Volunteer Resources in Hancock County - Moving Forward With A Solution
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Rebuilding Hancock County
  • One day at a time
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    • Days in Recovery Since Katrina


    FAST FACTS ON POVERTY IN MISSISSIPPI
  • The Mississippi Economic Policy Center found 40 percent of Mississippians are in low-income, working families. Members often work more than one job, cannot afford health insurance and have limited education past high school.
  • More than 250,000 children live in a family considered working poor.
  • Among working-age adults, 347,343 workers do not have a high school degree.
  • In Mississippi, college graduates earn an average of $41,026, which is twice the pay of high school dropouts.

    • Source: Mississippi Economic Policy Center

     


    Thank you CAP Disaster Team in Birmingham for the lawnmower! We truly appreciate your very kind and much needed donation!
    Thank you Thank you Perryton Texas for the Cell Phone!
    Volunteers are making the difference

    If you want to stay on top of what is happening in Hancock County with regard to Volunteer and Material Resources in the recovery effort - than click on this link. Hancock Volunteer Resources - Yahoo Group Page

    Katrina Volunteers Feel Unwanted

    Kathleen Johnson, 7/21/07.

    The local television station, WLOX, tried to put closure on the Katrina Kitchen saga by doing an editorial suggesting that it was time to go. A very personal get out of town free ticket. The papers played up the social outcry, the crime, the very shame of the building materials stacked up in the warehouse area associated with the rebuilding effort. One resident referred to the users of the facility as "trash". And the national news had an article stating that the Katrina Volunteers Feel Unwanted. And still it is not the entire story.For the rest of the article click on this link

    What is a Volitourist?

    In the struggle to promote volunteerism and sustainable tourism what has emerged as a powerful tool in the reconstruction of the Gulf coast is volitourism.

    Economically it sustains existing jobs; provides opportunities for job creation and economic development; socially strengthens communities; and contributes proactively to the reconstruction of a region devastated by hurricane Katrina.

    Kids move mountains - Katrina juvenile responders

    Kathleen Johnson 4.15.07

    One of the facets of hurricane Katrina the that has not been emphasized is the impact of the tragedy of Katrina on the juvenile volunteer responder and the resulting issues with team cohesion and post traumatic stress. Exposure to the disaster can impact the juveniles and adult team leaders. The failure to recognize and address these issues, as they arise, can make the trip a difficult one for the team leaders as discipline of the team becomes more of the focus of the trip than the mission of learned volunteerism and assisting residents. Failure to address the issue at all can leave the parents dealing with aftermath emotional issues from the work experience and the parent mystified not understanding the underlying root cause being manifested in all sorts of symptoms.

    Click here for the rest of this article


    Not black or white – the problem or the solution

    Kathleen Johnson 4/13/07.

    Mr. Bush was wrong. Most of the poor here in the south are not black or brown. They are young and old, white, single and female. They are not on welfare – they either hold jobs or are living on a fixed income. What they do not have now is a home - they are homeless.

    Click here for the rest of this article


    Katrina Confinement Rage: Captured in a paper prison

    2/24/07 Kathleen Johnson.

    One of the outcomes of the Katrina FEMA housing experiment is the raw emotional reaction of residents to living “confined” in FEMA trailers and also captured in an endless paper trail for assistance. It is a chronic state of learned helplessness as the FEMA system flexes its power by increasing the aggressive manner in which it demands the residents find solutions to this canned housing in a geographical area devoid of housing solutions because of the total devastation of the local housing market, lack of manpower and materials to rebuild, the demise of the economic engine that supported their household – employment, decimation of the property tax base that supports the local infrastructure, and the impossible task of navigating the solution trail laid by Federal, State and local government - leaving most in a paper prison.

    Click here for full story

    In the eye of the recovery is more havoc than landfall

    1/30/07 Kathleen Johnson

    There is a valuable lesson to be learned from all of this havoc created by Hurricane Katrina – that is that there is no one solution as to how to rebuild up to 400,000 homes that are damaged or destroyed. No one entity has the resources to provide the solution in the form of money, manpower and materials. I am not sure which is the greater tragedy – the landfall of Katrina or the debacle of the recovery efforts in the aftermath.

    Click here for full story


    All I learned in life I gleaned from a little train

    1/28/07 Kathleen Johnson

    In life, I have learned a thing or two but it all started at five when given a book about a train. I actually couldn’t read the book – a kindly elderly nun read it to me in my first grade class as a treat on a hot sultry afternoon. I still remember every detail of that day well. Not sure why the concept of that childhood story stayed with me all these years. But it sure has been comforting here where we constantly make lemonade out of lemons.

    Click Here For Full Story


    But it is prity now

    Yes, we are making progress - even in the eyes of the children

    This was part of a third grade class project called "How did Katrina affect you?". I found this on a classroom project board in a school in New Orleans Saturday while I was there working on the school.

    Shane August, 2006

    Katrina blew my roof of and I had to sleep at my friends house and after I went to my house and had to sleep down stairs but it is prity now.

    Delery
    Welcome

    I hope, as a volunteer, that you find this site helpful for your work here in Hancock County.

    I have been working here, in Mississippi, since the onset of the storm. Initially, the work was "online" as a virtual volunteer, and very soon thereafter I headed to Waveland for my first stint as a volunteer and returned shortly thereafter as a fulltime volunteer. I work as the Director for Katrina Relief and Director of Operations at the Waveland Citizens Fund - overseeing Grants, Case Management, Construction Coordination, assessments, and recruiting volunteers, and writing grants.

    If you would like to volunteer in Hancock County or need assistance with your home re-construction project - please feel free to contact me at anytime. Contact Information

    Personal daily blog

    News crew visits from Alabama to make Report

    Email based Yahoo Group Hancock County Volunteers

    Kathleen Johnson

    (228) 209-8822

    Contact Kathleen


    We Need Volunteers !

    Unskilled mixed with skilled a perfect combination

    Call: (228) 466-4630


    Peter 2:15

    For it is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men

    Click on picture to see in full view

    The Hynes Charter School in New Orleans is getting new wiring for internet access this month. While the facade appears grande - behind the school annexe is in very poor condition with temporary buildings put in place 40 years ago that are deteriorating, peeling paint, asbestos in the walls for insulation, and with old wood windows that long ago were painted shut

    This little nook in New Orleans is brimming with life, the resturants are all back in operation, the houses appear to be all occupied, and the streets are crowded with parked cars, flowing traffic and the residents are out walking under the oaks enjoying the last days of summer of olde. Yes, there are parts of New Orleans that appear to be back to normal.

    Less than a mile mile down Clairborne towards the white dome - it is stark, barren, forlorn and forgotten. The houses are standing as they were on August 30th - alone and abandoned.


    What's Happening Today, Yesterday, and next week in Hancock County, Sunday June 3rd, 2007

    Whats happening in Hancock County today you ask?

  • FEMA Officials In Biloxi Announce Another Delay in Providing New Flood Elevation Maps Source

  • Coast renter plan in works - FINALLY! Source

  • Sewage approval required for electricity in Hancock County Source

  • Lee Iacocca: Where Have All the Leaders Gone? Source

  • National Post-Katrina College Summit: Students Demand 100,000 Jobs For Gulf Coast Residents Source

  • Gulfport Man Says Year Long Wait For Grant Too Long Source

  • Waveland Aldermen Halt Volunteer MoveSource

  • State Farm raises SBA loan issue in lawsuits. Insurer's tactic mean-spirited, lawyer says Source

  • Katrina Fraud Stretches Far Beyond Gulf Source

  • Longo defends volunteer move Source

    • In response to the article:

    1. There was a lease for the 1600 McLaurin Property from the State of Mississippi sitting on the City’s desk since January specifically for volunteer housing. That grant was sought by Kathleen Johnson with the full support of all four Aldermen and Mayor Longo. Mayor Longo chose to not release the information that the lease was in City hands and under discussion. In fact, privately, the Mayor was stating he was going to use the property for a Fire and/or Police Dept. Interestingly enough that "lease" is coming before the Alderman this week at the Alderman's meeting after languishing for months on a City desk. The Aldermen were never advised that the lease had arrived back in January.

    2. The files belonging to Katrina Relief and the Waveland Citizens Fund were moved under the directive of the attorney for the Waveland Citizens Fund with the FULL support of the City of Waveland Attorney. The Mayor did not "like" that decision - but it was an approved move.

    3. Up till January of 2007 - not one donation has been passed to the Alderman to approve for Hurricane Katrina related relief. Then two donations came before the board and not one of those donations was earmarked, at that time, for any specific project. In fact one donation was stated to come from Dr David Carl - which he has denied and since then the check has been shown to come from a Foundation not related in anyway to Dr. David Carl. The City now maintains that the donor wants to remain anonymous.

    3. And Santo Saucier continues to house volunteers on his property despite the "past tense" presentation in the article. Ohio Disaster Relief is committed to a long term plan to assist in the recovery effort.

    4. The article failed to mention that the Mayor's ex-wife works for the City of Waveland Office of Long Term Recovery and it was Ms. Longo with whom I discussed use and cleaning of the property on Highway 90 back in October of 2006.

    5. The operation, Katrina Relief, operates out of 700 Tabor and continues to use the Waveland Citizens Fund as its fiscal arm.

    6. Americorp continues to operate out of quonset huts at the new location on 90 as they did at the St. Claire site on the beach.

    7. And the quote of the day from Mayor Longo: "He said the volunteers are here to help the citizens and not to be an extension of city hall".
  • Iacocca: Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
  • Study: Displaced are suffering FEMA housing a major cause Source

  • Waveland funds spent to house volunteers at private property Source

    As a side note to this article. The plans to move Americorp to this location have been in the works since October of 2006. This was when the discussions with the Mayor's ex wife first started and the agreement was made to "lease" this building for one year. At that time volunteers from the Conservation Corp were sent to clean out the building. The Harvest Church was offered use of the building also in return for assisting with the construction of the Americorp shelter. And, in November of 2005 - the Mayor's ex wife was also hired to work in the Office of Public relations and all construction on the building was managed from that office.

  • Coast population takes a dramatic swing northward
    • Source

  • Click here for source of information the balance of the events calendar


    		•
    This, That and Everything Else

    New Construction Site Requirement

    The new construction site requirment is that the red stamped plans, building permit and termite certificate be stored on-site. These boxes cost approximately $25 - this one was purchased from 84 Lumber.


    Tim Wilkerson stands next to his new permit box in front of his soon to be home in Waveland.

    How Long Will Recovery Take?


    If we take the current case load of 920 and the completion rate of three houses per week and assume the volunteer work force will remain static (an unrealistic assumption), and understanding that we are increasing our work load by 10 more enquiries per day - we estimate, at a minimum, we will complete all the houses we have right now in:


    6.30 years


    And if the continue to increase our customer load at 10 per day with the volunteer base remaining static - it could take up to 12 years


    And if the volunteer base continues to wind down exponentially, as it will as other disasters take precedence - we could still be working on this rebuilding in 20 years before we are back to status quo


    Do you think this is unrealistic? Do the math on what you are accomplishing at your disaster relief organization compared to the total population and take into account the remaining relief organizations doing work over the total population of the county


    It is time to take a long hard look at our Long Term Recovery Plan - it is based on the assumption that volunteers are going to be able to take up the shortfall in funds and these homes will be built. It is not going to even be probable. It is time for a summit in Hancock County - it is time for a reality check
     
    | Web designer: Kathleen Johnson