesday, 1/23/07
City Hall continues to ingress into the operations here. Yesterday they determined to pick up tools that belong to the City of Waveland that had been on loan and stored here for months. No courtesy prior notice of course. The City had been sending over teams to pick up their tools, from time to time, for their own use, and the problem we were having is that they refused to sign a log for the tools despite multiple emails to City Hall/Public Relations. We had had a team come in from Americorp two days ago who wrote up a list of what they were taking - but refused to sign the list. Very frustrating. The City had a key to the warehouse here so they had free reign to the tools and we had no control over the inventory when we were not here.
Fortunately we had already made plans to purchase a large batch of tools for this operation via a grant and we were going to have to pack up the City tools and put them back into storage on arrival of the large batch of tools that are headed in here. So, wonderful timing.
Else, all is going very well. The line of people showing up to get assistance grows daily. I am not sure why so many people have not prior received assistance. It’s the number of elderly that I see in the office daily that concerns me. If I am seeing this percentage - what is the percentage of people out in the County who have not received any assistance what-so-ever? And the number of enquiries from Kiln and further north grows daily also - they state there is no one in the north end of the county taking applications for assistance excepting the EOC in Kiln and they report no follow-up from filings at that location.
I also am receiving calls daily from people who are being "harassed", for the lack of a better word, by their FEMA trailer representative who is demanding "action" on the part of the trailer occupant. Not sure what "action" FEMA wants as there is such a critical shortage of Case Managers here in Hancock County and we, as Case Managers, can only file so many grants based on the volunteers anticipated in camp who will be needed to complete the work.
On top of the heavy client load - the newspapers are calling enquiring as to what is going on with the warehouse load that is being held hostage. Since we had requested that the donation be revoked back to the donor - we actually do not own the load at the "warehouse". But the questions and probe continues - as it should. Why the "City" and "Warehouse" entities will not release the load is beyond me - this is not bringing good press to either one of them and, in the short and long term, they are denying the residents of the Gulf Coast access to much needed building materials.
Of course - there is the "he said, she said" shame and blame going on just in case the chosen entity in this hostage situation does not win. One of the interesting outcomes is that anything I write is scrutinized for spelling and inaccurate entries - nothing like having an army of virtual volunteers. Yes, I fixed the error on the dates I worked at City Hall from 2005 to 2006. *G* and the old entry on the CAT database was corrected by the owner of that database. I am sure there are more but the virtual army seems to choose to fax the errors to the newspapers rather than report them directly - so it takes a little longer to rectify those oversights than it normally would. *G*
I fielded a couple of interesting questions yesterday stemming back to some evacuees who turned out to not be really evacuees. I remember one of the evacuees had taken the time to rent out her home prior to "evacuating" after the storm - an interesting situation. Another had an interesting situation stemming back to prior to the storm. He claimed he was a home owner and it turned out he was actually a very delinquent tenant stemming back long before the storm. Better yet - his home was twelve miles from the ocean at Gulfport. Not quite the desperate evacuee that he initially reported to me. But anyone can create a spin on their story I suppose. And both sets will fail to explain they were double dipping in Mississippi and another States food stamp program - which stopped immediate on it being reported. The States, immediate after the storm, were not communicating well and some evacuees were able to get cards from Mississippi before they left and cards in the "new" location. The fraud down here is rampant. You still see it daily. What is hard to understand - is the self justification for such indiscretions and the "How dare you report me" syndrome.
You have to wonder why a volunteer would want to do this long term. Why you would want to deal with the politics, fraud, and self entitlement program. Why everyone believes you can get "rich" down here. The reality is: Money, money everywhere but not a drop to spend in one place to complete anything.
There is no glory in this volunteer work. But if you are here to help the elderly, disabled, and single parent families along with blended families struggling to survive - the work abounds and you have to rise above the ruin of morals and corruption to recognize what the real work is here. You have to walk around those blocking the road and keep moving forward.
That’s how my week is going - what about yours?
1/20/07, Saturday
In a rambling interview with Mayor Tommy Longo recorded by Gulf Coast News - the Mayor of Waveland stated that he had only known me for about 3 months, that I never worked out of a trailer at City Hall, and when referencing the raid on the files across city line he said that "The City does not need those records - it has nothing to do with us". He also stated that there were no problems with donations connected to any volunteers. This long taped interview can be accessed from the home page of this website.
Given he has vascillated all over on all of the issues the last couple of weeks - people will have to come to their own conclusions.
I did work out of City Hall from approximately June, 2006 to early December, 2006. I was located in trailer number 8. I received mail at that location and, in fact, they are still holding some of my mail in the form of two packages that have never been forwarded on. My work at City Hall can be documented and not withstanding the numerous meetings with the Mayor in his office, I was visited in my office by at least 700 clients and all four Aldermen at one point or another.
The Mayor did, personally, on the 29th of August,2005, give me a certificate of appreciation for my work in Waveland. Given the Mayor stated, in his interview, that he had only know me 3 months - this certificate disputes that fact.
I did not work for the City of Waveland - never claimed I did. I did state I worked "at" the City of Waveland, independently, as Katrina Relief, and not under their directorship. I did state that the Waveland Citizens Fund was my financial arm.
I exited City Hall as the Waveland Citizens Fund, a registered 501 (c) 3 non profit was advised, by their attorney, that they needed to be separate from City of Waveland government. I exited for the same reasons.
The Mayor stated in the taped interview "The City does not need those records - it has nothing to do with us".
There were members of the Waveland Citizens Fund here on this past Thursday and all that was asked was that I get some copies, of some papers, on the Grants that have been written on the Waveland Citizens Fund into their files from my complete set of files. There is no dispute on the ownership of the files with the Waveland Citizens Fund - the files belong to Katrina Relief.
No one from the Waveland Citizens Fund authorized anyone to come to the old Alcan building to pick up the files. In fact - the President of the Waveland Citizens Fund was called to the office, by myself, immediate on the visit from the City of Waveland officials. Joan Coleman was as shocked as I regarding the raid. Joan Coleman stayed at the office that entire day assisting in the packing up of the office as we determined it was best to exit the premises considering the newly formed collaboration of the City of Waveland and the owner of the building. Again - the non profit has to be separte from the City of Waveland.
I continue to operate Katrina Relief as an independent operation. I do write grants under the umbrella of the Waveland Citizens Fund - a registered non profit.
Katrina relief now is located at 700 Tabor - totally neutral territory with no affiliations to the City of Waveland. I still operate under the umbrella of the Waveland Citizens Fund with their blessing and good wishes.
This taped interview from the Mayor should end, once and for all, this matter of "Who is on first, who is on second, and what is on third".
Politics is the one factor that has continually bogged down the relief efforts here in the aftermath of Katrina. Whether it be local or national politics.
The founding fathers wanted us to separate "Church and State". Given most of the relief efforts are faith based - it is my premise that it has become obvious that "Church and State" need to remain separate. Maybe the government should just hand over the "Relief" work to those that know it best - Salvation Army, Red Cross, United Way, UmCorp and the other relief entities that, over a period of generations, have developed a "system" that works - if and when the government does not interfere or when they fail to follow thru on their promises.
And how is your week? Mine has been very dramatic but the work in the field never slowed down. We even got a house blacked in in PearlRiver this week (the next county over). We wrote the work order for a home to be gutted out in Chalmette, La. In all, we wrote out about 45 work orders. We picked up about $50,000 in grants. We have volunteers here from Washington, California and Michigan - we have volunteers booked in from all over. We can not lose sight of what we are all here for - and that is to contribute positively to the Long Term Recovery of victims of Katrina.
And hello "Normal, Illinois !"
1/14/06, Sunday
What a fabulous week - Living Word, Needam Cares, and Delaware College along with Keven Keves and his cousin (whose paperwork is buried on my desk) made a fabulous in-roads to the Work Orders. Not to mention the girls from the Ohio Disaster Relief camp who work in the office on a daily basis making the phone calls and filing paperwork. We have moved mountains this week.
And our Virtual Volunteers who are calling our customers on a weekly basis now - that is a fabulous program that is making great inroads to keeping the customers up-todate on what is going on and the Work Orders on track. We are still looking for a few more virtual volunteers - if you are interested then please have your church team leader contact us.
Thank you the volunteers who give up days and weeks of their time - without you this progress would not be possible.
And how was your week?
1/13/06, Saturday
And here it is over a month later and I am finally entering another late blog. This has been an unbelievable month. I left City Hall and moved to another location to separate the non profit and my operation, Katrina Relief, from the City platform. I found that the owner of the new location had an agenda that did allow for the operation of a non profit within those confines and we moved, again, to a more neutral location.
One of the most interesting facets of this disaster relief is the amount of graft, self entitlement, and lack of ethics when it comes to donations and referrals. There is a fine line, and little grey, when working under a volunteer umbrella and interlinked with a non-profit. Neutrality is the key - making sure the distribution of donations is "equitable", that there is no skimming of the donations, we prioratize keeping the customers information private, and making sure that the ethical lines are not crossed at any time.
As non-profits and volunteer organizations - we are held to a higher standard. More interesting are the arguments of those who do cross those lines and how they deal with those that remain steadfast in their resolve to walk that fine line. As for the unethical contractors whose belief is that grafts and kickbacks are the acceptable engine to accelerated sales - I say shame on you and I wish the government was doing more to protect the homeowner from your unscrupulous practices. Lists of disaster affected customers are not for sale, trade, or aquisition by bully tactics.
There is so many egos tangled up in relief work - the belief that all who participates must be given a certain amount of accolades or they have to take it by force. And some do that.
In actual fact - there is no glory out here in volunteer world. It is all hard work, little thanks, much agony, and grief as you decide who gets help this week and who doesn’t; the continual whine of those whose needs you can not meet no matter how hard you try; and the constant critical criticism of those who feel some are getting "glory" and they are not.
And the politics and bickering goes on across the volunteer world - why is that? You would think they would be so exhausted from working those long hard days that they would have better things to do with their time. And for those who want to pretend the dirty politics do not exist down here because they do not want to tarnish the views of the prospective volunteers or donors - then how do you handle the volunteer reaction when funds, materials or permits are held up because the political entity has an agenda of their own and the volunteers are here, after traveling thousands of miles, feeling like they have been short changed? Darned embarrassing unless, of course, you are forced to explain the politics. Would be easier if the incidents didn’t occur at all then no explanations would be necessary. So how about it - playing it all by the rules? Enough about the dirty politics - for now. I will always stand up for what is right. Quietly at first - then I will roar like a lion.
We love the new location. Adore the landlord - he is an old and dear friend. We have discovered that we can get a semi down this road - making deliveries of semi loads probable.
That’s how my time is going. It’s a tough life. We could use more volunteers, more long term volunteers, and more donations just to pay the daily bills associated with long term volunteers, and pay for the offices costs such as telephones, internet access, and cell phones.
We are eternally grateful for the volunteers who come down and work so hard and grateful that they understand that every day is perfect, the materials are not always available, and the scope of the work changes with every foot step on the job.
We are very pleased that we gained four full time specialists this week to work at:
Assessments
Grant Writing
Siding Specialist
Case Manager in training
With these full time positions filled - we have made great strides in continuity. God is good!
How is your week going?
11/27/06, Wednesday
A month has flown by and I have been severely chastized by a reader that I have not been posting to the blog. I apologise - but I have been ill with a malady they have not quite diagnosed yet. Apart from everything else - I am totally and completely exhausted. But, the work continues. The volunteers, God bless their hearts, continue to arrive and the work continues on the homes. We have so much to do and are so desperate for skilled volunteers.
The lumber is all here from Snavely Forrest Products in Arizona due to World Care donating $12,000 to cover hauling costs and Free Haul (npo) orchastrating the entire deal. This is truly a remarkable event showing how cooperation and creative thinking brings wonderful constructive results.
Christmas came and went - twas truly not in the Christmas spirit although a tree did appear in my office window due to a volunteers creativity. It is pretty there twinkling at night. A tad bit crispy here as I have no heat in this apartment and office complex - but summer is just around the corner and those chilly nights are short. The cat just cuddles under the blankets and the dog cuddles close.
Ohio Disaster Service is sending down volunteers to work in the office daily - and that is helping to crunch thru the myriad of paperwork. Still people, new clients, show up everyday. A year and a half down the road on this recovery plan - and people still do not have solutions or a long term recovery plan developed. I still have one man sleeping in a shed and one woman homeless as FEMA just will not get thru the paperwork maze. The woman is homeless because FEMA insists on a marriage certificate for her mother - her mother now has alzheimers and was married 60 years ago not to mention has lived in this town and personally known the Mayor for the past 35 years. But a letter from the Mayor was not enough to abate that paperwork demand. So, the woman's daughter continues to live in her van. I just want to scream at the trees on some days.
My greatest need now is a sheetrock hoist. Else, the fork lifts are due to arrive today. We have sorely needed them for months. They are three phase plug in - but we will resolve that issue. We have no problems here - just solutions.
Happy Holidays one and all
11/26/06, Sunday
And another ten days fly. Posting has been difficult as this entire site has been maintained via a ClearWire modem donated by Clearwire just after the storm hit. Remarkakable that it even functions at all since ClearWire does not maintain the site down here at all. I desperately need a wireless mobil modem to function here - going to break down and look into the costs later today. I have barely been able to get online here, or the office, for over a week.
Apart from that - I have come down with a skin ailment that many of the long term volunteers seem to have right now. No one has definatively defined the issue - but I can tell you it looks like you have chicken pox and it "iteches" beyond belief. I have been absolutely miserable. Right now now they me on Permethrin Cream, triamcin/Lubriderm, Bactoban cream and Ceftin - and none of it is working.
Not sure which is worse - the skin rash or living in this motor home for over a year. Thirty two feet does not amount to much living space especially living with two cats. Tigger and Charlie do not share well either - although I have convinced them that the "couch" aka "bed" is off limits. I will not share it with them or the occasional flea they seem to take in from the storm.
Well, its Sunday and I was just woken out of a deep slumber on my only two days off in months - to find out if I was ready for a lumber load tomorrow coming in on a semi. So I am off to Anchor Homes to see where it is "we" are unloading this lumber
Else, the volunteer effort goes full strenghth and we are currently working on homes from the ground up.
Hope your Thanksgiving went well - mine was spent writing grants. Got the grant for the Batting Cage at the Park this week as well as the concrete for the Grocery Store in Middletown. Things are going well
How is your day going?
11/17/06, Friday
I have been in Hattiesburg for two days of Construction and Volunteer "classes". Volunteer Coordination, Construction Office Setup, Construction Estimation - great classes and a fabulous opportunity to network.
There is nothing like travelling with a Google map and the "locals" recommendations of that infamous shortcut. I knew I was in trouble yesterday when I landed, on my shortcut, at Possum Hollow Lane - at a point somewhere halfway between Hattiesburg and Waveland at sunset. No, I didnt get out at Possum Hollow to ask directions - didnt quite think the neighborhood was quite where I should be wandering at dark.
Here I am, a lass from Wyoming where all points of reference are from Sheep Mountain, Elk Mountain, the Snowy Range and the Rocky Mountain Range - all that stretch up with friendly arms 10,000 feet into the sky where they can be seen for a hundred miles.
But, alas, here there are no such souring landmarks in the flat lands leading to the sea and, better yet, the traffic is non ending and all at break neck speed despite the dotting on the highway of the local MDot.
And, so, from time to time, I get to take the scenic route leacing all the way down to Possum Hollow at sunset
And, here I am off tomorrow to the State Wide Long Term Recovery Summit in Hattiesburg again. Third time is a charm - I believe I know where the Woodall Center is now. I am quite the expert.
Rain this week has slowed things down a little - and some "rain" it was. The streets were flooded in town as the failed drainage infrastructure left from Katrina soon became quite evident. My teams had to take a "rain day". Well, maybe it was time for a day "off".
It has been refreshing to "get away" for a couple of days - it gives one a new perspective on life
And here it is Thanksgiving next week - and I am still short a turkey. Not quite in the mood to go hustle one up either. No family here to celebrate Thanksgiving with either. This is when I miss my family the most. Too far to travel - and on these wages "Thank" and "You" - it doesnt quite fill the gas tank except for the work and emergencies. But, come Monday - its the greatful homeowners you contact to send out the troops too. And on Friday its the knowledge that that round of Work Orders is complete and someone is back in their home.
And how is your week going? We could sure use your help down here volunteering?
11/12/06, Monday
I am so exhausted - but this week I will be in class in Hattiesburg from Wednesday thru Friday and that will get me "away" for a little bit
The volunteers really chomped thru the work again this week. Got a fabulous load of needed supplies from a kind lady in Florida. She and her neighbors went thru their homes and garages and brought that "2nd" of everything that we could use and what a load. Lawnmowers, mulchers, office supplies, lights, and you name it - they gave up that "spare" and now we have some much needed tools and supplies.
This is a short note to the blog. Headed out to Chalmette to work again today. Hope your week is going well!
11/06/06, Monday
I just love those Ferry rides from Chalmette to Algiers on the weekends - the New Orleans port is sure one busy place thesee days. Fascinates me - not sure why.
It is non stop traffic on the road home from New Orleans on the weekends - not sure where all those people are going? Slidell is a rush hour of traffic. Where are all these people coming and going too?
Weather is getting cooler - I can sure handle that. My cat will be thrilled. I panic if the air conditioner ever goes off in the motor home while I am working as this place turns into an oven in minutes.
And, talking of cats - Charlie is settling in. Miss Jennie from AmeriCorp rescued this cool cat while she was here. It wandered into the camp out there on the Beach Blvd and the Corp took it under their wing. And, upon their leaving they left Charlie in my care. So - Charlie resides in my Motor home and the six square inches Tigger (my cat of multipe years) had left me to use in these restricted quarters has gone down to one square inch. I get miffed when I hear people complaining of living in a FEMA trailer - let them try living in a 32 foot motor home for a year and see how they like it. The FEMA tailer would become a mansion. I would kill for one of those FEMA trailers Congress promised the 501 (c) 3's - but no one seems to know how one applies. I know - I asked. Another FEMA boondoggle. Heaven forbid we put out information on this plan. Sigh. Information is the most scarce commoditiy in this Katrina aftermath struggle.
Had a great week last week. Ron and Sharon Day made a world of difference in our volunteer effort here. I sure am going to miss them! Another VolunteerMatch.org success story.
Have a new phone and fax machine in the office. And, hopefully, after today - a new assistant also. And we are looking for another - one with a skill for grant writing. These are coming thru the WIN program at the City and paying $12.44 per hour. Anyone interested?
We need skilled volunteers in the worst way. Ask your church to get a group together and come on down. We have 11,000 homes to repair. We have just got started.
11/02/06, Tuesday
Its been a tough week - I lost a client this week. Lost in the literal sense also. This was a "renter" - someone who I had been dealing with for a year. She had called, written, stopped by the office. Each and every time I explained that there was little I could do - there was little to no assistance for renters. And so they lanquish in their FEMA trailers - even if they have one. I asked her again and again to be patient. She had no funds - but then she had no funds prior to the storm. She is one of the counties "poverty" statistics. Someone living with someone else - who gleened all the FEMA monies although the rent was "split", the untilites were "split", and all else was "shared". But FEMA chose the one with all the paperwork and left the other to flounder out there in this system or lack there of. So, my client decided to commit suicide with an overdose. I am left with extreme guilt and the driving need to write more and more grants. This, as Mr Bush stated on the onset in New Orleans, it is not a Katrina issue it is an issue about poverty.
And no one wants to discuss this case. Afterall - we Case Managers are sworn to all those privacy issues. But my client had a last final statement to all of us - she truly was at the end of her rope. As are many others. We need to address the "renters" sooner than later. We do not want anymore "Vickies" in this aftermath to have to resort to such dreastic measures to resolve the lack of housing and assistance for renters.
I am so angry at myself for not seeking out a solution in a more vigilant manner. I kept thinking someone else was doing that. Afterall - I had made referrals. But no one entity has taken on the "Renters". I have 600 home owner cases - I have no latitude to even begin to solve this as I am working from 4am to 10pm each day. We need more Case Mangers, more full time volunteers, and a fast tracked solution for renters.
I re-read Vicky's letter sent to me months ago. It was clear - she was at the end of her rope then. How many more are we going to lose before we come up with a solution to this very critical need?
10/24/06, Tuesday
My goodness, how time flies. Its been a tough week with Miss Gracie gone. The tears come and go. The guilt of maybe I could have done more. The knowledge that it was her time and I had no control. Darn I miss her.
I am back working weekends in New Orleans - Algiers this time. But, the fun part was that we took the ferry home across the river this time. That sure was fun.
This school is in as poor condition as the last. In fact, the two classrooms I worked on last had plastic on the roofs to prevent leaking and major holes in the sheetrock on the trailer walls. All-in-all - very very flimsy.
The work in Waveland flies along. The Armish and the Mennonite crews would knock your socks off. And Wayland, Ma. What a crew! The Armish are finishing up a couple of their homes this week.
We are about to start work on the large warehouse - I really look forward to that. It has so much potential. We have already designated the outside area to a long term crew from the Harvest Church. They will be here two years. We really look forward to their start here.. We have another long term crew coming in to the Spanish Trail site - they will be here six months and bring skilled labor as well. This is going to be a very productive winter.
The smaller warehouse is set up now thanks to the Wayland crew building the metal shelving and the combined crew staying at Word of Faith moving over and organizing all the tools from the old warehouse today. The washer/dryer was installed per Ray from New York. What a team!
We have a semi load of windows coming in. That will just bolster the other promised materials.
This has been a great week. It doesnt get better than this
And how was your week?
10/14/06, Saturday
Miss Gracie, old dog, passed away today after a valient fight with cancer. She is buried under a large pine across the street. She was a good and faithful friend.
10/12/06, Thursday
Its been a week since I have had time to blog any comments - and so much has happened.
Firstly, we have been given a wonderful building on 90 near the police station to turn into volunteer housing. That should take off some of the pressure to find safe and secure housing for volunteers. We have another camp set up on Spanish Trail and planning another on Rue La Desalle until the one on 90 is complete. And we have another volunteer staying on a piece of property that was given to us to use as it has a huge warehouse on it we plan to put to good use.
I am back in New Orleans working on the schools putting in conduit - working Saturdays and Sundays. They tell me we have 90 schools. This should take a while at this rate. The school we worked on this weekend was in such shoddy condition. I can not believe we are pouring this much money into buildings that should have been replaced 30 years ago.
I had dinner the other night at the Menonite camp. I had a wonderful time. They sang hymns to us after dinner. As I was sitting there I realized just how much religion there is down here in Mississippi on a daily basis. I have not witnessed this in Illinois or Wyoming. I wonder it is always this way in Mississippi - or Katrina has brought us to this here?
The office has become overwhelming and they are bringing in some help for me to keep up with the never ending paperwork. Miss Jenni, the Americorp volunteer, has been a true blessing for the office. I can not believe how much work that little gal gets done in any given day. We are most certainly going to miss her when she leaves in a couple of weeks. This lass is going to go a long way in this world - she has done a remarkable job while she has been with us
Old dog hangs in there. She can not walk at all any more. I am carrying her in and out twice and day and hold her up in the yard to do what little exercise she can do.
Winter is fast approaching and the weather is now tolerable. And to think I only made it to the beach a couple of times this summer. And I work within a block of the beach. Such a shame.
The Amish have been gone a week. I sure miss them and will miss the weekly "dinner" tonight - they always having sharing night on Thursday and I have come to enjoy that one evening a week of company at supper
We desperately need volunteers. The work orders are stacking up in the "skilled" arena. This is going to get much worse before it gets better as the grant monies come down the pike.
And how is your week going?
10/05/06, Thursday
I really do not know how this week escaped me. It has been a whirlwind of meetings, case management, grant applications, and politics. Yes, the never ending politics - both in the "real" world of local politics and politics within the volunteer realm. The nature of life as we all know it.
I was in Biloxi last night to pick up a volunteer who had arrived by Greyhound bus from Pa. Now thats determination for you! And he will be here for two weeks - that most certainly will be a great blessing. And the great thing about the trip there was the sunset behind the white light house on the beach. Absolutely a picture perfect moment.
We received word of a $4,000 grant for a family that lost their father in a car accident last week. This will be a good start towards rebuilding their home. It takes approximately $17,000 to rebuild a gutted 1,400 sf home. That phone call from the benefactors early yesterday morning left me starting the day in tears. Another brick in the sidewalk to recovery for this family.
The Mayor says I am getting a phone of my own. *G* We have only one phone line in the Public Relations Office - that will be a great bonus. Now to work on the fax machine issue......*G*
New Orleans called - I am back to start working weekends there on Saturday. Back to seven days a week for four or six weeks. Not sure which school we will be working on - but the work is rewarding. I plan to stop by and check on Fortier High School while I am there and see it in full operation. I can not believe that, after a year, we still have so many schools to get open over there.
I need a washer and drier. A year "traveling" to do laundry is sure wearing thin. It is my goal to see what I can hustle up to recitify that. Tis time.
Old dog hangs in - but there is no way she can make it to the weekend. I really really need to pull myself together and get her grave dug. She woke me up at 3am to drink - now she is sleeping soundly under her blanket over near the door.
And how goes your week?
9/30/06, Saturday
I know where this week went. It was a whirl wind of grant applications - two this week and another one due on Monday, meetings, a marketing class at Tulane University Campus, a total redesign of the office setup, a major effort to get the Herlihy Park project off the drawing board, a large influx of volunteers to keep Work Orders flowing, and the visit of two wonderful volunteers, Irene and Mike Yaeger, who input so much life into the office this week. Wow - what a week!
But, I am so far behind. I have to go in this morning and get the Work Orders running for next week and we are going to jack up that house on Baker St this afternoon. It has to get done this week as I start working in New Orleans, again, on the school system starting in two weeks on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Back to working seven days a week for a while.
My house is a disaster. Old dog continues to hang in there. I am falling apart inside over this. I had to carry her outside this morning. She can barely walk at all now.
I am going to the beach on Sunday. I dont care if it rains, if it pours, if the wind howls - I am going to the beach! And if Miss Gracie is still hanging in there - I am going to wrap her in a blanket and take her with me and give her a bath in the gentle warm Gulf waters. I can just imagine how she feels laying "sick in bed" all this time.
How was your week?
9/26/06, Tuesday
Monday was a hectic day. The office filled quickly with clients Monday morning, a new group of volunteers was oriented in to assist with filing and front counter help, worked with an architect to get some drawings done for some proposed re-construction, Unmet needs meeting, and an interesting hour at a round table meeting of invited guests at the library for a meeting with Sleep Hollow Productions on the plan for a production on "Katrina". I asked that they assist us with marketing the urgent need for volunteers - something they said they would look into immediately.
Salvation Army is coming over from Pass Christian today to look at a possible location for their operation. I am meeting with them at 9am. Then I am headed off to work on grants until the Volunteer meeting at 2pm at Mockingbird.
I know I am tired. Tears came as I told my story at the library. How can you not - this is so frustrating here. So much to do and so few people and so few resources and still the Grants just trickle in.
Old dog still hangs on.
Off to work - its going to be another fun day. I heard yesterday of a term called "Bay Polar". For those that live and work here - I should not even have to explain that. *G*
9/23/06, Sunday
No internet service today - here of the office. I tried both. Just the way it is here when it rains - the wireless goes belly up and leaves you strumming your fingers on the tabletop. So much for technology - we can fly to the moon but a little cloud and cloud burst and technology belly flops here. Yes, I am grinning.
So, no internet access. So I fixed the flat tire on the Utility truck in the rain. That was much much fun. The slow leak had been driving me crazy for weeks. When I stopped by the tire store the other day they were busy and suggested that I come back that afternoon. Well, I had umpteen appointments that afternoon and so the tire never did get fixed. But it is now - although many tire people might consider fix a flat a four letter word - or at least use it when I do finally make it to the tire fixit shop. *G* Oh well, what is a girl to do on a rainy Sunday? *G*
I had breakfast with Jason the landlord at Waffle House and lunch at the VFW Post, again with Jason, as the dinner is a regular freebee on Sundays. Not too cool about the cigarettes and the noise - but the company was great. Jason is back on the road now and off to see his girl friend in Meridian along the way. Not much of a life these truck drivers.
Old dog is so so ill now. But she struggled to her feet this afternnon and asked to go outside. Now she is sleeping soundly at my feet here. The other dogs just keep away and leave her alone. I am sure they understand.
Its going to be a very very busy week this week. Working on some houses from the ground up and I dropped off 16 work orders with CARE. Some grants have to be written by Wednesday, a proposal for the Park, and another proposal for a tobacco company, an interview/round table at the library, two classes, and the Unmet Needs meeting, volunteer meeting, case managers meeting and I need to get the truck fixed as everytime I turn on the wipers - the truck dies. An interesting little glitche as I cant drive in the rain.
Its been a year - I am tired. I need a couple of semi loads of 2.4's, sheetrock, shingles, and insuraltion. Maybe there is a fairy godmother out there somewhere that will wave their magic wand for me. And while they are at it - send me a few church groups of 20 people or more. Else, just a hug. I sure could use a hug right now.
Off to another week..............................
9/22/06, Saturday
This week has just flown. I have been to three classes - one on Grant Writing for Non Profits, one on grant writing for LTRC's, one for Needs Assessment training. Chased resources, worked on case management, presented cases, visited on progess the the CARE group that are here, the Menoite Group, and worked late into the night last night writing and organizing work orders for next week. Next week - I have to hide till Wednesday as I have to get a Grant produced and written by first thing Thursday morning. Today I have to jack up a house so we can get it ready for volunteers. Sunday - church and start working on the Grant.
The city wants me to take over the responsibility of mowing the cemetery. They just do not have the staff to do it. I wonder if a church somewhere in Mississippi would consider coming down once every two weeks to do that? An idea - else I can see me out doing that on Sunday. *G*
The pace here is beyond belief. We so desperately need volunteers. I have an Administrative Assistant as of yesterday. She is a local volunteer who wandered into the office. She used to be an administrative assistant to a General - surely she can keep me lined out? God willing this is the one piece of the puzzle in the office I needed.
My old dog is still hanging in there. What a troooper. It will not be much longer. My best friend is a vet - but she is in Oklahoma. The trick in this world is getting all the resources together. This is a good example. Sigh
Well, I am off to find breakfast since supper eluded me somehow last night. Then off to the office prior to heading into the field to work on jacking up that house.
9/19/06, Tuesday
And here it is Tuesday - and so much has happened.
My water is fixed in the motor home. That was a milestone to get back to taking a shower. And pretty proud of myself in that I rectified the situation with very little fuss. Finally, got a pressure reducer and fixed that problem once and for all.
Saturday I set up a table at the Market and handed out flyers to the locals there buying fresh fruit and vegetables. I went back to the office at lunch and laid on the couch to rest prior to the 2pm meeting with Buck-Mont and realized that that couch was actually a queen size sofa bed. Well, I have not slept on a real bed for a year. So I pulled out the bed and slept solid for two hours until a car in the parking lot woke me up and I bolted out of that bed and rushed to return it to its former self - the couch. But I have a secret *G*
Monday morning I saw clients all morning and Monday afternoon I went to Gulfport to attend a class on non profits at the college given by the Mississippi Center for Non Profits. Great class.
Tuesday was a hectic day dealing with clients, resource retrieval, and a wireless computer system at the office that drives me to wonder why I dont drink.
We need more volunteers - there is just so much to do, a mile to go, and not enough of me to spread around and do the job well
And my old dog hangs in there. She is wasting away - so frustrating that I cant fix this.
9/15/06, Friday
And here it is Friday and the week flew by - again. I was in class on Tuesday for Grant writing - and thank the Volunteers of America for that. Excellent class.
Tried to get to New Orleans all week - to no avail. Finally came home on Wednesday night to find my self wading up to my knees in water after a rainstorm - that caught me a little by surprise. And the irony - I had a burst pipe under the trailer - water, water, water everywhere and not a drop to bath in. And, its still "out". I am hoping its dry enough to crawl underneath the motor home and check out whats broken. Better yet - how it broke.
Tomorrow I will be manning a booth at the Waveland Market recruiting local volunteers. I "hired" two more for the office today - and thats a good thing as the paper trail is driving me to drink and I dont drink. But submissions to the LTRC and other grants require a myriad of paperwork and I am drowning in it.
The best thing about today - I GOT EYE GLASSES! Yes, after six months of utilizing a pair of glasses out of a free bin as I had broken mine while gutting a house - and the Lions club and Dr Byers stepped up and gave me a helping hand. And I truly do thank them. I can see! I can see! I kept the old pair as they are a perfect example of one donation sent south to assist that helped re-build about 500 homes. One little donation can mean so much.
Old dog is so so ill. This is killing me. I just put her out to go to the bathroom. As ill as she is she waits till I get here to put her out.
This week was busier than last. What ever it is that we are doing seems to be working in the office. The traffic pace tells its own story. We must be doing something right.
Till tomorrow........
And here we go into another weekend.
9/12/06, Tuesday
12pm Monday Marketing Meeting, 1pm Monday LTRC Unmet needs meeting that always runs over, 2pm Tuesday EOC/LTRC Volunteer meeting, Thursday 1pm Case Managers Meeting that can run up to two hours plus other committee meetings associated with the LTRC and the General Meeting every four weeks. Quite frankly, just considering the LTRC, we are "meetinged out" and this is ridiculous. No evening meetings when those with regular working schedules can attend thus allienating anyone but "volunteers", no breakfast meetings so we can keep a regular schedule at our "day job". Personally - this is the most ridiculous set up I have ever had to trudge thru in my lifetime of business. Its time to evaluate this madness.
End of my diatribe and back to other matters more personal
I woke up this morning to complete silence. Not even the frogs were barking outside. I didnt open my eyes just yet - afterall just ten more minutes is the usual approach to the daily schedule. Then I realized it was "too" quiet. Oops the air conditioner is not running - I opened up one eye and saw that "nuttin" was on. Not the clock, the air conditioner, the street light outside. Oops - a power outage in lieu of the storm last night. And quite a storm it was too. More water - more issues pouring foundations.
Old dog contiues to hang in there. My trailer lights are fixed - and I am New Orleans bound tonight or tomorrow night to pick up the dog/cat food for the animal foster program dependent an another "meeting". *G*
Volunteers - we need volunteers. How do we reach out to people to come down and assist with this disaster?
9/10/06,Sunday
It rained. Yes, it rained and my trailer lights refused to work despite the adaptor we purchased for the plug. Jason had put on a "new" plug last week and they had not been checked with the trailer attached. But, he has promised to check them out as soon as he gets back to town tonight. Then, tomorrow, I will make that run to New Orleans for dog food.
So, I washed clothes, went to lunch with Miss Betty, and pretty well didnt accomplish very much except "rest" today.
My olde dog hangs in there. She insisted on staying in the motor home today. She is getting so "tired". This is so so hard. She is laying here at my feet just looking at me like I can fix this - and I cant. The other dogs insisted on being in here too - almost like they know she needs the company right now.
Next week is going to be so so busy. I get glasses tomorrow in Gulfport. I sure desperately need them. Ms Betty assures me there are volunteers coming next week who will be cutting hair and doing nails. They can "skip" the nails as thats a lost cause in this environment for me. But I will relish a haircut.
We have a mile of cases to prepare for the LTRC next week, multiple meetings and a General meeting. One large batch of volunteers in at the camp and the Menonite crew. We are going to get a lot of work done this week also.
We need more volunteers, more sheetrock, more insulation and more 2x4's. I keep telling myself "God will provide" - but he sure is testing my faith. Sigh.
Hope you all have a great week - I know I am!
9/09/06,Saturday
This is my diatribe for today. I am extremely frustrated with the LTRC response, the overwhelming number of meetings consuming an enormous amount of my time during any given week and the refusal of the system to acknowledge that there is a screaming elephant in the corner. In time – it will be the basis for an article. But this is how it flowed out of my fingertips tonight. I could not sleep and needed to get up and put thoughts on paper. Something I often do – then evaluate in the morning.
This disaster response is akin to the raging torrent that caused it - it is a murky flow of programs, some with debris, whose ultimate success is dependent on relationships between advocates and victims forced to line up, sequentially, for services that attempt to be equitable by wrapping themselves up in red tape. How can anything be equitable when it is based on subjective decisions of an army of inspectors with varying educational backgrounds, minimal disaster training, and motivation – some as minimal as the basic need for a pay check? Where solutions are dished out in a one size fits all aloofness that leaves little leverage for the victim thru a paper only appeals process.
With an out of control lack of personal "face to face" dialogue the victims turn to their only recourse - the media. There they tell their story nightly of inequitable treatment and lack of personal interaction with the agencies who have total control of their lives by tangling up their housing and finances with empty promises of responding more effectively in the future.
Compounding that is the Long Term Recovery Committee that is attempting to wrestle control for the individual communities. Mirroring the Federal response - they also are wrapping themselves up in red tape so as to not be caught making the same mistakes as the Federal response and proactively trying to avoid negative media scrutiny. Here they are taking the "spend down" approach asking the home owners to spend, prior, all they have received and to trust the Long Term Recovery Committee to come in and rescue them at the point of destitution. With a historical murky trail of failures prior by FEMA, Federal programs, and local authorities - what makes the LTRC so cocky as to think they can convince these victims to go to this extreme. This spend down approach is a top down solution that is derogatory to self esteem.
Alternately - the better approach would be to work with the victim in tandem. Accept the minimal monetary disbursements they have and work with them towards the best fiscal plan for re-construction. Provide for them the assurance that this is a team response and all funds will be pooled for an effective, efficient and equitable reconstruction plan abandoning the prior "one size fits all" approach as this disaster crosses all cultural and class lines. We want to return everyone to some assemblance of pre-storm status after all - not level out the playing field and make everyone the same. That is not probably or possible.
Diversity should be strived for in the struggle towards finding solutions in the aftermath of Katrina. Historically that is something we have a hard time applying in this culture of ours - where there is a struggle to step aside and look at the solution from outside the box.
It is imperative that the reconstruction effort be a team solution between the agency offering assistance and the homeowner. You can not demean the homeowner by forcing him to spend down to zero their resources prior to assistance and then expect a warm and fuzzy relationship to develop. That is not probable or realistic and not the basis for forming trust – especially in light of all the bungled response from the Federal level.
The Hancock County Long Term Recovery Committee has a spend down policy, as does many of the other similar communities forming across the Gulf. Not a good formula for widespread success. It will work for the totally destitute – but not those that are going to benefit from some insurance or Federal grant beneficiaries. This approach needs to be re-vamped if we are going to have a successful diverse solution to this disaster. We are going to have to think outside the box and as benefactors – develop trust ourselves first.
9/08/06,Friday
Friday is here - I seemed to have lost a week. Actually, I was in class Tuessday, Wednesday and Thursday - Case Management and CAN training. Excellent class and I highly recommend it.
Saturday I will be driving to New Orleans to pick up a semi load of dog/cat food. Details came in an email I have not had a chance to actually read yet. But thats Saturday's plan. This should be fun - I barely can find my way to New Orleans let alone drive around there with an 18' trailer in tow.
My old dog, now barely able to walk, is sitting here grooming herself. I cant believe she has survived the week. I think some fleas are bothering her - I will give her a bath before I go to work this morning. Nothing like trying to get a old labrador into a motor home shower stall. Well, there is my "fun" for the day.
I received a surprise letter and check yesterday. Will write more about that tonight. That letter sure was a shock - not to mention the check enclosed.
I have managed to survive this year on the occasional hair cut from volutneers. Have not had a "hair cutting" volunteer in a couple of months - just gonna have to start braiding my hair. *G*
Hope ye all have a great weekend. Email me - love to hear from you all.
9/05/06,Tuesday
And here it is Tuesday after a long weekend that was supposed to be "off". Well, you know how that goes.
I did get my laundry done, one section of the new warehouse cleaned out, a load of supplies delivered to Pearlington, and I did escape Monday ........
Jason kidnapped me Monday and took me to the Casino for lunch. Now known as Hollywood and not Casino Magic - it does have a fabulous buffet. What a different world. You drive there via the demolished homes, cleared lots, and re-construction to escape into another world far removed from the reality outside. The casino, now re-constructed on land, is a grande affair. Construction is still in progress - the boat dock outside is still not operational and there is more construction being done on the Casino - not that you would know it from inside.
What was sad was that I noticed some of my clients there at the slot machines and card tables. Yes, the same ones telling me they can not afford gas or groceries let alone rebuild their house. Sad, very very sad. I wonder how much FEMA and insurance money has poured down the drain at the Casino in a valient effort to get a quick fix from the woes of Katrina and feed the county tax shortfall.
After a fabulous dinner at the Casino we went for a drive to Pass Christian and drove thru the Sherrifs barricade (no one at the shack anymore), pass the new bridge being built across the Bay, and off to wander around the aftermath of Katrina. There is not one thing left at the Pass - we only a handful of families living there and one condo being built.
The families living there are in FEMA trailers and one in a tent. For the most part the place is abandoned. Very little happening at all. The Pass is literally a community with stairs to former dreams - as it is only the stairs that remain.
From there we headed down to Gulfport and Jason found the Dairy Queen, which unlike the Sonic in Waveland, actually had icecream on hand, and we ordered milk shakes and watched the Steve Irwin story unfold on the evening news with Jack Hanna commenting.
Jason, for those of you who do not know - is my landlord. He is not here very often. His work keeps him away and his girl friend is in Meridian - and I am the gate keeper to his property here. Without his kindness - I could not do the volunteer work I do here. And I offer protection against the every relentless looters who still prevail here in Hancock County even a year after the storm.
My old dog hangs on. I need to dig a grave but I cant even bring myself to do that. She shelters here in the motor home in the cool of the air conditioning. Last night she wanted outside and did not want in - it was a cool evening so I turned off the light to keep the mosquito's to a minimum and left here to bask in the moonlight as it poured in on the porch.
This week will be spent in class for Case Management. Tues-Thursday. Friday I will be in the office. Back to reality now........
9/02/06,Saturday
Not sure what happened to Thursday and Friday - but they were long hard days. Thursday was the Case Managers meeting - a marathon event presenting cases for Pastor Bonnie's project. We only had a few days to prepare the cases for this program and we had an office full of people completing intakes, taking photographs, and typing the "stories" right up to a few minutes before we had to take off for the meeting. Although accepted - we are still working on completing the paperwork for some of those cases. This is an ongoing program.
The Armish are arriving as I type - what a Godsend and blessing. Up to eighty of them will be pulling into town on Monday. I cant tell you what a void they will be filling at this time when we are so short of volunteers - especially skilled volunteers. God is great!
Myself - I am taking the weekend off. Yes, all three days of it. I will probably drive myself nuts pacing back and forth as I do not "sit around doing nuttin" well - but I am thinking that Sylvester and I need to go fishing. Going to go and find him this morning.
My dog seems to have rallied. Well, sort of. The calm before the storm maybe? She is still so weak but she strives to want to be with me. She sure has got the routine down of living in the motor home while I am at work. The advantages of that air conditioner have not escaped that old dog.
So it is off to the Waveland Market albeit a tent all this a year past the storm - there is a man there that makes the very best home baked bread.
Hope your day is going well.
8/30/06,Wednesday
The anniversary of Katrina came and went. The reporters were everywhere, the schedule overwhelming, and the pace hectic. The sunrise service elaborated the passive rivalry between the two little towns of Waveland of Bay St. Louis and only the names of those who died in Waveland were read aloud. The man sitting next to me was distraught as he had lost his wife in the storm - yes, as you guessed, he was from Bay St. Louis and her name was not read. WLOX caught me on tape trying to console him. Video And then check out the Video labeled Al Showers Reports On Waveland's Memorial Service. And thats the other side of the story.
I lasted until about 4 right after the parade and I went home not participating in the evening events. I was just exhausted.
And today I received an email re a TV broadcast from Alabama. I remember taking the crew to a house I was working on that was near completion. When I left they were interviewing the home owner - what came back was not quite what I had planned. I wanted the homeowner to tell his compelling story. Thats not quite how it came out. Report
The rest of the week is going to be as hectic as the start. We have half a dozen reports to prepare in the morning for a ~$20,000 "grant" in the afternoon at the LTRC meeting. We had less than a weeks notice to prepare these.
My old dog continues to "hold on". Not sure why. Its amazing what a little love does isnt it?
We need volunteers - there just isnt enough hours in the day to get all this done here
8/27/06,Monday
Here it is the eve of Hurricane Katrina. I can not believe it has been a year. This weekend I spend getting my motor home ready in case I had to evacuate due to the hurricane in the Gulf - Ernesto. But it seemed to fizzle sometime Sunday afternoon - about the same time I did as I was pacing furiously wondering where, in the last year, did I gather all this "stuff" from. I even had the bird in the spare cage in the motor home who was complaining bitterly about the move from her "outside" quarters on the deck. I had stocked up on dog food, stocked up on water, sorted my clothes, done laundry, and removed everything from the front of the motor home so I could "drive on out". What a lot of work - now I am beginning to understand why so many "just stay".
Reporters everywhere again today. And the press release requesting that people come in to fill out work orders compounded the rush into the Public Relations office today. Last minute plans for the prayer service and the parade. The last minute call for volunteers to come in and man the phones for City employees so they could go to the prayer service - that was interesting. I have a 93 year old couple coming in to man the phones. They have lost their home in New Orleans, their home in Waveland, and their mothers home in New Orleans as well. In fact they have lost everything but they would take the time to come in and answeer phones so city employees can go to a prayer service. There are so many good people here.
The Fire Department finally got a new sign for the side of my truck. The City is planning on me being in the parade tomorrow. And it needs cleaning, the grill put back on, and the old sign off and the new sign on. Somewhere tomorrow I have to get that done by 2pm.
In the meantime three locals came in to volunteer full time to assist with the re-construction. What a blessing. 204,000 homes destroyed between Ms and La and that means 204,000 potential volunteers for barn building. Three down and 203,997 more to go. No problem!How do I feel about tomorrow? I am not sure. A sense of failure, to some degree, that we have gone a year and we are just starting the re-construction phase. How could we be at this point and moved no further. All over the worry that some might get more than others. Reminds me of the book "Animal Farm" where all are equal but some are more equal than others. We need to stop and evaluate what the real issue is here. If we pay out "too much" - then what is the issue with collecting it on the back end? But, to date, we have only paid out 40 checks for the Grant monies. This has gone beyond the ridiculous.
Good news though, 60-80 skilled carpenters coming to town on Monday. What an absolute blessing that will be. Thank God for the Armish! My crew of Menonites started working with a contractor today on a house from the ground up - what an absolute blesssing they have been. Maybe the Armish and the Menonites will take some time and teach me a little of their culture. I have to admit to knowing so little.
And so we go into Tuesday. Hope to see some of you at the prayer service on the beach in the morning. Myself, I need that solice of saying thankyou to God for all the Blessings of the last year.
8/26/06, Saturday
It is quid pro quo that this log skips a date every now and again even though the premise is "daily log". Here in the disaster zone, for volunteers, the days run "together" like that and next thing you know - you have lost a day or two in the week.
Still reporters everywhere. It would appear that Bush is not coming to Waveland - no Secret Service Agents probing around as they normally do prior to such a visit. Although the helicopters have been flying overhead - so the suspicion is that Bay St. Louis might be the lucky recipient of a visit from President Bush. Would explain why the Democrats are staging a public forum over there on Monday.
Busy day on Friday as we work towards the anniversary. Had a lady in from a FEMA trailer - water cut off and no funds to pay the bill. Can not believe FEMA just can not work with people to resolve these situations. It took a call to the water company to get a 78 hour grace period and a call to a local church for them to assist this 70 year old lady. What ever happened to the "heart" in this country?
My old dog continues to hold on. Sort of had a rally this morning and demanded to go outside. Can barely walk - but she was determined and ambled off to a green patch of grass to lay down. This is so hard......
My resolve today is to work on this "house" of mine - I can find anything in this motor home. It is so small - how can things get "lost" in a space this small?
8/24/06, Wednesday
It has been a very busy week, news reporters everywhere and it seems to have heightened everyones need to get everything done "now", "sooner than later", and the number of calls to my cell phone is getting out of hand.
This week I have spoken to all manner of reporters from all over the world. All very interested in the progress here or lack there of. I have continued to focus on the urgent need of volunteers.
I did manage to snag two of the tents from FEMA's Ocean Spring 1M boondoggle camp that was used less than 30 days. I could not see where the 1M was spent there - but obviously I missed something. I plan to move the two tents (built over a wood building) in one piece if I can. That makes more sense than to dismantle and then re-build.
The work orders continue to get completed by our volunteer crew in the field. And what a crew they are - they will be with us for a year. Wish I could get another half dozen crews just like them. Since God didnt let me win the 204M dollar lottery last week - I wonder if He would just consider a few long term volunteer crews?
My poor old dog is in her last days. Such a shame it has to be in the heat of summer. I have huge box fan on her out there. I should take her to the Vet but I just can not make that one last trip just yet. I keep telling myself "tomorrow" but the courage escapes me. This is so hard.
And so we head into Thursday.
8/23/06, Tuesday
How time flies. Monday and Tuesday were swallowed up with meetings, press, and field work. There just are not enough hours in a day it seems. And the days are starting to get shorter already.
The press are everywhere it seems with the onset of the aniversary. Today one came in from the BBC with an Ausie accent - she was from Melbourne. We chatted for a bit and then I took them over to the Mayor's office. As I drove out of the parking lot today with one reporter - there were two other teams setting up for pics of the city sign, city hall, and another was down the street taking pictures of the old City Hall. I can see this is going to be an interesting count down to the 29th. Lord I hope we can convince them to chat about the urgent need for volunteers.
And then someone stole the dolly out of my truck sometime over the last couple of days. Sigh. You cant win for losing some days. I will toddle to WalMart and see what that is going to cost to replace. Another item for the "Needs List".
No meetings today. I do have a foundation I need to get a benchmark up on this afternoon. And if it would ever stop raining - I have four foundations I need to complete.
As I saw Laurie visiting with her daughter this week, it reminded me that all of the long term volunteers have given up so much. Family is one of those luxury items a full time volunteer can not afford to sustain here. Not sure why I never "noticed" the lack of children amoungst the volunteers before? I know when Christmas and Thanksgiving come around - its very isolated here with no family in sight. Not looking forward to another Thanksgiving without family. But on this paycheck of "Thank" and "You" I find the airlines and gasoline stations do not deal in that credit card. I get invited to sundry homes - but I feel more lonely there amongst the "adopted" family and usually decline all invitations and head to the motor home to bury myself in a cleaning project or two for the day. So much for that.......
We are headed to New Orleans on Friday to gut out a home for a client. He had a home in New Orleans and a home here. Both were wiped out. Being in their 90's there is no way they can do this themselves and it is difficult to find someone to gut a home in New Orleans. So, off we go to Chalmette.
Hope all is going well at your operation this week
8/19/06 Saturday
Finally a day off - the house is going to get spring cleaned, the yard mowed, the computer parts all put in one "spot" in the motor home that is "home" and I am going to re-negotiate my usage arrangements with my cat - Tigger. As the months have gone by Tigger has laid stake to more and more of this real estate I call home - all 32 feet of it. Amazing what you can do to adjust your life to living in these small spaces. Tigger, on the other hand, has used my long hours of absence and has schemed to way into major real estate aquisitions - the bed, the counter top the TV rests on, the sink area, and all of the clothes storage area in the back. All I have left is the bathroom and thats only because he has not figured out (a) How to open the door and (b) How to share that space without being squashed as I turn around in there. I do not plan on him winning on this one though. Its my last refuge. *G*
Last night I went with Miss Betty to Daniels to listen to a band that may be playing at Wavefest. Had a great time. Plenty of people out there on the deck enjoying the music under the stars just a couple of blocks from the beach. It is good to see "some" things getting back to some sense of normal.
Sam is coming home today - I plan to be there for that. Hope to see some of you there too.
8/18/06 Friday
Well, our part of the work is done at the Fortier Highschool. The halls are stacked with the newly arrived furniture, school supplies and teachers supplies. People are everywhere furiously trying to pull the four story school together for Monday classes.
Personally, I am in awe at how far they have to go before Monday. Not all the classrooms will be ready even by Monday. Some, yet, still do not even have a floor yet, down the road they need to replace the windows, and so much painting needs to be done.
But compared to the condition it was in even prior to Katrina - its a thousand percent better.
So many parents there today volunteering - making a difference as their children will be attending. One man was there with his tractor and his daughter working on the landscaping.
I talked to the Principal and he states that the rooms that are assigned "will be ready" and that the teachers themselves are all coming in Sunday to make sure their rooms are in tip top shape.
The main office - well they were still installing the main counter and everything else was stacked in the Hall.
Say a prayer - they are going to need it. Want to help? Go volunteer - they can sure use the help.
Taking two complete days off - finally after months and months of seven days a week. Sigh.
8/16/06 Wednesday
And how time does fly, here it is Wednesday. Monday was a series of meetings and catching up on the paperwork at the office. Actually I took "off" the afternoon and babysat the washing machine and did data entry on the computer. The quiet of the surroundings was as good as a day off - although I have to admit to being a month behind on laundry. Oh the joy of living in a motor home and working seven days a week - you really do not appreciate "space" until there is a lack there of. The cat and I constantly argue over square footage.
Tuesday was the usual EOC volunteer meeting at 2pm and the chance to network with fellow volunteers. Always a pleasure to see fellow volunteers.
The tool shed arrived for the tools and now we are organizing. My utility truck should see about a 50% increase in gas mileage once we get the excess out of there.
There was a major thunderstorm that went thru the area last night knocking out the power for hours. As I layed there all I could here was the boom and crashing of the dead trees left in the wake of Katrina. One, across the road, looks as if it could reach the motor home when it finally succumbs. I really do need to go take care of that this week. The dead pine trees are becoming more and more problematic across the Katrina ravaged areas. No one really has come up with a solution yet.
Progress still being made with volunteers. I had a home owner call me yesterday to report "They were in their home and thanked me for the assistance". That was a call I was glad to get. One more down, about 9,999 to go in Hancock County alone. Sigh
Today is going to be a good day. Afterall, the power is on, the internet is functioning, and that leaning tree across the road is one of the few that is still standing. *G*
8/14/06 Sunday
Another weekend working in New Orleans. Still miles and miles of empty homes with the occasional FEMA trailer dotting the landscape. I am working at the Fortier High school which is just a few blocks from the "Dome". Being that the school is four stories tall - the view from the roof actually gives a good overall view of progress - or lack there of. Right next door to the school is a home that has been re-established along with its private pool bricked in from the street level but in full view from "above". The homes adjacent are vacant, for the most part, although some are under construction. The interesting facet of the home that is complete - there is a "For Sale" sign solidly planted out in the front lawn.
Fortier High school is coming along. The opening day of Tuesday has been moved to the following Monday - and even then they will be pushing the gauntlet to get total completion. The new furniture is arriving and is in place in the halls. The computer and phone lines are still being pulled. Painting is ongoing but with so far to go. They are working on the landscaping. The interior courtyard is in poor shape and there appears to be no effort, yet, to paint the walls there and they are in sad shape. I will have one more weekend there before my portion is complete - then onto another school.
The trip home from New Orleans on Saturday was marred by an accident just in front of us on the bridge out of New Orleans headed towards Slidell. A red truck crashed into a white mini van and then became airborne and crashed thru the guardrail and into the lake below. Despite some good people jumping off the bridge to assist - only one of the two were saved. The victim was from the New Orleans area but living in Pearlington.
Back to working in Waveland today. We are working on several projects including a house we plan on turning into a Volunteer Hostel. That should be complete by the end of the month.
Myself, I am totally exhausted at this point. Hopefully I will get a weekend "off" on the 26th and 27th. Better yet - I have a plan of a weekend of fishing and relaxation.
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