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"We don't want to limit ourselves to hurricane relief. We want to focus on anything that can make the community better."Read more of it either here or here.
"When you see a person’s home literally destroyed, it somehow makes that fight with your neighbor over whether a soda can is on his property or yours seem silly.
That’s what a local resident told Bethany Assembly of God Pastor Phil McCutchen yesterday, as a group from the Mendon church helped rebuild homes in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
'I have got to tell you -- one of the most important reasons to come down here and work is because of how it changes those who come,' McCutchen said."
"Sep. 26--BILOXI -- Construction of the new U.S. 90 bridge over Biloxi Bay is in its early stages"and later:
"Once they get through dredging the channel, they'll come back and start demolishing the old bridge," said MDOT Project Engineer Kelly Castleberry.The material already recovered has been taken south of Deer Island to the site of a new reef that will be created from the old bridge."
"'It became evident during Hurricane Katrina, when asked to choose between abandoning their pets (and) their own personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives and remain with their pets, and some of them perished,' said Rep. Christopher Shays R-Conn.It is about time!
....
The bill calls for state and local emergency preparedness plans to make provisions for families with pets and individuals with service animals."
"One of my favorite parts of any day in Biloxi is the nightly meeting. Indeed I have written regularly about the meetings
(for instance: here , or here , or even here ...lol) That said, two HOUSA 'meeting themes' that I think back regularly are Darius' ripple effect (how our actions multiply and go on and effect others that then effect others) and how a volunteer in January (I can picture you, I think you are from TN but I do not remember your name, sorry!) commented on how he was a better person while at Handson and he challenged us all to take that attitude back home and reminded us that their were Humane Societies, soup kitchens, and poor people who needed help everywhere.
Well, you will be glad to know that we have put the two ideas together. The result? A local version of Handson! This semester we have already had two local service days where we recreate a HOUSA day. For instance, this past Saturday we had over 100 volunteers at a central location and then went out to nine sites (SPCA, Community Theater, hospital, State Park, trail building project, local HS, etc) and volunteered for the day"
"ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., Sept. 11, 2006 — The BonaResponds team has scheduled an Allegany-Olean service day for Saturday, Sept. 16. This will be the group’s second local workday this month.If you can come out to help or if you want to donate, just let me know! :)
BonaResponds volunteers will be broken into small groups, along with other local service groups, and assigned throughout Cattaraugus County. Some sites include the village of Allegany, Allegheny River Valley Trail, the Cattaraugus County SPCA, St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, Olean Historical Society, Olean General Hospital, the St. Bonaventure University (SBU) campus and Mt. Irenaeus."
"Tuesday morning, the Mississippi Department of Transportation awarded a contract to Warren Paving of Gulfport for work to prepare access sites in Bay St Louis and Pass Christian. The company will dredge two locations - one at the Washington Street Pier in Bay St Louis, the other just south of Third Street in Pass Christian....Work is set to get underway Wednesday morning, with a completion date around the 20th of October.
MDOT officials say they will begin reviewing proposals for a ferry service provider on September 18th. The free ferry service is expected to begin November first."
"The Boston College Alumni Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2006 Alumni Awards of Excellence"
"Young Alumni Award of Excellence
William J. Driscoll, Jr. '05
Bill Driscoll Jr. founded Persevere Disaster Relief in February 2006, only days after Hands On USA—the organization with which he had been volunteering since September—concluded its Katrina recovery effort.
Following graduation, he began work as a production assistant on several independent films. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the images of devastation in the media moved him to head south to help. Driscoll joined Hands On USA in mid-September and spent the next four and a half months with the organization in Biloxi, Mississippi. In addition to participating with the rebuilding efforts, Driscoll returned to his alma mater to educate students and organize service trips, an initiative that now continues on with Persevere Disaster Relief.
In November 2005, the Boston Celtics honored Driscoll with their "Heroes Among Us" award. In January, First Lady Laura Bush presented him with the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for his work with Hands On USA along the Mississippi Gulf Coast .
Driscoll also started "The Next Great Pass" a service initiative in conjunction with the Boston College Appalachia Volunteers to bring groups to the gulf coast to aid in Katrina relief."
"Modular houses are made in factories then shipped to home sites and erected on slabs. Because modulars are made to meet local building codes, they're often allowed to be put in places where mobile homes are excluded from permanent placement.
Manufacturers said modulars can go up in a matter of days if local building crews are available.
Gov. Haley Barbour says boosting sales of modulars could help speed the coast's recovery from Katrina, which destroyed tens of thousands of homes when it struck on Aug. 29, 2005.
Barbour wants lawmakers to cut the sales tax rate on modulars from 7 percent to 3 percent. Barbour said the change would shave $4,000 to $6,000 off the purchase price"
"Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway, sweating profusely under the afternoon sun, was walked back to his SUV by neighbors surrounding John Henry Beck Park.
Holloway was there to help dedicate a beautiful playground and other park improvements, work completed in less than a day, and sponsored by KaBoom!, The Home Depot, Playworld Systems and the Hands On Network."
"In St. Bernard, the parish wants to demolish abandoned homes that have not been repaired since Hurricane Katrina."
"The list will include homes where nothing has been done since the storm. From there, the buildings will appear on a demolition list."
"It's been a year since Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans. Now returning residents wonder if the levees that failed in that storm will protect them. Living on Earth's Jeff Young reports on the levee repairs."
"For Mississippi and Alabama, Katrina was a historic natural disaster—a massive Category 5 hurricane that obliterated the coast. But for New Orleans it was a man-made catastrophe. By the time the storm reached here the winds and surge had weakened to within the design criteria of the levees meant to protect the city. Yet those levees failed on August 29th in the largest civil engineering disaster in American history."
"A year after Hurricane Katrina ripped through here the damage is everywhere evident, and to drive along U.S. Highway 90 is to witness almost unrelieved devastation. While most of the major casinos along the beachfront are once again functioning, only the battered frames or the foundations remain of the majority of nearby homes.
But, remarkably, there are a few determined, enterprising homeowners who have not waited on insurance payments or federal allocations to rebuild their homes. 'I used all of my own money to rebuild my house,' said Minnie Miller, whose small house was virtually inundated by 17 feet of flood water. 'I spent more than $50,000 to do it, and I didn't get a dime from insurance companies or the federal government."
"Alden J. McDonald Jr., the chief executive of this institution, which was the country’s third-largest black-owned bank until Hurricane Katrina and floodwaters roared through New Orleans one year ago.
Mr. McDonald and his staff count themselves among the fortunate, despite the general state of disrepair inside and outside their building. While their neighborhood wants for many basic amenities, including mail delivery and phone service, their company is one of the few enterprises back in business in the vast northeastern quadrant of New Orleans. And in a city where an estimated two in three businesses remain shuttered, Liberty is not only open but also turning a profit."
"BonaResponds, a group from St. Bonaventure University formed to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, is planning several local service projects in preparation for return visits to Louisiana and Mississippi.and of course we are going back! In early January and over spring break in March. Want to come? It will be GREAT!....BonaResponds will lead an effort to clean up Archbishop Walsh High School Friday...Work will begin at 1:30 p.m. at Archbishop Walsh and continue until 7 p.m. Community members are welcome to help with the effort. Volunteers can call (716)372-8122 to offer donations or learn more about the cleanup....
Dr. Mahar said BonaResponds will be painting, landscaping, putting in new ceiling tiles, and doing other odd jobs around the Walsh campus.
BonaResponds also plans a Sept. 16 service day in Allegany and Olean. Volunteers will help at sites in the village, the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, along the Allegheny River Valley Trail and at the Bartlett House in Olean. Work will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until early afternoon. Again, community volunteers are welcome to join BonaResponds.
“It will be much like a day in the Gulf,” Dr. Mahar said."
