Fast recap

Given the time, this will be really short:

Got picked up by an interior crew this AM. We went to house #1 and after some walls were taken down it was decided that it was not safe so we left it for job 2. Here we took down a ceiling...or at least about a half of it until the owner came in (in a less than happy mood) and told us he wanted to leave the sagging (and in parts water damaged) ceiling up. Uh, ok.

And then Job #3 was done by the time we got there, so all in all not the most productive of AMs. While this was a bad thing, I would rather take it as good news that there are few homes still in need of gutting in the E. Biloxi area.

Since it was July 4th, we took the afternoon off. Some people had a cook-out, others got pizza, we decided to go to New Orleans.

St. Bernard Parish and MUCH of New Orleans remain in horrible conditions. I really can not stress enough the importance of getting others (many others!) down to help. Mile after mile of good homes, bad homes, all homes were damaged. In many parts of the region no homes are habitable now 10+ months after the storm first hit.

Then we made a stop at the Handson New Orleans site. It is really going well. I had seen it just before it opened in March and it definitely is MUCH more crowded. Spoke with John who said much of their work is gutting interiors still.

After that we went to the French Quarter and came upon a parade where many sets of beads were collected I have 6 bead necklaces on right now as I type this). Then walked around for a few hours until the fireworks began.

Then the much longer drive back to Biloxi.

Lesson learned (remembered): New Orleans and vicinity need much help in their recovery!!!

Handson Disaster Response--Indonesia

Scuba (err, Mark) has put up his "director's report" from Indonesia.

Definitely worth reading and going if you can find the time!

AmericaCorp

First the news (yes it was a month ago, but at the meeting tonight we had an update and it looks even less likely that the finding will be extended:

From The Hill.com:

"In the eight months since Katrina devastated that region, NCCC members have logged more than 515,000 hours of service. All together, individuals serving in national service programs have logged 1.1 million hours...

But even more importantly:

"Besides the immense community benefits the NCCC provides the nation, the program has enormous impact on the people who join. These young men and women become empowered as citizens because they know their presence in society makes a difference. The sense of pride and accomplishment gained from the NCCC program is contagious; it inspires others to dedicate time to serving their communities...."

""The Senate recently included an additional $20 million earmark for the NCCC in the 2006 supplemental budget to continue disaster work in the Gulf through September 2007. But the rest of the program will be terminated in December 2006 unless Congress reinstates the base funding — a modest $27 million. "

Huh? Am I missing something? Cutting the funding for the program?

Now, I am all for small government and would gladly live with many projects being ended. But this is one program that seems to be working and if the investment is really only $27 million, it seems to money very well spent! Indeed, it might be useful to consider expanding it!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I am asking you to forward this. I am not saying write your congress people etc, merely forward this to someone else. I am sure that when enough people hear of the savings as compared to the benefits of the program, even the politicans will have to agree that the $27 million dollars of cuts can come from somewhere else!

PS If they can not find $27 million in cuts, I am sure I can find some volunteers to give them a hand!.

Great run and MUCH more!

Well it was another good day (or a HOUSA day for those who remember this post--I guess it should now be a HON day).

As I mentioned yesterday, today we worked at Beauvoir and learned that I do not have the patience to be an escavator. We did find a few artifacts (mini-balls, crystal bottle stopper, and bits and pieces of other things) but not that many (those before us had gotten most of them!). However, we did finish with that section of the clean up (the Confederate Soldiers Museum and Gift Shop) and had an interesting lecture on Jefferson Davis, the museum, and the future (they optimistically hope to open in 2008 for Jefferson Davis' 200th Birthday.

Got done a tad early so I had time for a better than normal run. It was really warm :) Really humid :) :) and speed workout :) :) :) Best run I have ever had in Biloxi. :) :) :):)

Dinner was good. The vegetarian fare was tofu stir fry :) everyone else had fried chicken. Then we were on "clean-up" for dinner. Yeah!!! uh, no. Not fun. By the time we were done it was "lights out". Oh well. I can type in the dark :)

Tomorrow (the Fourth of July--Independence Day) is a half day of work. Because of dinner clean-up the sign up board was filled by the time we got done, so I am not sure what the day will bring. I am guessing Mold!

Then several options ranging from sleep to a cook-out and ending with Fireworks. We might try to get over to Bay St. Louis to see Beau and crew, but I am not sure yet.

Assorted other random topics ;)
Janos is back...big crew came in today. Up to about 100 people...there are now bunk beds upstairs...also quite a few are leaving tomorrow...this brought many very moving (and tearful) good byes--there should be a book of the good-byes!!

...after the Beauvoir clean-up, we stopped where a couple were selling watermelons out of their pick-up truck. Watermelon were 3 for $10. We got talking and told him we were working with Handson and he immediately began giving us more watermelon. By the time we pulled away we had 8 watermelon and a new friend :)...
I am not a fan of Air Conditioning...saw many bull frogs in a small nearby stream...we are staying on part of what was Jefferson Davis' land...the headline story in the SunHerald today was stressed that while many of the local beaches are open, much caution should be observed as debris is still a major issue both on shore and in the water....oh and an interesting article on the local Catholic Bishop's request that everyone plant a tree on August 29th to commemorate the Anniversary of Katrina coming ashore. Good idea! Maybe we could make it nation-wide!..be sure to check out the HandsonNetwork Gulfcoast blog! It is really good!

I'll hold the last comment for a separate blog article. Which will allow you to forward it easier...and yes I am asking you to forward it!

Biloxi in USA Today

From USA TODAY:

"BILOXI, Miss. — To understand how long Gulf Coast hurricane recovery is going to take, visit this city's Volunteer Village.....We needed a place for the long haul," says Jim Green of Project Teamwork, a Florida-based volunteer group that runs the camp with the Salvation Army. "Tent cities can only last so long."

This summer, the Gulf Coast is entering the next and longest recovery phase: Rebuilding houses and starting lives anew. Almost a year after the storm, Mississippi's coast has an eerie emptiness about it. Along the water, where the storm surge lifted floating casino barges and dropped them into neighborhoods, there are far more empty lots and steps leading nowhere than there are homes or businesses. Groups such as Project Teamwork and the Salvation Army plan to be here for many years."

Back in Mississippi

Hi everyone...
I'm back in Biloxi. We drove around Biloxi and Long Beach for a bit today and there is still MUCH work to be done.

Much looks the same as before, but there has been progress and even rebuilding happening in many parts of Biloxi itself.

Handson seems much the same. We got in just before dinner (well in time for a 5 mile run) and the meetings went the same.

Tomorrow I am going to Beauvoir (Jefferson Davis' house). Other teams include Humane Society/Street team where they are building a database of pets to help in the event of another disaster, interiors (I think putting up drywall, but not positive), Mold, Salvation Army, Community Coordination Center.

So all-in-all things appear about the same. Quite a few people are here from other trips. Some have stayed straight through, others just got back...Carrie, Nate, Jacquline, Gueriellmo (Will), Joe, Meeko, Amy, Kate, and several others come immediately to mind.

oh and a very positive change? Faster internet connections :)

And I thought I was crazy

Wow. 51 marathons in 51 days. And Good Luck!

Vicksburg Post

"Thompson went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast immediately after the storm to help with cleanup efforts, and has been there since. Most days, he supervises a crew of about 100 volunteers from the First Presbyterian Church in Bay St. Louis. As the work slowly progressed, Thompson thought the 󈬢 in 50 in 50” idea - he'll also run in Washington, D.C., upping the total to 51 marathons - would provide a good fundraiser for relief efforts. Setting up a fundraising organization proved too difficult to do, however, so Thompson is running the marathons to raise awareness for Katrina victims.

“Like somebody told me, I had the idea and now I had the cause, so I better get busy,” he said. “It was too hard to get everything in place (for fundraising). I am officially raising awareness for the Mississippi Coast. People need to realize things are not fixed down there.”"