Mississippi: Hancock County - Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Perlington, Kiln; Harrison County - Pass Christian;
Jackson County - Pascagoula; Stone County, Pearl River County - Poplarville.
Disney Volunteer Project Ended
Thank You Disney - What An Inspiration You Are!
Volunteers - I need feed back on Pictures!
OK, I have sent out a myriad of vouchers - where are the pictures? If I cant take off and go - I want to vicariously live through the fun times you all are having. Please send pictures !
Larry and Carol Russell - New York
Thank you Larry and Carol for sharing this with us! And may I take this opportunity to thank you for all the great work both of you did while with us for those weeks you worked here at Katrina Relief. You are both awesome and we are thrilled you were able to "Do a Day At Disney!"
Friday March 12th, 2010!
Yes, Yes, Yes - We Are Extended!
MCMC contract extension
Tuesday March 9th, 2010!
Monday March 8th, 2010!
Appalacian College, Pa
Baldwin College, Ohio
University of Central Florida
Camp is buzzing today, both field and administrative volunteer work plus a team at Gates to Success. Not to mention Virginia Tech is using us as a half way stop on their volunteer stint on the way to Galveston, Tx. More to follow.
Mitigation on retrofitting homes as explained by the Insurance Commisioner this Sunday morning on WLOX - very confusing. And, as explained, will only be of benefit to the more affluent. Seems the grant will be a "reimbursement" style grant that the first 30% will be the clients portion based on the 30% deduction State Farm is giving on their "new" insurance thrust to discount the retrofitted homes.
Tell me how my clients, who were not insured before the storm because they could not afford it; who never received a grant if they had wind damage; and now the insurance rates are higher than ever - tell me how these clients are going to "retrofit" and "come up with the 30%" as their portion of the matching grant?
This mitigation grant, that apparently came out of the never ending "Lost and Found" CDBG funding is only going to benefit a very very small portion of the more affluent population in Mississippi.
And, where did they "find" this CDBG funding did they say?
And on that note, I will exit and write more tomorrow on the escapades of the three colleges in camp.
Wednesday March 4th, 2010!
Boston College You Rock!
Another very very successful Boston College volunteer stint - and just WOW! you guys - you were awesome. You stepped in and did what ever was asked, including leading the way, in many cases, doing jobs the highschoolers from St. Annes could not do, but in partnership, you could "All" do it all. Thank you for showing us all the leadership skills that Boston College students continue to exhibit on their sundry trips here to the Gulf Coast to make this world a better place.
The Environmental Cleanup of the Wetlands - this picture stands testimony to just how tough that job was for this Boston College Volunteer
And the leader of this mammoth cleanup job in the marsh with 124 volunteers (and I thank you for telling the volunteers that the alligators were asleep!)from Katrina Relief was the infamous Chris LeGarde. Chris - you are awesome and I thank you for all you continue to do!
Ever Wondered What The Difference Between Wind and Water Damage Is?
Well, here is the difference - you tell me which client is less deserving because they received wind damage and not water damage from flood. In the aftermath here in Mississippi - only those with "flood" damage received grants. Those whose homes were wiped out due to wind have been left to flounder.
Can you see a difference?
Call your Representative - help the Mississippi residents with wind damage to come "home". Ask your Representative why clients received grants for flood damage but no grants were given for "Wind" and that area stretches from approximately Interstate 10 all the way to the State Line north of Jackson.
Wednesday March 4th, 2010!
The perfect moment
Marcia Howard, future MEMA cottage recipient, thanks a volunteer from St. Annes of Benefield, for the assistance cleaning her lot in preparation of the MEMA cottage arrival. Marcia had brought cake for the volunteer evening meal. Both St. Annes and Boston College had worked on this project.
Wednesday March 4th, 2010!
Full House!
St. Annes, Belfield and Boston College are stretched across 80 miles of the Gulf this week completing work orders. How do you thank these people for coming down here going on the fifth year. The work is hard, very few accolades, and it is tough to be part of the equation in the construction project and not, very often, to be the solution. God bless them one and all.
In memory of a volunteer - they serve
And they come back because of the cook!
Waiting to leave for work
Just like home - a birthday
Yes, Ross Ose of MEMA - you were smiling!
Information meeting on MEMA cottages for non profits at Knight Non Profit for MCMC non profit partners.
And Bob Blanton (LESM) and Bill Stallworth(Hope CDA) of the Mississippi Case Management Consortium were taking you very seriously!
Brother Billy Kent, Steep Hollow Baptist Church and Dr. Bob Troy, St. Annes, Belefield.
Wednesday night bible study
More to follow when I get time today or tomorrow.
Wednesday March 4th, 2010!
You Go Wyoming!
The new Wyo state code admonishes residents and lawmakers to:
CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The principles of "cowboy ethics" are now part of Wyoming law.
March 1st, 2010!
124 in camp this morning! St. Annes-Bellfield, and Boston College
More to follow as St. Annes got in at 2am.
March 1st, 2010!
One Family, One Church, One Day, Once A Month
I counted several hundred churches between Hancock, Pearl River, Stone and George Counties. If every church would adopt one family once a month - there would be no social service needs in these four counties. Lets get working on it Mississippi!
Friday February 26th, 2010! Update
Coming Home No More
All things being equal - the house for Greg should have been completed within months of his MDA grant some two years from the time hurricane Katrina wiped out his home in Shoreline Park, outside Waveland, Mississippi. But it was not equal - he had been given a payout from MDA and no mandate for, nor was he assigned, a Case Manager. The funds were in "cash" and not a "voucher". And so Greg set upon a path to replace his home - meanwhile he was in a FEMA trailer.
I first met Greg at a Bay St. Louis Alderman meeting - and they were giving him a royal raking over the coals. He had purchased a modular home, well sort of a modular home. It was a shell that needed finishing on the inside. He had it delivered to Todds on Central Avenue as the former gas station had a concrete parking lot that was empty and ample room for the two pieces of the modular home. Greg's lot, on the other hand had pylons, rubble, and a muddy bottom - everything off Central Avenue is muddy most of the time and the area frequently floods. Greg had plans of installing the modular home on the remaining pylons - not anything Hancock County would have approved of and by the time Greg got around to doing anything the area was annexed and under the auspices of Bay St. Louis building department and they were not being cooperative, kind, or patient with this humble quiet man who was carrying the burden of mental issues that left him on the fringe of society even on a good day. A 58 year old hippy, van and all, along with his faithful mutt Molly he had found in Mexico twelve years earlier - Greg was the epitome of a recluse.
And so the conversation started with Greg about what to do with that modular home Bay St. Louis was not going to let him put on his property, and, to compound issues, the city was demanding he move it from the lot he had it stored on on HW 90. "Put an add in the paper" I told Greg "Put a good price on it and lets get it sold and put the money into an Elkview Home" (84 Lumber packaged home). And he went straight to Sea Coast Echo and did that. Multiple calls later, umpteen promises later, many inspections, and many more no shows - and the modular home was not sold. By now the City of Bay St. Louis had issued certified letters threatening Greg with all sorts of unpleasant ramifications if he did not move the modular home. Not sure what they wanted him to do with it as they knew full well he was out of his league on this fiasco. Greg came to the office in a panic.
I called Rafferty, the Bay St. Louis attorney. I explained to him that Greg was truly making an effort and I explained that he was trying to sell the modular home. Rafferty asked that I keep him in the loop and promised no action in the meantime. I, in turn, explained all this to Greg and pointed out that his modular home was on the busiest highway in the area and to go get a large board (and pointed out he could have the one at the side of the office), a can of spray paint, and put on it a price he could live with and let the highway do the marketing and advertising. And off he toddled and he did just that and, within a week, the modular home was sold for a fire sale price but he was out of hot water with the city and we had enough to build an Elkview Home.
And then fate stepped in and Greg became ill and needed a liver transplant. He dug into those precious building dollars and did what he had to do to get stabilized. The rest we used to black in a home, with the help of the Mennonites and the Amish, and Greg moved into the shell of his home as, for what ever reason, FEMA took his FEMA trailer although his home was not complete. He had no electricity, no running water, no insulation, no sheet rock, no heat, no air conditioning, no windows, no doors, no nothing and he was critically ill. The Amish stepped in and we got windows in, a front door on, a deck built so he could access the house, and we ran a power cord from the power pole. And Greg went into the home to camp out in a tent he had installed in the back room and onto Chemo at the same time. The liver transplant was no longer an option as the cancer had spread and Greg had about six months according to the doctors. He was vowed and determined to do this in his home.
I called him on a regular basis, sent the Amish and volunteers over to clean the house and yard - we did all we could to keep him comfortable. I did offer for him to come up and stay with me - but, no, Greg was going to live in his "home", his house, his way.
When the cold snap hit, record all time cold snap - I called. Again I begged him to come and spend, at least, a few days - but no, Greg was in his home and he was staying. When the next cold snap hit - I called again. He said he was "alright" and didn't need anything.
But it was not "alright" and his friend David called all over the coastal counties trying to get help for Greg not knowing I was in the picture. Finally someone told him to call Kathleen at Katrina Relief. I got that email. I called confused not knowing who David was. He explained he was a friend and lived in Jackson. The next day Domonic and I went down to Bay St. Louis determined to get Greg to "come home". He was deathly ill, white, thin, and malnourished. And Greg agreed after a long discussion and debate (little did he know I was not leaving until he did agree to come stay at the house). We brought Greg, Molly and all his possessions to my house. He has little. Katrina took everything and what he had collected after that was washed away with Gustav.
A week later, Wednesday, I had him taken to the hospital in Picayune via ambulance - he was going down hill fast. And that is where he is now in ICU. He will not be coming home and it breaks my heart that we never finished his home. Greg, like so many, fell between the cracks. He tried, he really tried but without a Case Manager from the start - the odds were stacked against him.
We will be moving him to a nursing home next week. He is not coming home - and Greg and I had that frank discussion at the hospital prior to the social services representative coming to the room. The social services representative was surprised that Greg had become so coherent when I came - prior they had not been able to have a discussion with him. But for that short time - he made his feelings known to both of us and we made plans. The brother would like to have him come home to them in Colorado - but there are no funds for that and Greg is too ill to travel that far. His daughter, in New Jersey, would like to come to visit - but in these harsh fiscal times she has no funds for that. I did give Greg the phone and he did get to talk to his daughter for those few moments while he was lucid.
Why has it taken so long for recovery many ask - because all is not equal and, without quality case management from the onset, this case is testimony to the tract so many are on this fifth year in the aftermath. I have about forty more clients just like Greg - and hundreds more that are struggling with the recovery due to age, dementia, disabilities, and mental illness. We have to do a better job for the protected class next time - what I am seeing here in the field is heart breaking. How could we, as a nation, leave the elderly and ill to struggle and suffer like this?
And Molly, she comes into the house every night and lays next to the bed Greg was sleeping in. She does not move from that spot until I roust her out to the outdoors in the morning. I think she knows that she, herself, now at twelve, is struggling with her own issues - old age. Home to her is where Greg is - and Greg is home no more.
Friday February 26th, 2010! Update
Adopt A Family
This link is going to list all the families who remain without funding - we need help from you, the volunteers, to get the "other" 200 who have filled out the paperwork up onto that site. Would your group be willing to come down here to help us get that done?
One Church, One Day, One Family, Once a Month - what a great plan!
Wednesday February 24th, 2010! Update
Bobcat sighting near facility
As I was leaving the facility the other day on 53, a gorgeous large bobcat went sprinting across the road in front of the vehicle. As I was screeching to avoid hitting this magnificent powerful specimen - I was thinking that we have put a camera in our cell phones for those "moments" and now I want one on the front of my vehicle so I can reach out and "press that button" for that picture perfect moment. I can think of a million reasons for a camera to be installed on our vehicles - that perfect shot of that kitty cat loping across the road, a picture of that idiot pulling out to pass in front of approaching traffic, and for that unnamed person who has captured our mascot - they would not have to exit the vehicle to takes pictures of dead gophers to send to us. *G*. Yes, it could all be done from the comfort of the vehicle.
But that Bobcat - he was sure beautiful. First time I have ever seen one in the wild.
Ransom demanded for Katrina Relief Mascot
The ransom demands continue to come in for the kidnapped company mascot. Despite negotiations - the culprits have not issued an exact list of what the demands are at this point. We will keep you updated as these negotiations continue.
DuE to ouR DeMandSFalliNG oN deaF eARs, it PaINS
me To HavE shoW you ouR threATS wERe
serioUS. Consider tHiS A WarninG!!!
See attacheD PhoTo.
Back to Business
As we prepare for Dr. Troy and his 100 or so troop to arrive on Sunday - this is going to be a busy week next week. Several demolitions in the works, a lot of painting, and work on the Adopt-A-Family and USDA grants. The office work is as critical as the field work and it is a part of the volunteer effort here.
Homelessness Radio Marathon Last Night in Detroit
The Homelessness Radio Marathon was last night in Detroit - I did a radio interview at 3am this morning. They were kind enough to give me a wake up call so I got to the office at 2.30am and went to answering emails while I was waiting. I am sure to get a response from those in receipt with a "what on earth" question - not that it has not happened before. So much work and so little time.
Thank you one and all. And a special thank you from Greg who is now where he is safe and secure. Miss Ruth had nothing but praise for you all and I have some pictures of her home below.
Here they all are with Chef Domonic - the favorite part of their day! Mealtime !
Miss Ruther Miller
Her home is in rural Picayune and was a labor of love by the long term volunteers and they were joined, this week, by St. Mary's. Ruth was beaming the entire time I was there on Friday. The pride, as she showed me what had been accomplished, was self evident. She has a good start to her home and the next crew should be able to finish it out.
Long Term Volunteer Crew
Wow What A Run On Work Orders
Its the wisdom of the older volunteers - you can see it in the work, in the organizing, in the wisdom as they deal with the younger volunteers.
Thank you one and all - you guys are awesome !
Friday February 19th, 2010! Update
All That Fire On 603 on Wednesday Was...
I was driving up 603 north with Domonic on Wednesday and there were fire trucks everywhere, the woods and road side on fire with "skipped" areas in between. We could not figure out what on earth had happened - why on earth would they start so many controlled burns? Did someone set a series of fires?
Mystery solved - it was a grader operator from MDOT who drove down the highway with his blade dropped and the sparks set off a series of road side fires that spread. Hmmmm.....I would not want to be in the office for that dressing down.
Wednesday February 17th, 2010! Update
Fatal Wreck Out Front Of Facility last night
At approx 1.15am this morning I heard an undentified thump, thump, thump and the sound is still echoing around my head this morning - I cant seem to get it out of there.
The dogs immediately started barking furiously. I went outside, could not see anything and went back in. Went straight back outside, using the front door this time, and, by then, a lone car had turned around and I could see a black car in the ditch and up into the shrubs and trees on the other side. I went over, but could not find the driver. Ran back to the facility and woke up Brenda and Allen and Brenda came out with a flash light. We walked the street and the ditches trying to see if we could find a driver or passenger as we could find no one around the vehicle. I stopped a Border Patrol Agent and he put his flashers on. I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the drivers side of the car - nothing. Walked around, again, to the passenger side and the flash light picked up the hand of the victim. The victim was pinned partially under the front of the vehicle and hidden in the brush. Nothing we could do but wait for medics and emergency vehicles. And it was a long wait - and a long night as the body lay there waiting for all the paperwork to be completed. And I stood there drawn to the spot as the hand, and that wedding ring, was haunting me.
It turned out Domonic knew the victim, a fellow chef, and we went over this morning early and located all the personal items the police had missed the night before in the dark - we bagged it all and will get them back to the family at an appropriate time. That included the cell phone which had a call on it from the victms wife earlier that evening.
Every conversation with our loved ones, no matter how small, is such an important conversation. And HW 53 has so many of these wrecks every day. Wear your seat belt - please.
Our demands will be delivered within the next 24 hours. If our demands are not met the gopher gets it!!!
Please see attached photo.
And, in my defense.......
And this is after my staff lost an entire van load of volunteers on the way to Waveland to pick Domonic and I up. How can you lose an entire van load of volunteers - flat tire or no flat tire?
Left us stranded for three hours in the boondocks off of Central Avenue in Shoreline Park with nothing but trees in all four directions and flooded swamp land
Lost the phone number of the volunteer that did call and report their position.
And then left poor Mr. Gopher, the company mascot, hanging in the office for me to find on my return.
Tomorrow is another day !!!!!!!!!!!!! Mr. Gopher will avenge by emailing Peta in the morning!
Tuesday February 17th, 2010! Update
St Mary's University from Minnesota - on the ground
They hit the ground running yesterday. First up the Centrobie property was cleared for MEMA, the Adopt-A-Family clients called and the USDA clients called for a mass intake on Thursday. Today they are off to Mass in Pass Christian for Ash Wednesday and then on to jobs all over Pearl River County and well as work on the data base we have to submit to MCMC for all our non MCMC clients.
Grady In Charge
A stray wild cat when we moved here - Grady is now insitu and in charge. Obviously not a very wild cat at some point in his life as he was neutered when we found him. But now he leads the life of Reilly and its a moot issue!
Tuesday February 16th, 2010! Update
Mardi Gras - the volunteer view from a real working group!
Yup, while the rest of the world is out partying hearty, canceling meetings, locking the door as it is Mardi Gras - Katrina Relief is on the job today working hard from Pass Christian, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pearlington, and Poplarville. Katrina Relief Rock on!
Katrina Recovery Summit Planning Meeting Last Week
Still in the works, the planning committee will be having regular meetings and conference calls. If you are interested - email of Alice Graham.
Census Count for the Homeless
TNOL's will be counted on the 29th of March
Targeted Non Sheltered Outdoor Locations will be targeted for the Census on the 29th of March. If you know of the location of anyone living in a tent, an abandoned building, car, or any other outdoor location type shelter - we need to know the location of those individuals so we can get them on the census. Please contact us at (601) 795-9979 to assist us locating those homeless individuals. And, note, we do have a transitional housing shelter for those displaced individuals who are in need of shelter and assistance.
For those interested, there is an Open Doors Homeless Coalition Meeting on the 18th at 10.30am at the Knight Non Profit Center.
Very interesting article on the Suburban homeless: Rising tide of women, families Yahoo News Article
Homelessness Radio Marathon March 24th!
The homelessness marathon will be March 24th this year - last year it was hosted at our camp in Pass Christian. This year it will be in Detroit - watch for details.
Incoming volunteers this morning from St. Mary's University in Minnesota - more later.
And Marshal wrote on his blog that the Director from the "real" field of dreams dropped him a note to compliment him on the cartoon.
I will get the rest of the blog up for this week later this afternoon. Snow on the horizon, yes snow, so I am headed out to take care of some field work. But I will say this below quickly.
There was a renaissance meeting yesterday where it was determined to resurrect the long term recovery meeting format. That will be interesting. The fast tracked nominations for committee chairs was probably indicative as to the status quo we maybe returning to there. The was preceded, I am told, by a dressing down, by the Director of IRD, in their absence, of all those in recovery who were not at the meeting (never named in the tirade I might add). You might want to ask why they were not there? Maybe they had other meetings? Maybe they were overwhelmed with a volunteer crew in town and could not break away (yes Jay, some organizations are small and the all volunteer staff is overwhelmed just getting the field work done. Or maybe because this is not an equitable democratic process by any standards known to most of us that were in place in the process precedent to this meeting? And there was discussion in the "hall", in a clique so infamous to this process - of making this process a "mandate". Mandate to what - recovery in total for any disaster in the future or just to Katrina?
Good idea - the system needs to be better run. But implementation was fast tracked, nominations fast tracked to those in the room, voting fast tracked to those in the room, all the while knowing it was a light attendance.
And we are implementing what was there before - and it did not work very well. A lot of this "work" can be done virtually recognizing we cover vast distances; the recovery needs to be mandated to be on a universal data base; there needs to be a task force looking at designing a better working system for long term recovery while the residual groups are still on the ground; and we need to expand "appointments" to boards to the submission of resume's and a Selection Board who would choose the most capable candidate - not the most socially popular candidate.
Some lessons were not learned in the aftermath of Katrina.
Thursday February 4th, 2010! Update
Nothing like a little southern style
My staff came running into the office this morning as I was rolling with laughter at this link Cheryl Davis sent me. If you understand southern evangalism style - you will truly appreciate this clip on U tube.
MCMC Case Managers at the Supervisors Conference call on
Thursday
OK Domonic - very funny! MCMC - no he was not asleep!
Poplarville Middle School Donates To Haiti
The children of Poplarville worked hard and this donation of cleaning supplies is going to IRD in Gulfport for shipment to Haiti
Poplarville Middle School Rocks!
What a God Send - long term volunteers pack the RV Lot at our Poplarville facility!
And A Huge Thank You To Microsoft
Every now and again, on a regular basis, someone at Microsoft sends us a check. Its not a huge check - but it keeps arriving at the most oportune times. And today was one of those days. The Rapid Re-Housing Program will assist with training of the homeless - but it will not pay the gas. We got one of our homeless clients into classes but had no way to pay for the gas out of the stimulus funding we had.
All I can say is that God is good and five minutes after Jackie told me we had to come up with some funding for Michael's gas - in rolled Brenda with the check from Microsoft.
All I can say to the employee that is donating part of his check to this operation - you are a hero to us all here at Katrina Relief.
And to Eastside Baptist Church in Pearl, Mississippi
No, I did not forget - I lost the piece of paper you gave me on Christmas Eve with your name and address on it. But, yesterday, under pressure from the bookkeeper I was sorting thru the invoices so she could close out 2009 - and there you were buried in my infamous shoe box - a crumpled envelope wiht the "Faithful Workers Room" scribled across the top.
You came all the way down Christmas Eve with that huge load of toys and food for the people of Hancock County. And specifically Hancock County - and I took and I made that happen for you in Hancock County. It was handed out to the foster children and the foster families in Hancock County with the assistance of the Department of Family Services. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will be sending a card. I did lose your phone number - otherwise I would call.
And that is our operation going into another long long week of recovery work. We need your prayers, we need your help, but most of all we need someone in charge of recovery who can imagine "Dat" - pray for that too!
Tuesday February 9th, 2010!
Elephant in the room yelling - no one listening.
We had a conference last week to discuss the state of recovery in the aftermath with respect to funding and volunteers. Very few spoke - what could you say? We have been "saying" it for a couple of years but very little feed back but "what if" and the "shrugging of the shoulders". The distribution of funds in Mississippi was not equitable, did not reach out to the protected class, and totally ignored anyone with wind damage period.
The Elephant was in the room yelling that we have the mechanism to build these homes - but not a dime on the ground to do it with. Something is very wrong with the recovery equation. Funds for those from the sea shore to I10 for those who were flooded - not a dime for those with wind damage. That geographic area extends from approximately I10 to the Mississippi line north of Jackson with hundreds of impacted homes still with blue roofs.
And the tone was to lean on the building industry to assist with the assessments so we can uplift the problem to Jackson. I am not sure who came up with that plan but the building industry is in no mood to assist volunteers building any more homes as they view that option as competition. Although, quite frankly, the funding never covered any more than materials. But in that is a good argument - why was that? Why were there no funds for the contractors to build or complete these homes? For a few more thousand dollars per home - that could have happened. But as it is now we, the non profits, have the burden of raising the funds to haul volunteers in from across the nation to fill that shortfall. Do you know how much that cost? My estimate is that it cost ten fold what the actual investment in contract labor would have been. For a business plan on recovery - it has zero basis in practical economics.
We critically need funding not only for reconstruction, but also funding for those organizations who are actually doing the work. Funding for some, the "elite" who are pretexting and inflaming the work they are doing but, in fact, it is a small solid base of hard working organizations behind that who are physically out there getting the job done and not an ounce of recognition or fiscal support for administrative assistance. The problem here is that many are claiming a client base in order to get the grants (which are not advertised) - when it actual fact the physical work, and client, are working with entities outside that paradigm. If there was a data base everyone was designated to use - it would not be possible for organizations to inflate their client base or their statistics. It is the Mississippi glasses on lets not dig too deep to ask the right questions routine that is causing the issues we have in recovery today. It is also the moral certainty of elitism driving this mechanism.
Any funding from MDA or other Federal or State agency should be an openly advertised RFP with a mandate that the client statistics be verifiable. Competition breeds excellence. The state of affairs now is verifiable tyranny pushed along by the MDA and the failure to advertise open RFP's.
Thursday February 4th, 2010!
Conference on State Of Recovery - remaining work
This conference was called by the Governor's Office on Recovery and was held Tuesday.
Nothing could be said after this - a lot of talk about "maybe" this, "maybe that". But, the article above says it all. We have to do a better job of running this recovery as a business and stop playing favored status. One of the comments from an unbiased intern in the room,who is new to the coast, said "Wow, there is a lot of tension here".. Yes there is.
And words are meaningless unless there is someone in charge. So you can gather all the people you want in recovery - but unless there is someone "in charge" who can grab the bull by the horns - nothing is going to happen. And words, and pictures without titles mean nothing. And nothing is going to happen.
Thursday February 4th, 2010!
Great Volunteer Week!
Kehillah Jewish Highschool
Some weeks, it just "clicks" and everything moves forward effortlessly - and that was this week.
Kehillah - as always excelled and moved the project of the Pearlington Ball Field and Gymn a huge step forward towards pre-storm status. The field and Gymn had been the site of the Pearlington Recovery Center in the aftermath of Katrina - the clean up job is enormous and it takes volunteers with insight and understanding to know that not all the jobs are "glamerous", that most of it is pure grunt work and it is tough work with a lot of haulng, rakings, and shoveling invovled. And it can not be accomplished in one week - so it takes multiple teams over months to move the project towards an end point.
The highschool volunteers worked tirelessly and went day after day to this site, some 45 miles from the home base, and made huge inroads into the daunting task.
I can not thank you enough for your dedication, your team work, and the high values installed by your school. It shows clearly in everything that you do.
Ron Hoover and the "gang"
Wow, how many trips? I cant remember any more. But year after year you have come and made an incredible contribution. The family in Gulfport you took the ramp to were overwhelmed with your ministry and your singing (hmmm, I was not privy to that!). And, yesterday, I received word from that family just how uplifted they were by your all. Now, there is nothing I can add to that to express just how effective you are as a crew. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Beginning of the week - Kathleen's organizing chart
Tuesday Ron took over and he was doing the organizing charts - now thats leadership!
Ron Hoover Morning Briefing Sessions
Ron Hoover Group!
Alisson preparing Breakfast and organizing lunch for
Debriefing prior to leaving for home for Kehillah
This was the only exit picture I got to take of Kehillah!
Wants and Needs!
1. I need a computer and printer for a church in Kiln
2. I need some of these old wire frame shades - having a hard time finding them around here.
Wednesday January 27th, 2010!
It took almost five years to come home again
Kathleen Johnson. 1/29/10
No picture on this one - privacy concerns. The story starts in the aftermath of 2005 where I first saw Geraldine. She was living in a tent off of Avenue B, six inches of water, two dogs, no power, no food, no car. She was all alone and critically ill with pneumonia. Geraldine's home, an older mobile home, was pitched against some trees, on its side, on the near side of the tent setup.
Even then this client was falling between the cracks - a direct result of lack of education, functionally illiterate, and mental illness. But she had reached out for help by walking to our relief site the day before asking for assistance and she left, that day, as quietly as she came trusting that someone, anyone, would stop by and see the dilemma she was in. For what ever reason - she was unable to get a FEMA trailer. And, with the weather turning very cold and her health issues - we had to move fast.
At that time we were building sheds for storage units and it was decided to get a shed delivered to Geraldine as quickly as possible and get her out of the cold. Geraldine was vowed and determined to not leave her family land - not that there was shelter anywhere in the region available to house the homeless. Everyone in Hancock County was in the same dire position - excepting those who had already received FEMA trailers. The shed was delivered and we ran a 200 foot extension cord from a power pole over on the next street, gave her a cot, a heater, shelving, food, blankets, and a light we had retrieved out of a trash pile from a gutting job along with a radio. And that was Christmas 2005 for Geraldine - a shed and antibiotics.
Once we had Geraldine stabilized, then the battle for the FEMA trailer. That was not anything Geraldine was able to do for herself because of the lack of transportation, her health, her literacy issues, and her mental disabilities. So, not making any headway at the FEMA office, we headed to Congressman Taylor's office as he has turned in the mediation specialist with FEMA. And after a battle lasting two months, and it was a battle, we finally had a FEMA trailer delivered. I stopped in to see Geraldine from time to time to make sure she was adapting. And she was. And then I changed camps and I lost contact as she was not on the client list for my new assignment although I did see her from time to time and she always told me she was "OK" and did not need anything.
Fast forward to 3am in the morning at the 2009 and the Homelessness Marathon we held in Pass Christian in February. I was sitting at the table, on the air, talking about homelessness, and taking notes. A woman steps out of the crowd up to the microphone and starts speaking and then I heard her say "If it wasn't for Miss Kathleen......" I looked up to see, for the first time, who was speaking out there into the microphone, in the dark, under that large oak tree. She had my attention finally - and it was my Geraldine. She had got a ride from friends to come to the Homeless Marathon over the Bay St. Louis bridge and into the next county and she had waited her turn to talk and that was 3am in the morning. Geraldine told her story in her quiet faltering shy voice and relayed, to the microphone and the nation, that she was about to be homeless again as they wanted to take away her FEMA trailer. She went on to explain that she had lost track of me and that she had had no help in the interim.
Geraldine was thrilled to find me and I her. I was mortified that I had not stayed in touch - I had assumed that the operation I had left would keep up with their client list and take care of them. At this operation I have about 2,000 clients I am taking care of that are not under the care of a paid case manager. Normally a case manager has 30 clients - I have 2,000 who are falling between the cracks also as they did not qualify under any case management contract. The operation I left Geraldine in care of, like many camps set up in a hurry after Katrina - were not organized and so many of the clients, once uplifted, just fell back between the cracks.
I had got the MCMC contract for Case Management a few months earlier and had several Case Managers on staff handling clients who qualified under that contract - about 300 clients. On return to the office the next day, I shot off an email and asked about Geraldine and why she was not on our client list as she was indeed a FEMA trailer resident and thus eligible. On checking, it was found she had indeed fallen between the cracks and we got her onto the Mississippi Case Management Consortium client list and we went to work.
Geraldine was assigned a Case Manager out of my operation and they fell in love with her just as I had years earlier. It was not an easy case - Geraldine's mental issues made her a tough client to keep on track, to stay on top of the paperwork, to keep appointments, or to even stay available on the phone. Twelve months almost to the date we found her at the Homelessness Marathon - yesterday we moved Miss Geraldine into deeply subsidized housing off of Waveland Ave - just a mile from her FEMA trailer and her former tent site and family land. The apartment was being subsidized with a HUD voucher from the special preference program made possible by a special Congressional mandate for Katrina victims just a few months ago. Geraldine, like so many in her same predicament, have benefited from this program and will now be completely sustainable.
It was a crew of volunteers from Seattle, Washington that had the honor of escorting Miss Geraldine to her new home in the infamous "octagon apartments". She had broken her wrist last week and could not pack up the FEMA trailer or move the items on her own - again she has no transportation on top of her new physical disability. The new apartments, remodeled after the storm, are unique and cute apartments, close to a grocery store, WalMart, and the business community up on the north end of Highway 90. Perfect for someone who does not have transportation.
A success story and maybe an explanation for those who keep asking us why recovery is taking so long. Recovery is not a one size fits all - it has to be flexible. It is critical that quality Case Management be a part of that equation. It took Geraldine three years to be matched up with such a program and it is why she is well on the path to recovery today.
I have to thank FEMA for having the foresight to implement the pilot Case Management programs they have now running across several States. From these programs will come the solutions to a faster time line on sustainable recovery. From Geraldine and all my Case Management Staff and volunteers who pulled together this week to make this happen - we thank and give credit for a job well done to FEMA, HUD, MCMC, Congressman Taylor and Senator Cochran! It took all of you working as a team to bring Miss Geraldine home again to Waveland, Missisisppi.
Thank You FEMA and Please Move That Fema Trailer !
Wednesday January 27th, 2010!
Kehillah Jewish Highschool, San Francisco and Tod Hoover Crew, Seatle, Wa.
Wow what a week. Hectic schedule, mile of work orders from Tyler Town to Perlington and the 100 miles in between
Here members of both crews work in the office on files and the Adopt_A-Family program while the rest of the two crews are out in the field.
The also made it to WLOX this evening and I will post the link when it goes up online. The high school spent the week at Pearlington cleaning up the old Pearling Recovery Center site.
Here the crew watches themselves on television in my office.
Al, you are such a sweetheart - the kids appreciated your talk and your followup with them onsite yesterday.
Al Showers gives talk on "Talk Night" to Kehillah High School
Both a reporter for WLOX and a storm victim - Al offered great insight to the recovery from outside and inside the box. An excellent speaker - Al most certainly has an insiders interesting perspective on the recovery.
And this unnamed high school junior did not want this published
She stated "If my mother knew I knew how to do this house cleaning stuff - I am never going to live this down. So, we wont publish her name !
Case Manager Recovery Summit III - planning meeting
The planning meetings continue for the third recovery summit this past Tuessday afternoon in Biloxi. Here Roberta does what she does best - keeps track of the notes, statistics, and track of us. No one else can - but Roberta keeps us all on track
Wednesday January 27th, 2010!
Case Manager Injured
A Case Manager was injured on the job working for Katrina Relief of Waveland. These hard working case managers work in driving rain, sleet, driven hail, snow, and ice - Mississippi is a tough place to work. The dogs are ferocious, the cats swift on the draw with their claws, the roads rutted and soggy in the wet season of winter.
The injured case manager, Jorge Delgado, described the attack in vivid detail to fellow case managers here at Katrina Relief on his return from rural Pearl River County. He described how he had to run for his life from the ferocious beast who was both stout and fast on its feet, and not to be outdone by the clients dogs ganging up on Jorge at this particular homestead, the ferocious beast opted to take the first bite and leave them silly old dogs in the dust. In awe of this interloper's prowess, the dogs retreated. Jorge got "bit" by a turkey, "One of the biggest in Mississippi" Jorge reports.
This Case Management is hazardous work! Jorge, we have to report, will recover from this horrific event.
Monday January 25th, 2010!
Tod Hoover Crew is Here - Seattle, Washington!
A repeat crew for Katrina Relief - this skilled crew is already rolling this morning. More on this crew later.
Kehillah Jewish Highschool Have Arrived!
For the third year - here they are last night on arrival. More later on this great team as they are headed to Pearlington to work on the ball field that is still covered with leftovers from Pearlington Recovery Center.
More later - I am off for training for the Rapid Rehousing Stimulus Grant. Yeah!
Friday January 22th, 2010!
A Katrina Survivor
Found at the beach at St. Clare's in 2006, Charles has made remarkable progress to adapt to this new life of his. Ornery, spoilt, a great mouser, a bed hog, and the bani of the parakeets life - Charles here is sitting on some kitsch I found at a yard sale.
So many animals displaced by the storm have found homes all over the US from our doors. Up here in Pearl River County - I am in awe of the number of stray dogs and cats. Hunting dogs are the "rage" here - something I am having trouble understanding as I do not see hunting deer or hogs with dogs as a "sport".
Found actually by an Americorp Group - Charles was left in my care when they left. Miss Jennie - I am taking very good care of your "child".
Friday January 22nd, 2010!
"We're seeing a pattern of behavior," said Lisa Shoemaker, director of communications for Pickering's office
The auditor's office said the investigation began with an inquiry to its investigative division.
Waveland mayor accused of embezzling
Longo suspected of using Fuelman card for gas in his personal vehicle
Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo is under arrest, charged with embezzlement. The indictment accuses Longo of using his city issued Fuelman credit card to buy gas for his private vehicle, between September 21, 2008 and August 30, 2009. The indictment was issued on Wednesday, January 20. Longo was arrested at his house Friday morning.
Sea Coast Echo article by Dwayne Bremmer - In a phone interview while in jail, Longo hinted to reporters he believed the charges may have been politically-motivated.
And the quote of the day is that this might be a pattern.
My only comment to that comment period, and many of you are expecting more considering the long history here. But here it is:
Ya Think?
Tuesday January 19th, 2010!
Boston College II
What a fantastic week! Athletes from Boston College came to put a hard week in volunteering in the aftermath. Not all glamor work. A lot of lugging and hauling and cleaning - all critical parts of the puzzle in the rebuilding equation.
I personally thank each and everyone of you and hope that you come back next year - as, yes, we will still be working on this recovery. We have a long way to go.
Boston College I
To you also Boston College I the same sentiments - wow! What a great week. I do not believe enough credit is ever given to teams for how much work they did prior to getting here. The forming of the team, the planning, and most important thing of all - the hard work they do fund raising to pay for the trip. I am in awe of what these college teams do to raise funds, how hard they work to get here, and how hard they work when they are here.
Virginia Tech !
How did you get out of here without me getting a picture of you? My goodness, what a fabulous week we had. I am in awe of the work you did on the Adopt-A-Family - you just rocked and rolled and you have no idea how much I appreciate that. You followed on from Purdue and the survey is done and the foundation set for the appointments for Adopt-A-Family. This is going to make a huge difference for these families. I have faith in this program.
It was not just the houses
The houses succumbed to the lashing wind as the tornadoes tip tapped across the tree tops. The fences tried to hold it back - and were flattened. And that is what is left - everything north of I10 as no one received funding for wind damage. The only grants handed out were for flood damage and that damage ended, approximately, where I10 is.
So, not only have the houses not been built - but the fences still are down and here is a prime example of "working together" to make it work. The barn here was gone, the house was gone, the fences are down - and this is just one case showing how it "works" or what is lacking and still needs to be done.
Friday January 15th, 2010!
Some great shots taken of volunteers working at Katrina Relief Thursday
Needam Cares working on Gloria Saucier's home and the after dinner talk last night given by Danny Manley (Pearl River EOC Director)
Waveland Citizens Fund and Hope Haven were successful in securing Rapid Rehousing Funding from the stimulus package. This year long grant with potential to expand to two years is to assist the homeless or near homeless move towards sustainability.
The Mississippi Center for Justice will be at our General intake days, Thursday, once a month. Please come by on a general intake day to discuss an appointment.
There will be a representative here twice a month from the USDA to talk to clients about the rural development grant. Please come by on Thursday afternoons, 14, to schedule an appointment.
If you would like to participate in the Adopt-A-Family program - please come by on Thursday afternoons from 1-4 to schedule an intake. No appointments necessary.
Needham Cares - you rock!
Floyd Kleese (Kiln) and Gloria Saucier (Steep Hollow) were recipients of their volunteer services this week. Gloria is all rocked in. Floyd has a new door. Part of the crew worked on the Adopt-A-Family program.
I found a brand new router on my desk courtesy of the crew - thank you!
This crew continues to amaze me with their dedication and commitment to the work that they do.
And now I have shown you Roy's pictures above, here are my paltry, by comparison, views of the last couple of days !
Shed "Moves" again !
Built by Shoreline Park, number over 500, these sheds dot the landscape and proved to be one of the most valuable parts of the relief effort. After the storm there was no storage, and with the house gone - this was a Godsend. This one has proved invaluable in the relief effort. Now it is headed to Poplarville.
City of Waveland Employees chat with volunteers cleaning up Tabor St. site
MCMC Adopt-A-Family effort at Katrina Relief
We called all 2,000 clients to do a survey and advise them of the Adopt-A-Family program. Intakes have started and we will be working on this over the next two weeks. The survey will prove invaluable in working out the long term Master Plan for this operation.
Gloria Saucier's home, Steep Hollow
Needham Cares project
Dinner out with Boston College at Rickeys in Bay St. Louis
Thursday Speakers Night
Danny Manley, Executive Director Pearl River County EOC
We try to schedule speakers for the teams and this week we had three locals who were involved in the relief effort. Danny was first up.
Cleaning Up The Ball Field Pearlington
We have been sending teams to Larry Randall at Pearlington for months now - the cleanup of this former Recovery Center is a huge undertaking. The crew made huge strides today.
And sometimes someone makes a boondoggle - an expensive one!
Started before the building code changes, the re-start resulted in the home having to be higher and the insertion of new pylons.
Mema cottage on its way to a permanent new "home".
As we wind down, these re-locations mean family permanency.
Tuesday January 12th, 2010!
MCMC Jon Biggs lectures on CAN and Data Collection today in main dining room
Waveland Citizens Fund Staff
Boston College #2 Arrived In Camp Tonight
Overflow in church tonight!
Virginia Tech, Boston College #1, and Needham Cares Works On Adopt-A-Family
How Embarassing !
We brought up the "pink" trailer from Waveland tonight. Allan pulled into our friendly tire store and asked he change the tires. The owner said he would be glad to - but please bring it back when I can get to it tomorrow. "I will call you" he stated. Yes, embarrassed by our pink trailer we are so proud of. We only painted it pink after it was stolen and returned 3 months later. Figured no one would steal a bright pink trailer. And they have not.
The Architect Hides Out From The 80 Juveniles!
Roy works on his drawings separate from the hubub that is going on around him.
And that is our busy Tuesday! How is yours going? Want to come down and help?
Sunday January 10th, 2010!
Thank you FEMA
Surplus property that was picked up today for Waveland Citizens Fund
Virginia Tech Working on Client Survey and Adopt-A-Family
Virginia Tech working on a very frozen shower trailer !
Mississippi is experiencing record cold weather
Sunday January 10th, 2010!
Purdue - Hats Off To You!
Job well done! Should be back in Indiana right now. Virginia Tech and Boston College are both falling in behind you to complete the Adopt-A-Family program. Good work one and all!
University of Illinois and Virginia Tech both at Steep Hollow Baptist Church this morning.
And if Domonic thinks he can catch up on sleep before the baby is born
We all have news for him!
Saturday January 9th, 2010!
Purdue volunteers just left -Thank you!
Virginia Tech Volunteers Just Arrived !
University of Illinois - Chicago Campus coming in a few minutes !
Needham Cares Due in Monday (Steve Arriving Sunday)!
Boston College Volunteers Due In Tuesday !
We are Rocking and Rolling!
Purdue - you started the ball rolling !
Purdue volunteers developed a great model for volunteers to work this program and assist residents to get their stories up on the MCMC Adopt-A-Family website. They conducted the interviews and went out into the field and took the pictures so critically needed. They also assisted in composing the narative that was needed for the submission to the website. Awesome job guys!
If you have unfinished work related to disasters - General Intakes for clients is on Thursdays from 1pm - 4pm. Please call (601) 795-9979 for an appointment at Katrina Relief/Waveland Citizens Fund.
For those of your privy to this story and our Domonic!
Judge dismisses Miss. NAACP suit on Katrina funds
[Quote]U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson said the plaintiffs might have a valid policy argument against diverting the $570 million in funding. But he ruled they don�t have standing to bring the case because they didn�t show they would be personally harmed.[/Quote]
Since the argument is valid - I am wondering if this means that they go back to the table and have clients bring this suit on an indvidual basis? Waiting on an update from Reilly.
............ ......... ......... ........Bay St. Louis is closing seven improper bank accounts holding more than $100,000 that came largely from money donated after Hurricane Katrina, and is moving the cash into the city's general fund on the advice of state officials.
Mayor Les Fillingame said much of the money came from entities across the country, including city governments, private citizens, fire departments, and other donors. From one of the accounts, the city's cultural affairs director wrote checks totaling nearly $37,000 to help purchase appliances, building materials and other goods for artists, musicians, city employees, and others.
The accounts were opened under the city's tax identification number, records show. Under normal circumstances, all expenditures from city-related accounts must be approved by the City Council under the docket of claims process. However, checks written under these accounts were not cleared by the council.
Interesting that this souce of "Katrina funds" was not advertized to the general populace so that "all" the Bay St Louis residents could have had equal access to this funding over the past five years.
Most certainly not open and transparent !
Friday January 8th, 2010!
TWO MEMA COTTAGES COMPLETE IN THE PASS!
Two of the Mema cottages in Pass Christian are complete. They were two of three cottages that were left uncompleted when a contractor walked off the job of raising the cottages to nine feet. Thank you Christian Aid Ministries - you are the best! Thankyou Riverbuild for stepping up to start this project when no one else would. Your vision paved a path!
The third cottage is going to need more funds. If you are interested in sponsoring that family - please contact us. We will need less than $1800 to complete that cottage.
Loading a mile of pictures from this trip to the legislative reception. A work in progress this afternoon
Also working on the mission of this trip and the outcome. Keep checking back as I get this all pulled together.
S.T.E.P.S GOES TO JACKSON !
Very productive meetings with State Legislators and Lobbiests.
Thank you Kimberly Miller for the extraordinary organization and planning, the coach trip in the bus along with the meetings going up to Jackson on the bus (very innovative and, most of all, the scheduled meetings with individual representatives.
More to follow and I will finish this "story" later today or Saturday.
The representatives and other key players in social justice work
The Meetings!
Two Sisters
Kitsch here to dine in peeling paint - but for our clients this is the way they live everyday. Amazing what is Kitsch and what is "just the way it is".
Capitol
Leaves us in awe considering the horrific conditions we see our clients living in everyday in the aftermath of Katrina
And the Legislative Receiption At The Trade Center
Wall to wall legislators and lobbiests
Tuesday January 5th, 2010!
Purdue University Continues To Working on Adopt A Family!
The Purdue volunteers worked very hard today to get thru our 2,000 plus clients, the MEMA clients we have as those residents have not completed their homes, and the new 180 clients we have who still have blue roofs - a daunting task.
Adopt-A-Family Program MCMC Liaison works with volunteers on MCMC clients
Piles of files with appointments already made (table 2) and Table 1 are clients who have been surveyed for progress reports on recovery. Volunteers are out in the field all day doing intakes and taking pictures.
End of Day - time to rest
Domonic gets an Academy Award for this view of the Chef preparing dinner
Dinner - with Domonic's cooking it is truly a treat!
Waiting for the Al Showers interview in the office this evening
Al Showers from WLOX came out today to do a story on the Adopt A Family program. It should be aired tonight at 10pm or tomorrow.
Purdue University of Indiana arrived Sunday and today went to work at 7am on the Adopt A Family program. They are making appointments and going out to the families who do not have the funds to complete their homes and taking pictures and getting information to do a synopsis of the family and their needs of the website. The appointments are rolling in and this is going very well.
We are also updating the information on all 2,000 of our clients and the other half of that crew is doing a survey of all our clients. This will update our website on all remaining needs and also the clients who have completed their homes. They are also planning to get that information into CAN this week.
If you have a client who needs to get into the Adopt A Family website or your family needs more funding to get your home completed - please call (601) 795-9979.
Needham Cares will be here next week - that awesome crew have been a critical fiscal supporter for this operation and the clients. Looking forward to their arrival.
Monday January 4th, 2010!
Katrina Relief / Waveland Citizens Fund MCMC Staff All Present and Accounted For 2010
Happy New Year !
Handing Off The Project From RiverBuild to Christian Aid Ministries
The gauntlet has been officially handed to Christian Aid Ministries this morning and they are now working on the thre cottages in Pass Christian this morning.
And that includes the cabinet work on William Jackson's home in Pass
He needs assistance with the 100 year old home with reconstruction and funding. William is currently living in a MEMA cottage next to the home.
What is the Story Here?
These MEMA cottages started appearing at the Gardenia Trailer Park on HW 603 in Hancock County last week. I have not had time to check up on this story. If someone has the answers - let me know. Buried this morning and I will not have time to check on the "other side of the story" on this.
When I did call this morning - the person answering the phone there had no idea what was going on. When I pointed out the brand new sign had this number on it - she said she would have someone call me back. That has not happened yet - it has been several hours.
That Darn Cat
That "wild" cat I caught while trying to trap the orphaned kittens - well the juvenile female has adjusted well to the "country life" and is ready for a new home. Warning - her purr is louder than a lawnmower, she insists the cat food dish be full all the time, and she is very territorial about that food dish and the other cats line up behind her as she does not share well.
And that's the update for this very busy Monday morning with Purdue volunteers in camp working on updating the non MCMC files and working hard to get clients up on the Adopt A Family website. More on that to follow.
Friday January 1st 2010!
Rocking In The New Year !
Now, I am not sure how to view this. But this is the Christmas gift from my staff at Katrina Relief.
Is this where I hast landed going on five years of this recovery work?
Is this in lieu of the daily banging my head on the desk as I struggle through the daily "Ya not gotta gonna believe this scenario and what idiot thought that recovery plan was gonna work"
Is this what I need to be doing more?
Am I getting this old?
The staff states that they see it on my front porch
I just love it and it is headed home today - thank you one and all. Just perfect! Absolutely perfect.
Friday January 1st 2010!
Pass Christian MEMA COTTAGE PROJECT
Four Mema cottage projects in Pass Christian - three cottages staying, one will not be needed when the revamped home is complete.
Now there is a very happy MEMA cottage resident !
And happy he should be - the three MEMA cottages in Pass Christian that were being raised to over 5'7" that the contractor abandoned - are now well on the way to completion. Riverbuild finished up their portion yesterday and Monday a Mennonite crew will be taking over the rest of the project. The cottages, from what I am being told, will now pass for occupancy permits. There is some minor aesthetics to be done to the pilings such as the 70% trellis siding as required by Pass Christian; one needs some minor plumbing; and one needs some minor electrical work underneath (looking for a volunteer licensed electrician to do that so please call 228-344-8616)
RiverBuild - you guys just leave me in awe of what you can tackle. New York rocks! Ty West you have reason to be proud of this group of people who have done so much. When this job came up - I knew you were the crew to tackle the task. My hats off to you all !
Here Jill, MEMA cottage owner, is also all smiles as her cottage is now moving forward. Jill shared with me the agony of this project to raise her cottage. She stated that she was handed papers and told to get an engineer, contractor, and get the engineered design filed with Pass Christian building office - and little to no other assistance. She stated she is not a "contractor" and had little knowledge of construction and the demand that "she" be the General Contractor was just beyond what she could handle. The choice of contractor was pushed by the Pass Christian building office and the contractor of choice was not equipped to handle the job resulting in his abandoning the project before it was finished. She also felt that she had little support from MEMA and claims she has had a dozen housing advisers since she first got her cottage. She stated she has no interest in meeting with any more "housing advisers" when she was told she had a new one assigned last week. The attrition in housing advisers has been problematic for many cottage owners as there was not continuity of service as the skill level of the housing advisers varied.
Jill works for a Public Health Department here on the Coast. She stated, at one time, she lost ten pounds in two weeks stressing over this construction project as progress spiraled downhill with little assistance offered when the contractor bailed. Jill stated that Riverbuild had uplifted her spirits and belief in the kindness of strangers and that she was eternally grateful for their assistance getting this project back off the ground and moving forward.
Moving along and painting!
And to the contractor employer in New York of this volunteer - thank you also!
T11 Siding to protect the insulation underneath
Another MEMA cottage site Pass Christian but we are rebuilding the house
William Jackson has been working hard on this 100 year old home for a long time. We have sent volunteer crew after crew over there. Here, also, a contractor walked off the job and left the home owner floundering.
William talks to a neighbor about progress and plans
Riverbuild You Rock !
Now, LESM and Butch - we have to talk about this rake !
Pink is Katrina, orange is LESM, orange on pink does not count!
Good try though - but I have to report the rake is in my van!
And for those of you who are not privy to this tool battle - LESM paints their tools orange. Katrina Relief is pink. The volunteers are constantly dropping off the tools to the wrong camp. We spend our time trying to round them up. And, sometimes, things get "repainted" by volunteers who do not understand the nuances. But, I am coming over to do a LESM tool shed inspection next week !!!!!! Ya gotta love these minor border war skirmishes!
The Dairy Farmers Get A Boost!
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has implemented the new Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment (DELAP) program. The 2010 Agricultural Appropriations Bill authorized $290 million for loss assistance payments to eligible dairy producers...........
Thank you one and all who work so hard beside me in 2009 - we have far far to go in 2010.
Wednesday December 30th
RiverBuild Rocks!
The contractor walked out on these three MEMA cottages in Pass Christian and left them unfinished. They were being raised over 5'7" - the first of many that will be raised up like this. Not with this design I hope - it was problematic and very difficult to bring to a successful conclusion. The pylons, aesthetically, look awkward; the workmanship was poor; and the fastening system difficult to install.
Riverbuild took it in their stride and stage one passed inspection yesterday and they are moving forward with the siding, insulation, and other tasks to bring this job forward and complete so the homes pass inspection for occupation.
Dumpster Diving at Tabor St!
All that trash in the front yard - finally a team came that understood the critical need to get it into the dumpster! All the jobs we accomplish are critical and sometimes just moving the debris is a critical need. And, to Riverbuild, thank you, thank you, thank you. You did an awesome job.
First Inaugural Riverbuild Tomato Can Toss!
The goal - pitch that can of outdated Tomato Paste as far as you can
This was how they celebrated the filling of the dumpster - nothing like some youthful fun.
Can Toss Academy Award Performance Winners!
And I am sorry Congressman Taylor, but they wiped you out
Whoops, this one landed on Gene Taylor's sign.
PS....Shhhh... I wont tell Chris LaGarde if you don't tell
The staff just got back from a weeks vacation. They are celebrating it with a Secret Santa Luncheon today - I will be sure to get them blogged.
I put some links up on Facebook on a couple of articles on Case Management - you might want to check those out. More and more discussion, here at the end, on Case management and its critical need. Should have been far more discussion on this aspect at the beginning of the recovery.
Volunteer teams arriving the 3rd. One from Purdue and one from Indiana. Lots to do starting with the work on Tabor and a myriad of other projects across three counties.
Still no funding on the table for homes damaged by wind. Huge huge dink in the recovery equation and I am not sure it is going to be addressed. So much for sending 600M to the Port and telling us "everyone" has been taken care of. So so untrue ! We have 180 blue roofs and counting up here in northern Hancock and Pearl River County and those are just our clients. And - these clients never have seen case management or recovery assistance - mostly elderly and disabled. The disconnect between the services offered on the Coast and the services offered in the hinterland is night and day.
That should bring you all up to speed. More to follow later today.
Monday December 21st
To The Volunteer Teams coming over Christmas and January
1. I am so excited to have you all come and volunteer. We are critically overloaded as so many organizations have run out of funds and left.
2. Come prepared to work in the field and around the facility. We have been at this going on five years and we need help around the grounds and in the office as well as in the field
3. We could use donations of single fitted sheets and cutlery. I have no idea where all the forks, knives and spoons go but I suspect out into the field with the bagged lunch never to return. So if you some some extra - please bring and donate.
4. Bring some winter clothing. Yes this is paradise - but you can freeze in Paradise this time of the year. Although the new facilities have all the comforts over home and we are no longer housing in tents. Yeah!, Okease note the NEW address: 2272 Highway 53, Poplarville. Ms.
4. Bring some winter clothing. Yes this is paradise - but you can freeze in Paradise this time of the year. Although the new facilities have all the comforts over home and we are no longer housing in tents. Yeah!, Please note the NEW addrress: 2272 Highway 53, Poplarville. Ms.
5. And sign up and join me on Facebook. I have never quite figured out why everyone is there but they are and thats where the younger generation prefer to chat. I think I have going on 2,000 friends these days. What is the fascination with Facebook?
Look forward to meeting you all and excited to see what we can get done as a team
And have a very Merry Christmas one and all!
Friday December 18th
Riverbuild on their way!
I received a call from Anita Lee of the Sun Herald asking about the crew who are going to work on the MEMA cottages in Pass Christian. Sent her to talk to Colin from Riverbuild. And from that came this article: Click on this link
How can you thank these volunteers that come again, again and again.
News you ask?
Oh there is lots of it - but have just been buried with clients and one crisis after another as those move residents out of THU's and MEMA cottages. So many left who are not served and who are struggling for a variety of reasons - age, disability and mental issues being the main root cause followed up with the failure of the recovery equation to provide grants for those impacted in the wind zones. It is a crisis in those regions.
GCCF handed out their grants this week. Quietest grant letting I have ever seen. Over 400 requests totaling 22M for 1.27M available. The Gulf Coast Community Foundation Website does not even have the awarded grants listed. In fact - what they have listed is the RFP request which has been long closed. So, who did get the money? Well, not Red Cross, not LESM, not any of the Housing Resource Centers according to reports from there. Tis very very quiet on the southern front, very shhhhh........ Who did get a grant - well the Hancock Food Pantry reported they got one and the Mississippi Center for Justice got one. Both well deserved. Else, the recipients and GCCF are being very very quiet.
The RFP for the MEMA cottages over 5'7" is progressing towards a January 7th deadline. 200 submitted letters of interest. Four were chosen to submit a RFP.
Lots of complaints coming into this office regarding the handling of the Coming Home Collaborative by Housing Resource Center in Hancock County. Many of those files were submitted to the HRC in December of 2008 and I got an email from one of those clients yesterday and he stated he has got nothing but the run around including no definitive statement or letter letting him know if he even qualified. That is not the only one. Goes along with the comments on the story that was written by Anita Lee on the REACH program last week. The readers comments underneath were very interesting. Not very rosy either. These programs need to be more accountable to the applicants and keep them in the loop - that is all they are asking. The Coming Home Collaborative program has not built one house yet - the progress with the project has been dismal.
And I have to toddle but will drop back in later with a fuller report. Thanks for the emails reminding me I was remiss this week on "news". Waht can I say but "Merry Christmas" !
Tuesday December 8th
Out Of The Mouths Of Babes
A school, right after the storm, sent down boxes of T shirts they had decorated. The boxes were sent down to Red Cross and somehow they got misplaced in the warehouse. They recently came to light and we had them at the Christmas Toy-Giveaway in Steep Hollow.
All of the shirts had a note attached as shown above. One of the shirts had this note attached - so perfect and he, obviously, had some insight as to how the recovery was going to go. Hand printed roughly in pencil - this is how it goes:
Tylor Viteo 9/27/05
I am a third grade student in school five. I am sorry what happened to your house. I hope you find a new place like Mexico or Antartica or Africa. I hope you are happy there. I hope you will have fun and have food and water too. I hope you have a camel to ride on and sleep in a tent.
Sincerely
Tylor
Dear Tylor:
You will never know how much joy your shirt and note brought us here at Katrina Relief. We have laughed and cried today over your sweet kind thoughts and sentiments.
To some degree - Mexico, Antartica, and Africa might have offered better solutions than so many have found after the storm. Many are still in homes with blue roofs - the tarps long ago became tattered and the roofs have leaked going on four plus years now.
But your note, your shirt, the shirts of your fellow school mates and the notes - they were an absolute joy. Joy that there is hope in the youth of this county, hope that there are sunny days ahead, and hope because strangers reached out to touch hearts by loving use of their hands.
Thank you from all of us here on the Gulf Coast.
Friday December 3rd
The Steep Hollow Toy Give-Away
I will get back in here later today to get notes on all these pictures from the toy give-away. What a great day it was. The count is 406 children at this time.
We will be doing two more toy give-aways. One on the tenth and one on the 17th BUT they must be have a referral in hand from a Case Manager or a Social Services Agency and must have an appointment: (601) 795-9979
Chief Elf, Frannie Hillman
Entry to Toyland
Saturday December 5th
Thank you one and all - Steep Hollow Toy Give-away on Saturday
The New York Fire Fighters, The Volunteers Who Came to Help, and Miss Frannie Hillman !
394 children
Gumpond Church - you are awesome !
To the youth from Gumpond Church who served as the Elfs escorting the children - you are the epitome of the future of this county. You came, you served with graciousness and kindness, and did an extraordinary job. Frannie and I can not thank you enough for what you showed us today - the strength in the youth of this country.
More to follow later - miles of pictures on the toy giveway today in Steep Hollow. More to follow on the other volunteers who also did an extraordinary job. This was a project driven by a mile of local volunteers with the assistance of the New York Firefighters toy donation.
Friday December 3rd
FEMA and Department Of Health and
Human Services' Administration On Children And Families Improve
Disaster Case Management Through Interagency Agreement
Release Date: December 2, 2009
Release Number: HQ-09-145
WASHINGTON,
D.C. To better assist individuals recover from disasters the
Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Children and
Families (ACF) and the Department of Homeland Security's Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today signed an interagency
agreement to implement an improved coordinated disaster case management
program. FEMA Assistant Administrator for Disaster Assistance, Beth
Zimmerman, and HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children
and Families, David Hansell, announced the agreement today while
testifying before the Senate Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery.
"An effective Disaster Case Management services program connects
survivors with local providers that can target recovery services to
assist them in developing and achieving short and long-term recovery
goals," Zimmerman said. "FEMA and our partners seek to offer disaster
survivors a roadmap for navigating and maximizing the use of available
federal, state, local, non-governmental and volunteer organization
disaster recovery programs. Our goal is to build on the foundation and
the network of services that exists to ensure that survivors have a
holistic approach to rebuilding their lives in the wake of a disaster
event. The bottom line is this new interagency agreement will improve
our ability to help disaster survivors."
"HHS' Administration for Children and Families is pleased this
agreement focuses on holistic case management," said David Hansell,
HHS/ACF principal deputy assistant secretary, who testified today. "Our
mission is to assist states in rapidly connecting children, families,
the elderly and persons with disabilities with critical services that
can restore them to a pre-disaster level of self-sufficiency that
maintains clients' human dignity. The agreement helps accomplish this
goal."
This agreement is a component of FEMA's interim two-phase disaster
case management model that can be applied to a presidentially declared
disaster designated for Individual Assistance if a state requests
disaster case management and it is approved by FEMA. The first phase
consists of a rapid deployment of case managers, by ACF, to the
disaster-affected areas to begin work with disaster survivors
immediately after FEMA approves a state's request for these services.
These teams will assist individuals and families develop a disaster
recovery plan and help disaster survivors progress toward their short
and long-term recovery goals. Case managers will be able to connect
survivors with local resources to assist with disaster-related unmet
needs, such as housing, medical and employment needs.
The second phase in this model consists of transitioning the case
management services to a state-managed program funded through a direct
grant from FEMA. This ensures that the state is an essential partner in
the development, implementation and delivery of ongoing case management
services and that the use of local service providers in the recovery
for disaster survivors and their surrounding communities will be
maximized.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to
ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve
our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover
from, and mitigate all hazards.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 02-Dec-2009 17:17:12
Friday December 3rd
New York Fire Department Arrives with Toys - Local Volunteers Arrive to Assist !
Steep Hollow Volunteers get ready for toy give-away Saturday. A mixture of locals from Pearl River County, Katrina Relief, Waveland Citizens Fund, Pearl River Volunteer Fire Department, and Steep Hollow Baptist Church. It is a frenzy in the dining room this morning placing the toys in order for the big day Saturday
We could use your help on Saturday!
Thursday December 2nd
New York Fire Department Arrives with Toys in Steep Hollow !
7pm Steep Hollow, Mississippi (outside Poplarville in Pearl River County)
The firemen from New York arrived tonight in five Penske trucks with toys for distribution on this Saturday in Steep Hollow at the Katrina Relief/Waveland Citizens Fund Facility at 2272 HW 53, Poplarville. Ms. This is a Hope Haven and Waveland Citizens Fund/Katrina Relief project under the direction of Frannie Hillman.
Thursday December 2nd
83 year gets "thrill" from MDA letter
Imagine the surprise when our 83 year old client responds to a Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) letter and calls the number recommended to get more information on her elevation grant - and the phone number leads her to a very sexy sexy phone line.
Thinking it was a mistake - our Case Manager, Brian, calls the line to check - and low and behold it is true.
Of course, I cant tell you that others in the office didn't call the number to see what everyone was laughing about.
We then did call MDA to advise them what was going on. I was getting the run around the office until I finally told the switch board that I really did need to talk to a live person and not an answering machine and gave them the jist of the reason. And then we were switched immediately thru to the Director who was not so amused about the "error" on the letter. Which of course, will appear on any elevation grant letter that has been sent out in recent history.
I have to ask why no one else has called and reported this. Oh that's right - tis tough to get return phone calls from government officials in Mississippi and the rest - they probably are still talking to those sexy voices on the other end of that phone. Merry Christmas everyone from MDA!
The correct number for the MDA clients to call is: 866-369-6302
No we are not handing out the original number! *G*
Now back to real business
The mennonite team from Canada is back and at work. They will be here for a few months. The C.A.R.E. group arrived at noon on Monday and they are back in the groove working on projects and will be here till next year also. Good deal! Their assistance is critically needed as we are moving so slowly thru the recovery process going on into our fifth year.
Raising Funds - Welcome to the RFP process
Several RFP's out there and we have one big one we are working on now that has to be submitted in January. These Requests for Proposals is what is driving the remaining funding for the recovery. The RFP for the 1.27 GCCF fund is reported to have landed over 20M in requests for the 1.27 M. The problem is that this system of disbursement requires the organizations to spend weeks investing in staff to write these proposals - and it is a gamble. You may get the grant - but more likely you will not.
Huge waste of diminishing resources if you consider that it is almost impossible to get administrative funding from grants - and it is administrative funding that is needed to write the grant proposals. If this was a business - it would have gone bankrupt long ago. If you look across the board in this fiscal downturn - that is what is happening to non profits left right and center. This is a crisis and the elephant is shouting in the corner and no one is listening.
And so we move into the Christmas Season. Dont forget - we have a huge toy give-away here on Saturday !
The top most searched words that land people at this blog this week:
1. Chinese sheetrock
2. How to buy my MEMA cottage
3. How to raise my MEMA cottage
4. Volunteer
5. Mike Sweeney, Camp Coastal Outpost (The hearing before the State of Mississippi to explain excessive personal expenditures and lack of non profit status is on hold from last reports)
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