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Thursday May 28th, 2009 Update

Click here for the links to hurricane Katrina articles on Facebook

"And that's what I lived in, that shed, after Katrina as my trailer was washed away"says Geraldine to the Washington Post reporter on Wednesday afternoon. Now facing eviction from her FEMA trailer - she was relaying her story to explain why, after four years, she was having so much trouble obtaining housing.

One armed - and still recovering from surgury. Typing tough one handed.

Whats happening?

More to follow. How is your week going !

Monday May 18th, 2009 Update

Click here for the links to hurricane Katrina articles on Facebook

No pictures again. The one armed bandit approach to photography is easier said than done.

I had a great crew in this past week from Michigan and they rocked and rolled on Work Orders from Pass Christian to Wiggins. They were goal oriented and self reliant as we had our hands full at the office this week. They also got the lawn mowed at the office and the warehouse straightened out again.

Multiple clients got approval to purchase their FEMA mobile homes - mostly Stone and Pearl Counties. The funding coming from private sources or the Salvation Army.

The Krings, Waveland (the Sargent that came to the Waveland Alderman meeting in fatigues) reported that someone came to do their elevation shot for their MEMA cottage. It was reported that there was movement on the law suit in Court and that MEMA has been added to the list of plaintiffs. That has not been confirmed yet.

Reilly Morse is off slaying dragons again. Senator Landrieu has asked Reilly to testify next Wednesday at a hearing on CDBG disaster funding. What makes this one different is that a very senior Obama HUD person and Governor Barbour will testify in the panel that follows my panel. So there will be an opportunity to directly examine CDBG problems. And this usually is web cast and archived so you can see it for yourself. Again, to reiterate - this hearing is on unmet needs in the recovery equation.

The Affordable Housing Grant has opened up this morning with a ten day window. Some are concerned that this short window will not allow enough time to reach the population it needs to reach. The Phase I and Phase II did not have such restrictions but the housing resource centers feel they have enough clients who meet the criteria already on their books that this will not be a problem. Since December we have submitted 44 names from this operation. The criteria is basically 80% of ami and the home must have been impacted by Katrina but the client could have moved here last week and purchased the property. Hancock will br able to help about 30 families to a max of $80,000. The environmental study could take 6-9 months with no work being allowed on the home in the interim. Far short of the estimated need and far too tangled in bureaucracy.

Bayfest was interesting this year. Unable to solicit local volunteers the committee opted to use Americorp volunteers - reportedly from Habitat for Humanity. These Americorp volunteers operated all facets of the operation down to collecting beer tickets for the beer tent. This program has strict guidelines and I have to wonder about the appropriateness of having Americorp volunteers working in this capacity. Especially in light of the fact that Mayor Farve has indicated that the majority of the population has returned. If that is the case, why are not locals volunteering for these non-relief oriented events? Americorp operates on strict Federal guidelines and mandates - how did this event qualify? Update: A representative at the State level wrote to this event will not occur again. And asked that we personally call immediately if we witness this type of action again.

Recovery - going well considering the lack of funds. We have about 400 active work orders and could sure use your help here on the ground.

And that is us going into another very active week. How is yours going?

Thursday May 14th, 2009 Update

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Yes, I am getting a lot of complaints as my blog has not been timely. My broken wing has been a tough encumbrance to overcome. Typing one handed is very frustrating when, normally, you tip tap along at 100wpm. Humbling, very humbling.

Very sad news regarding Jay Cuevas yesterday. A good man who was always kind and helpful. Katrina stress is overlooked and minimized. Public officials have been under an extraordinary stress dealing with thousands of residents and each of their individual issues. May God take Jay under his care.

A couple of MEMA cottage programs out there right now on top of what is already in place. One is a plan to give some tothe non profis and that RFP has to be in later this month. And there is another program for cottages to go to Pearl River County, and Stone County. Iwill work thru the paperwork today and get you a succinct explanation of what is being offered and to whom.

Volunteers in town this week are working on the May 1st deadline clients - we are at critical mass right now trying to meet deadlines left, right, and center. We are focusing on those who are in jeopardy of losing their FEMA trailer imminently.

We are also working very hard to raise funds for clients who are being offered the chance to buy their FEMA mobile Homes. We have ten who have managed to buy those homes between private funds, raised corporate funding, and Salvation Army grants.

Construction continues on multiple homes across Harrison, Hancock, Stone, Pearl Counties as well as New Orleans.

Politics as usual - some of it very mean spirited. People are just worn down by this eternal recovery and the games that are being played out daily - often forgetting the fallout is the collateral damage in the clients who are denied access to services just because someone is throwing around their weight and not their heart.

Thursday May 14th, 2009 Update

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700 Tabor St., Waveland, Ms. 39576                 Phone: (228) 466-4630    Fax: (228) 466-4638

Date: 4/12/09

Hello from Mississippi :

So much time has passed since I sent out a contact letter.

The recovery work continues albeit going on four years in the aftermath of Katrina.  Recovery funding has been tied up in bureaucratic red tape or liberally distributed to broad spectrum projects unrelated to replacement housing such as the 600M that went to the Port � that move is being contested in court. Gustav further convoluted the recovery response and we have that issue to address in both Mississippi and Louisiana and we are working on that issue as well.

What we are critically in need of is skilled volunteers supported by unskilled volunteers to complete the thousands of homes that have been started in the recovery but never completed. The area is broad � Jackson County, Harrison County, Hancock County, Pearl River County, Stone County, George County, new Orleans, and further north around Angie, Louisiana. So much of the work left is dealing with not only hurricane damage but deferred maintenance and poverty.

Continued fund raising to meet the shortfall in materials is critical � privately raised funding does not have strings attached and the funding, with appropriate case management, can quickly place the funding where it is needed now rather than later. FEMA ended their housing program May 1^st and we are now facing some critical timelines as we need to be making progress on houses in order for the clients to keep their FEMA trailers and, also, be done in six months. Not probable or possible. So we know there will have to be more extensions.

If your group is considering coming down again to work on this mammoth rebuilding effort � we would be thrilled to work with you again.

Please stay in touch via the website:

http://www.reliefvolunteers.com/hancockdailyblog.html

Monday May 4th, 2009 Update

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Yes, the May 1st deadline. Confusing for the residents as there have been deadlines, more deadlines, extended deadlines, change of deadlines, and exceptions to the rules, and yet another deadline.

But, FEMA, on May 1st officially declared themselves out of the housing business. Sort of. The FEMA mobile home deadline is not exactly May 1st. And the FEMA trailer "deadline" is "case by case" but they will be delivering a final notice to every trailer this week in very stern language that states that May 30th "You Have To Be Out". But not really.

We have no where to put the 2,000 residual clients - there is no "real" affordable housing available anywhere. We are out of section 8 vouchers, and there is not enough staff at the Section 8 office to even answer the phone. And when complaints are directed at Region VIII or Section 8 - there is total denial and the excuse that they do not have enough staff. What part of this "end" is a surprise? Not announced?Not threatened at some point? So the excuse that Section 8 and Region VIII have no staff - is reprehensible!

Complaints - yes many of them. My blog has not been daily. But folks, I am absolutely worn out. I desperately need some "office" volunteers to come and push around some of this endless paperwork. And Larry, from the Ty West Group, God Bless you for working on some of it last week.

What else, well, you can guess, there is no announced opening of the lack luster Affordable Housing Grant. Touted weekly as the saving grace of the recovery here - not true. It is going to serve only 18-100 clients at the most and it so restrictive that it is going to be a horribly painful process inclusive of the infamous "Environmental Study" touted to take 3 - 6 months

The National Public Radio and the Mississippi Public Broadcasting broadcasts actually generated some interest and we were able to glean some volunteer crews from those broadcasts. See the Facebook link for links and check them out.

And I received today a request for an RFP (request for proposal) for the single bedroom MEMA cottages. We are looking closely at the proposal to give these cottages to non profits to distribute, at their cost, and to have it down in 30 days - or at least the MEMA cottages you have requested to be removed from their custody and control within 30 days.

I did ask about the three bedroom cottages but the response was that all of those are spoken for by the current client list at MEMA.

And, that is all I have time for this evening. I will try to get the blog up on a more timely basis.

Wednesday April 29th, 2009 Update

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That church on Lower Bay Road

3.5 years and it is still across the road from where it was before the storm. Privately owned, a catholic church built in 1868 - and it lingers waiting for a solution.

As so much "lingers" still these 3.5 years after the storm. Long Term Recovery - non existent as that organization announced months ago it had morphed into a Housing Resource Center for affordable housing - one of many along the Coast these days as we try to address the critical need for "real"affordable housing. No one is "in charge", there is no "lead" agency, there is no continuity from the trenches to the Governor's office. Still a blended mix of philanthropic style organizations and non profits trying to pull together a solution for the critical housing needs of clients who still do not have grant funding.

There has been no funds at the round table of olde since May of 2008 and what little is promised, in Hancock County, is actually coming to a Housing Resource Center and will only address about 18 complete rebuilds to about $80,000 or about 100 "refurbish" homes. Its an either, or, or a mix - not a complete solution by any means. Although it is mentioned again, and again, and again, and again and the process is not started yet - not opened up for applications. Excuse: HUD is holding up the process with bureaucratic red tape and convoluted rules and requirements.

The gossip and scandal section

The City of Waveland terminated the contract for the architect for Waveland City Hall. The Alderman were alarmed that the plans for the 6,000 sf building had been inflated to over three times that size and the architect was presenting a bill for $195,000 for those extended plans. When questioned the architect, Robert Orr, stated that Mayor Tommy Longo had had him enlarge the building and add a radio station on the third floor. None of that had prior approval of the Alderman. A new architect has been hired and it is estimated that the building will still be completed on time.

Robert Orr is a well respected architect.

Also rumored that Waveland lost some grants from drainage improvements and the sewer line on Waveland Ave., as the response from Waveland was not timely.

Until the next Waveland Alderman meeting.....

Monday April 27th, 2009 Update

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Hot off the Press from the Gustav damaged MEMA auction

MEMA cottage auction, Louisianna this weekend

The auction of the flooded MEMA cottages was this weekend in Louisianna - and the prices went off the board of expectations:

Highest three bedroom was $34,000

Lowest three bedroom was $18,500

Highest two bedroom was $27,000

Lowest two bedroom was $16,500

Highest one bedroom was $19,500

Lowest one bedroom was $7,500

These are extremely hot and popular housing options and are fast becoming a "fad" outside the Katrina impacted zone. So many of these units were in very bad shape with extensive mold damage. But still the prices were sky high.

Yes, I know, I have been remiss with the blog. I am wore out and exhausted and I finally, this weekend, got out into the Bayou both Saturday and Sunday to escape some of this pressure. I need some time off but the grant opportunities seem to be surfacing left, right and center and we are busy writing grants. Also the May 1st deadline is coming up and we are working furiously to get as many prepared for that deadline that we can. We will not meet the deadline - so many need so much yet. But I could sure use more skilled volunteers. Just not enough

National Public Radio and National Public Broadcasting were both here this weekend (Friday and Saturday morning). They are out in the field talking to clients hearing their side of why this recovery has taken so so long. I will keep you posted on those stories.

Fact, Fiction, Gossip and scandal There is always some.........

Larry is here from the Ty West (PBS out of New York) crew out of New York. He is here for four days to get us caught up on paperwork in the office and to run and do those odd jobs in the field that "entire" crews can not be sent on. A critical need. I did take two pictures of him yesterday - but neither worked out. I did take him to the wash and wear house - so he got to see the progress.

Mennonite Disaster Service called me yesterday. They were looking for input for their Board meeting this morning. They are getting most of their work orders from this operation and they are trying to make plans for future commitments here. A difficult situation as we do not know where the recovery is going at this point. We have had no funds on the Recovery table since May of 2008. But we had a fruitful discussion and we will see what decision the Board of Directors comes to today.

The housing program just announced states they are flooded with calls. A good indication that we have a critical need for affordable housing. Unfortunately this program is also tied to "good credit" and that is a tough commodity to come by when your in the lower echelon wage bracket and have been thru Katrina.

Martin Luther King Park Fish Fry weekend before last

The Helping Hands Committee had a Fish Fry fund raiser at Martin Luther King Park. Very successful as you can see. This park is well used by the Middletown Community and they continue to embrace the community.

The dogs, well they were out in the parking lot patiently waiting for Dad to pick up his lunch. They were just too cute.

Hog Hunting

They banned Hog/Dog fights in 2006 - but hog hunting with dogs (seem to prefer pit bulls) is still legal and the hunters have no clue where the dogs are or what they are chasing down. The dogs have radio collars and they chase them in the trucks to keep track of the dogs. Any livestock or wild life is in jeopardy with this system.

Up on stilts in a major flood zone

New, in place, and legal. And how long do you give this setup in a Category 3 to 5 hurricane? The dirt brought in is not compacted, the bricks sit loose on top of the soil with no internal grout or re-bar. Many are not sitting "square". And the entire system is tied down with screw in ties in untested soil.

Picture taken in Hancock County out in Ansley.

And out on the Bayou this weekend

Catching the "Fish" - Redfish 10# to 15# in the Ansley Bayou

Headed out early in the morning.

Catching the "bait" - mullet.

Left over from Katrina way out in the Bayou just a little west of the Silver Slipper.

Greg's dog - leading the charge into the marsh

And on old Highway 90 in Louisianna just the other side of the Mississippi state line

There are relics everywhere you look on the Bayou out there.

And pollution in the streams where ever you look

Domonic and Shaun, MCMC Case Managers, want you to know that they went fishing also !

Compared to my Redfish - piddly, really piddly. *G*. But, then, I do not have picture proof positive and they do.

And that is us going into another week. We could sure use your help !

Wednesday April 22nd, 2009 Update

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A great article written by a 14 year old volunteer

A take it or leave it policy from Region Section 8 - southern Mississippi

There is a continued practice of humiliating treatment by employees at Region 8 inclusive of extremely rude treatment of residents and Case Managers on the phone, refusing to answer the phone, refusing to explain the program and answer questions, screening phone calls, blocking phone calls, slamming down phone and hanging up on clients and Case Managers, yelling on the phone at clients and Case Managers, forcing the protected class to drive from extreme distances to get appointments, failure to notify clients of canceled appointments, arbitrary and capricious application of the rules. All complaints denied by Region 8. Acknowledgment there are program issues and problems and they are explained by an issue with the budget. Stated they had one person hired in Mississippi to answer all phone inquiries.

All this at a time when all FEMA is ending their program for housing on May 1st and the MEMA cottage program is ending. No Region 8 housing available in Stone County, Pearl River County or Hancock County.

Friday April 17th, 2009 Update

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A great article written by a 14 year old volunteer

What a Week This Week !

The Stimulus briefing in Jackson yesterday

The Convention Center Room was overflowing

The worker bees this week

The Jim Kimmel crew on Wednesday - what a week they have had ! They are going home on Saturday morning.

Cappy's house

It is a long way up there - and Jim's crew is working on steps this week

Magee - we stopped to check out the town hit by a tornado a couple of weeks ago.

They are making progress.

More to follow later today. Just a quick blog to let you know I had not forgotten to post this week. It has been a very hectic week.

Monday April 13th, 2009 Update

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A great article written by a 14 year old volunteer

What a Week Last Week !

The youngest volunteer from Derek Norman's crew, Solid Rock Ministries, Michigan.

Ft. Campbell Military - Bryan, Ohio

This was the kids mission - just love it !

And one of the projects they completed was a dance floor for Hope Haven that will be used to build sheds for residents after the fund raising event. Great job - an absolutely fantastic job ! And they also got thru a mile of other work orders. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

T-4 zone mandatory design for the down stairs.

Pylons must be in view and the design between the pylons must be one of these two designs. Must extend 20 feet back from the font along the sides.

Geese downtown Waveland on Friday on St. Joseph Street - wandering around where the new police department will be built.

Osprey out on the Bayou on Sunday working on building a new nest

Young pair; tree not too stable, but they are mating and working on building this nest. Another next a half mile away blew down in the storm last week and that pair of Osprey have determined to use a different tree. They also were working on building their nest on Sunday. The wildlife are coming back.

The Osprey, sometimes known as the sea hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimeters (24 in) in length with a 1.8 metre (6 ft) wingspan.

I am cured - Sunday on the Bayou !

Back on the Bayou Sunday morning and all that ailed me from the last month faded away. I love the Bayou, the wildlife, the lifestyle.

Friday April 10th, 2009 Update

Click here for the links to hurricane Katrina articles on Facebook

A great article written by a 14 year old volunteer

Derek Norman, Solid Rock Ministries - What a Week !

This crew is leaving today and what a week it has been. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for an extraordinary weeks work. From Long Beach, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Picayune, Perlington, Wiggins, and New Orleans, La (painted an entire house) - this crew rocked and rolled on work orders this week inclusive of a house tear down in Long Beach and the Mission of Love in Martin Luther King Park, Middletown, Waveland. Ms.

Thursday April 9th, 2009 Update

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Mission of Love at Martin Luther King Park

Easter Egg Hunt

Derek Norman Crew

Preparing for the easter egg race

Off to the race !

Thursday April 9th, 2009 Update

Click here for the links to hurricane Katrina articles on Facebook

A great article written by a 14 year old volunteer

How Bad Is The Economy?

It's definitely getting bad...

 

(Cats are so dramatic)

[Moderators Note: Laurie Spaschak sent me this - we are working on our own mental health summit. ]

Thursday April 9th, 2009 Update

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Get them all out of the FEMA trailers and into housing by May 1st.

And, down came the edict that they have to be out by May 1st. Good idea, it has been going on four years. But those left in these FEMA trailers are the very elderly, the disabled, the single parent families - and most have not received good case management along the way until recently. There is no affordable rental housing for the wage range of most of these clients - many with incomes of $400 to $800 per month. Very few have a good credit history - Katrina aftermath impacting that.

The system has failed to fast track the affordable housing, failed to provide enough staff at Section 8 where you cant get appointments until after the deadline, and failed to recognize that there is no where for these people to go no matter how many deadlines you impose.

What is has done is shock the system into looking closely at what housing is available today. There is none. It is a standoff between FEMA and the local housing authorities and the collateral damage is the residents. The Case Managers and residents are totally stressed out and burnout is self evident.

And then I get an email in my email box from someone within the system touting the brilliance of the REACH program and the new 80M plan and stating maybe this will help those with the May 1st deadline. REACH only reached a contract with one client a couple of months back on the first program they implemented over a year ago. This new REACH program has little chance of reaching anyone for another year based on that track record and 40% of the applicants were rejected due to issues with their credit history. And lets not forget that quirky environmental study required for all CDBG funds that takes 6-9 months to complete. I cant imagine any home owner selling their home to one of these REACH applicants wanting to "wait" on the funds for that length of time.

And to top off this boondoggle, I was handed a copy of the purported costs of placement of the foundations for the MEMA cottages and the cost of removing/bringing back the MEMA cottage. Not moving it on the lot - but moving it to Landen Road in Gulfport. With the costs ranging over $10,000 and more, depending on whether it is a one, two, or three bedroom MEMA cottage - this combined with the other costs including a "management fees" is going to make this program prohibitive. But, moving the cottages to Landen Road in Gulfport while the work is done? All of the cottages? Or just "some" of them? Right now I am told it is all of them. Now, where are we going to house these MEMA trailer residents while we do this? At what cost? To whom? And where, pray tell, are we going to put their personal possessions out of the MEMA cottage during this time? In the cottage? Who is going to guarantee that? Or do we have to move everything out to storage and then back in? Who is going to provide that labor? Who is going to pay for the storage? Remember - many of these residents are very elderly, disabled and on very very fixed incomes. What about the pets of the property? Dogs, cats, horses, goats, and every manner of farm animal. Just a plan is all we need - a published plan.

Too many of these programs are designed behind polished desks with polished media marketing and they are completely disingenuous with the "real" facts and statistics. Not to mention that there is no continuous line of command from the trenches to the Governor's office nor anyone "in charge" of recovery. The solutions are fractionalized, the implementation haphazard.

Where is the Master Plan?

Wednesday April 8th, 2009 Update

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Wash and Wear House

The wash and wear house is on the way up, up, up. Thanks to the many donors along the way.

Bayou Caddy

And while I was out in Bayou Caddy, there was this neat cow pasture. A picture perfect moment. How could you not stop and take pictures?

Bayou Caddy Cemetery

I stopped by the old Bayou Caddy family Cemetery on the way back from the wash and wear house. Beautiful old cemetery and one of the family members was there, Eric Ladner, and he gave me a tour and a history lesson. I want to get back to get some more pictures as I was short on time today. There is one family plot there, no dates, seven graves and the story is that the housekeeper put something in the food/coffee and killed the entire family - some of them children and babies. Many many years ago. He said he was going to talk to one of his aunts to get the rest of the story. That should be interesting. Lots of history in this cemetery. The oldest grave I saw today dated from 1792-1852 and the occupant fought in the war of 1812. Eric said his father had to recase the mausoleum with new bricks at one time many years ago and he said his father had to move the bones and buttons off the clothes to one side while he did the work. It is oral history like this that is lost when it is not recorded. So much history here.

Eric was at the cemetery today working on building a double story mausoleum for one of his family members. He had just finished building one for his father next to the one he built for his three year old son who was killed in a car accident all those many many years ago.

I did get one picture of this very shy and humble man. I will write more on this story as I get some more pictures.

And that was my day so far, how is yours going?

Wednesday April 8th, 2009

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You know it has been going on four years when the flowers are in the forefront

And the stoops stand stark in the foreground

And the trees sprouted from seeds in the aftermath are standing tall inside the shattered walls of peoples lives

These pictures were taken in Pass Christian, Mississippi. This scene is scattered across the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Katrina where the funding is tied up in bureaucratic red tape and peoples lives are standing still as the recovery grinds on slowly, or not at all in the aftermath of Katrina.

Less than 5% of the residents in the Gulf Coast have paid Case Managers; 95% of the residents have either volunteer case managers or no case managers at all. There has been no grant funding on the table since May of 2008. The minuscule amount of CDBG funding that has been promised will complete less than 180 of the estimated 18,000 homes left to be rebuilt or re-furbished - and that is going to be tied up in environmental studies until October of 2009, at the earliest, if the process ever opens up at all since these funds have been promised for two years.

And the sprouting new growth continues to bloom around the scattered ruins of peoples lives.

Tuesday April 7th

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Monday, 150 volunteers, five counties, organizing those Work Orders

Organizing work orders for the crew and calling the clients to make sure they are ready for the volunteers Monday morning. A huge part of starting off the week for the crews as they organize their work load for the week.

More like organized chaos - but in short order the volunteers are out the door and on their way to work.

Though, this does not look like "work" to me at Martin Luther King Park. This crew said it was "break time". And it should have been as they had just dug a ditch around the new meeting room for the french drain we will be installing to help abate the flooding issues during heavy rains.

Martin Luther King Park in Middletown, Waveland, continues to move forward with the new trim on the bathrooms, new garden, a stoop for the back door, and "that" drain. A lot of hard work digging.

Great work the Derek Norman crew!

And Miss Aunt Reader's nephew, Monti, shows off his new horse in Middletown. Not that the horse was being particularly cooperative.

And, back at camp, the youngsters from one crew are entertained after supper. And the second seating lines up for supper.

And the "old" temporary City Hall at Waveland is no more. It is being dismantled and moved off site getting the site ready for development.

The Hancock Board of Supervisors overturned the building moratorium in Bayside Park in a 4-1 vote with a task force set up to examine the ongoing development issues in Bayside. This is a very equitable solution to the growth issues within Bayside Park.

The official view of reality here in the aftermath is controlled by embedded propaganda and carefully word smithed press releases that "leave out the rest of the story". The fundamental elite continue to overwhelm the populace with elitism, closed boards, nepotism on boards, cronyism, and lack of openness and transparency. All denied of course. But, on close examination, the facts bare out that premise. One local recovery board has never advertised its Board of Directors - and two of the members of that board state that they have not had a meeting since the new Director of that board was nominated and have absolutely no clue where the directives are coming from for the hired Director. Both valued citizens in their own right - they are a little in awe of this process or lack there-of. Non profits, who declare to be in charge of public policy and distributing public federal grants, should have to, themselves, be more open and transparent and subject to a Board, who are nominated and in place, have a large role in the policy being determined for an entire geographic region. It is bad enough the board membership is not filled thru an advertised application process. It is reprehensible that they rarely meet to discuss policy and procedure and that the "public" they claim to represent have zero input into those policies.

So what else is going on this week - a mile of work orders across five counties. If you have some work that needs to be done - call (228) 466-4630 to get a work order written up. If you are a new client - they will have to do an intake to determine eligibility.

A huge thank you to Waveland Public Works !

To Public Works in Waveland, thank you for mowing Martin Luther King Park for Miss Aunt Reader's birthday on Saturday. We all appreciate that due diligence and the excellent job that was done !

And we are off to a great week. How about you?

Sunday April 5th

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Miss Aunt Reader is 96 and a community celebrates

The Helping Hands Committee organized a community birthday party for Miss Aunt Reader on Saturday. They had to go get her to come to the party - she was not coming so she said. But, she arrived in fine form and the party was on.

The men from the community had been there for hours cooking up a fine fair - bbq chicken and turkey necks on the boil. Someone brought chicken pot pie, potatoe salad, and beans. Great food, great company, and a good time had by all.

The Mayor came and made a presentation to the guest of honor, and then the traditional pinning of the money, and cards, and flowers, and all sorts of gifts.

One of the joys of the work I have been allowed to complete here is the work I have done in Middletown. And Miss Aunt Reader - what a gracious and fine lady who I consider a friend. With all she has seen in her lifetime - she is the gracious southern lady.

And when all was said and done - the Helping Hands Committe presented me with a Plaque thanking me for the assistance I had given the community. It was a total and complete surprise and I treasure the sentiments . Of course, I was reduced to tears so there I was speechless. Sometimes a good thing.

Meanwhile, back at the office on Thursday. This was how dark it was at 1pm in the afternoon as a series of thunderstorms passed over the area.

From Pass Christian - the mystery at the cemetery off of Church Rd.

Sally James from the library in Pass Christian had us clean up the cemetery off of Church St. Rumored to be the place some Indians from the Trail of Tears were interred during their forced march - we were off checking up on the story on Friday. Pictured is Keith Burton of Gulfport News and Sally James visiting in the library.

And at the cemetery, these pictures of a hand dug grave and some older graves. Many of the graves lost their cedar crosses with names in Camile. Katrina was also not kind. Keith from Gulf Coast News is off exploring this story - I would keep an eye on his site to see what he comes up with.

What to expect of us this week? 150 volunteers in town - we are going to be working from Jackson County, Harrison County, Hancock County, Stone County, and Pearl River County. One of the projects will be the continuation of the work on Martin Luther King Park in Waveland.

The work continues on the Adhoc committee for Katrina Recovery Summit II' It is rumored that Janet Woodka, the newly Obama appointed head of Gulf Coast Recovery, will be here next week. The volunteer center at McGee (set up in the aftermath of the tornado) has been closed already as their work is completed. We continue to work on the issues raised at the meeting last week to the representative of Thad Cochran's office. More on that to follow. And magically $250,000 appeared out of the Katrina Recovery Fund for a homeless shelter for men in Harrison County. We were told in May of 2008 that had no more funds. How about that? The homeless shelter, a good thing but only if you are male. There was no solution proposed for the homeless women or homeless women with children. I have to ask why? So if the Hurricane Recovery Fund is not out of funds as previously reported - just how much money is left in that fund?

And that is it for today. How is your day going?

Wednesday April 1st

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From yesterdays coordination meeting at the Hancock Housing Resource Center. This comment continues to objectify the residents of Bayside Park and was presented as part of the justification for the moratorium on building in Bayside. This mindset continues to legitimize opposition to affordable housing development and appear contrived with no substantiating reports on the table and thus bolstering moratoriums that are across the board in Hancock County and appear to be directed at the protected class.

On the way up....

Ever wanted to know how they will "elevate" all these homes? Here is a good example over in Pass Christian. It is an enormous amount of manpower and materials and some huge safety concerns. This home is on 90 near the Pass Christian Harbor.

All that volunteer traffic on Herlihy and Dicks St near Uhlman

And it is a good thing. Right around the corner from our testy Edna St., resident who keeps complaining to City Hall about "all that volunteer traffic". Surprising too - when the Amish were working on their home I did not see them doing any complaining about "all that traffic" to their home. Amazing isn't it?

Habitat for Humanity has two homes going up this week over in Middletown. Both a couple of blocks from the office. Good to see development, great to see another "affordable" home headed on the way up. And it is great to see volunteerism at work taking care of the very least of ours.

Monday March 30th

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Stategy Meeting Hancock

Meeting held yesterday in Hancock county to discuss the status of recovery and issues out in the field. This field picture was taken in Waveland.

Myrtis Franke - District Office Director Senator Thad Cochran's office,Laurie Spaschak LESM, Marsha Meeks Kelly - Missisippi Center for Volunteerism, Charles Piazza - Alderman Waveland and resident discuss recovery and status of FEMA trailer that had been "lost" by FEMA in the system and had received no maintenance till late 2008. (Not pictured but at this meeting was Lou Rizzardi-Pass Christina Alderman, David Yarborough - Hancock County Supervisor.)

FEMA trailer - one mother, six boys, no maintenance till late 2008

All comments supplied by resident in trailer

FEMA installed air conditioner. Installed after roof air conditioner failed. Cardboard and duct tape provided by FEMA maintenance.

Front porch. Steps built by FEMA had to be replaced after client hurt herself on the steps and father replaced them.

Defunct ceiling air conditioner that FEMA tried to fix. Wires coming from this are "live".

Fridge and stove have not worked in two years.

Hatch in bedroom has water pouring in onto the beds whenever it rains.

These wires are coming out of the wall in the bedroom. This happened when the cabinet over the bed came down a couple of years ago.

All the plug ins look like this - the two that remain working. And they only work when it is not raining. When it rains the sockets get so hot you can not touch them.

This trailer is heated by a space heater as the "heater" in the trailer does not work

When then FEMA tree contractors cut a tree down - it came thru the window of the trailer. She patched it up with duct tape and glue. FEMA ignored the problem while they were there "installing" the air conditioner. There has been no follow up maintenance or an attempt to replace the trailer. Resident was promised a MEMA cottage - that never happened.

This client is having trouble getting an appointment with Section 8 - Bay Waveland. A victim again of a system where there is not enough staffing to deal with the volume of residents applying for assistance. Appointments as as far out as June of 2009. Because of issues with the health of the boys - the mother needs to continue to live adjacent to her parents home which has nixed plans to try and place her in a hotel in the interim because of lack of transportation to get boys back and forth to parents for daycare.

This case clearly indicates the critical need for continuity and quality Case Management in the field. The case is a clear example of residents that fall between the cracks who do not have the ability to deal with the "system".

Sunday March 29th

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Needham Cares - heroes to the last team member

I have to admit, I did take a team picture. But this picture I took prior to the team picture tells the story without a thousand words. All leaders in their own fields, strong personalities, a strong desire to assist and have done so multiple times before both with time and funding, not a mile of carpentry skills but they make up for the shortfall with much humor and the true grit of team work. And this picture, for me, tells that story. Here are they initiating Steve from Wisconsin onto the team. Steve came here to volunteer for a few days during his vacation. A contractor by trade - this critical match up made the task assigned to Needham Cares a perfect marriage. Although, I do have to protest, and state for the record, that they spoiled this volunteer with their gracious hosting of him staying with them for a couple of days at the Retreat Center in Kiln and he appears to have been fed very well. They have left a high bar for me to match when Steve comes down again.

Needham's task this week - Martin Luther King Park following on the heals of The Giving Circle and other crews who have worked hard to make this Park ready for the celebration there on the 4th of April. Cant tell you what the celebration is yet because the guest of honor has not been told of this event yet.

No matter the chronic rains we received while they were here; no matter the continuum of tornado watches; the fact I was ill and not as reliable as I usually am - they worked around that; and no matter that I had to take them off the job and re-direct them a couple of times. They kept on task and now the addition has walls, ceilings, painted, and ready for the floor to be painted. The bathrooms are painted over again, the vents put in. The kitchen touched up. The new garden in the corner mulched, the Bougainvillea planted along the fence and Miss O'Reatha's screen door put on across the street. They also left a generous donation for a house out in Pearlington. Steve left a donation and we now have folding tables. We are almost ready for Saturday.

And how do I say thank you? Wow, Needham Cares is the epitome of what relief work is all about.

And good bye to a very long term volunteer - LuAnne

LuAnne has ended her tenure here and headed for a new life in Georgia. After almost 3.5 years of continuing volunteering - I am in awe of this woman. A retired Microsoft employee - she has contributed an enormous chunk to the recovery equation here siding homes all over Hancock County and over in Slidell.

It is going to be a very very big week here this week. More to follow on that tomorrow. Myself, I am battling pneumonia, again, but this also will pass.

Make sure you check out the Facebook links I posted for articles. SunHerald did a very well done story on Homelessness on the Gulf Coast uplifting, once and for all, the reality of this critically fast growing problem in the aftermath of the recovery.

Recovery status - an oxymoron in terms

Where is the affordable housing grant that has been promised for going on two years? Still not here - Hancock Housing Center keeps relaying that story. Also seems to be a tone that "they" are going to be taking care of the rest of the recovery out of "their" office and the rest of us do not appear to be part of any team. So, what are the "Coordination Meetings" about? Just how many houses did the Hancock Housing Center rebuild in going on four years? Or claim to have "built" although the building was actually done by the hard working non profits not getting their due acknowledgment of actually who did the work in the field or the number of houses these hard working non profits have contributed to the recovery equation - thousands of homes compared to the 120 "claimed" by the anointed recovery office. Something is very wrong with this picture. There is to be a high level meeting in Hancock County tomorrow to discuss the state of recovery.

How is your week going?

Friday March 20th Update

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Wow, what a start to the week. University of Illinois, Elon University, and Needham Cares. One team staying in Pass Christian, one up at the retreat center, and one team matrixing in from Biloxi. And all great teams returning, once again, to get the job done.

Needham Cares is down at Martin Luther King Park, Elon is over in Pass Christian working on a clients two lots there that got totally out of control, and the University of Illinois has a mile of work orders scattered between three counties (they are staying at the camp in Pass Christian). It is going to be another very busy week.

All these crews are returning crews who already have contributed so much. How can you thank these people? Again and again raising those thousands of dollars it takes to transport the teams here, feed them, house them. I am in awe....

Friday March 20th Update

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I took this yesterday out on Lower Bay Road. Seemed quid pro quo given the week I had had this week. A Waveland Alderman who branded all residents with unfinished homes as "using the volunteers as a crutch" and the Hancock Supervisors who ended affordable housing being constructed in Bayside Park.

And in Waveland

Alderman Schmidt this week, at the Waveland Alderman meeting, in front several rows of volunteers from all over the country, stated that it was time for volunteers to leave as the residents were using them as a crutch. Although he did admit that he, himself, had used volunteers. They were not a crutch, apparently, when he used the volunteers and got back into his home. But now that we are working on the poorest of the poor, the elderly, the disabled, those that were pushed from the front of the line by some of the more aggressive and more able residents so they could be rebuilt first, now the residents that remain with building needs are being labeled because they are using volunteers. Alderman Schmidt - how many homes have you helped rebuild since we got you back in your home? I have several very elderly clients in Waveland that could sure use your volunteer help to finish up their homes. Stop by and I will get you a dozen or so Work Orders. And that is just a start on what remains to be done. I have about 600 work orders sitting on my desk at this time that were updated over the last 14 days.

Alderman Schmidt you asserted the add we put in the paper cost us a thousand dollars. The add that we put in the paper, to educate the public on the fact there were eligibility criteria in order to qualify for volunteer assistance, did not cost anywhere near a thousand dollars as you asserted. It actually cost $363.00. Although I did try to negotiate that down as Mr. Cuavas, publisher emeritus, is a brother of one of our Board members - Raymond Cuavas who, in actual fact, signed the check. But the connection did not net us a discount and we paid the full going rate for an add of that size. And your comments on the advertisement netted us the response we were looking for - questions and clarification about what the criteria are for volunteer work and the fact that we are careful to make sure there is no duplication of benefits thus not circumnavigating sub contractors. The add also pointed out the critical need for residents to have a Case Manager in order to go after any available grants. The add was intended to educate - and to that end we consider it a success. It will be followed up with similar adds designed by the Ad Hoc committee of the Katrina Recovery Summit.

And I thank the Code office for the City of Waveland for coming out and assuring us that parking in front of our office is legal. As long as the cars are parked appropriately so as to not block traffic on the road - then it is legal to park at the side of the road in Waveland on any street. Just as many do in Waveland when they have multiple visitors for gatherings and parties.

And at the camp in Pass Christian on Thursday morning - the sun was shining and Allan Leighton, the camp manager, had his flag flying proudly. This former vetern is very proud of his military service and we are proud that he continues to serve his county by helping those less fortunate than themselves.

The volunteers this week in camp have been extraordinary. We have plowed thru the work orders all over Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Perlington, and as far north os Poplarville. To all of you - thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!

And yesterday was the first meeting of the Ad Hoc committee of the Katrina Recovery Summit. One of the thrusts of this committee is a public relations campaign to explain why volunteers are still needed, what the criteria are for eligibility for volunteer work to be done on your home, a campaign to find out how many residents are still not recovered, and effort to fast track some funding for continued rebuilding needs.

And there it is - progress on the wash and wear house finally. Funding, its all about funding. We finally got some funding moving again and we are on our way.

And the great news

Mugsy has found a home. The lovable lab that was so severely injured by a propane tank that exploded due to a fire in a FEMA trailer that has been living with us while he rehabilitates - is off to another part of the United States to start a new life with a family of his own. We are so excited although we will miss him. His balls and toys lie all over the yard as a reminder. And I was out in the field when they picked him up and I did not get to say goodbye. But knowing me it would have been tears so maybe that was best. Good bye Mugsy and the very best to you. And to the volunteer who adopted Mugsy - thankyou !

Friday March 20th Update

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It was just reported to me that the Hancock Board of Supervisors has voted to put a moratorium on all new construction in Bayside Park excepting for those who owned homes there prior to the storm. This item was not on the regular supervisors agenda for their regular meeting this week. I will get back to you on this later today. This moratorium has put an end to all new construction in Bayside Park until further notice. It was reported that the infrastructure can not support any more construction. It was also reported that there is no formal report supporting that position excepting that someone at the Hancock Sewer Board has stated that they can not support more construction.

This will severely impact recovery for all those who purchased land in Bayside after the storm with their FEMA funds with the idea of moving back from the beach or out of rental living.

Seacoast Echo Article on Bayside

In answer to the article:

1. There is no study to show that the infrastructure is impacted. Hancock Water and Sewer has denied there is an issue with their utilities.

2. The lack of a Master Plan for Bayside Park is a shortfall of the Supervisors and lack of planning on their part. Given the makeup of the county - it was obvious that expansion after the storm was growing at a rapid rate over the past 3.5 years and nothing was done to keep up with the development.

3. Many of the new homes, built on Go-Zone funds, are sitting empty -therefore they can not be impacting the community infrastructure.

4. Bayside has become the thrust of the race to build affordable housing and has, as a result, become the brunt of economic prejudice. This moratorium is going to have a disparate impact on the protected class.

5. Many have purchased land in Bayside Park in order to rebuild back away from the ocean area where insurance is so high. These residents will not be able to move forward with their plans. That includes Habitat for Humanity.

6. This ruling will also impact those who chose to re-locte their MEMA purchased cottage to Bayside Park.

7. According to the Housing study sponsored by MDA - 900 rental units were lost in Bayside Park. If this statistic is in fact true and that those units have not been replaced - then Bayside Park has a long way to go to meet the population density of pre-storm.

8. No public comment was allowed prior to this unadvertised motion at the last Supervisors meeting. The item was not on the agenda. The motion had not been fully drafted and was not available for viewing this week. The county attorney was still drafting the motion that had already been voted on and passed.

9. The number of empty homes in Bayside Park was helping to drive the inflated rental market down to meet the economic baseline of the renters. By stopping further development - this will again drive up the rental rates. A benefit for those owning rental property. A detriment to those trying to eggress inflated DHAP rental housing and FEMA cottages by the 60 and 90 days deadlines.

Thursday March 12th Update

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How Many Volunteers Does It Take to Wash One Little Dog?

All hands on deck - the dogs all got a bath today. Of course, none of them are speaking to us ever again. But, they all sure looking mighty spiffy with their coats all clean again. The yard is full of crawdad mounds - by the time they go out there and roll in them a few times all this good work will be gone. But, for one minute or two, they were all show dogs.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . What has been going on this week? Very busy week working over at Martin Luther King Park again. Also the paupers cemetery in Pass Christian, St. Paul's cemetery in Pass Christian, and Live Oaks Cemetery in Pass Christian. Victor Cemino had volunteers over moving furniture out of his MEMA cottage into his house and they also they also cleaned out his bird cages as he has been too tired to deal with it this past week. And Greg Garret's home got started this week as well - a new St. Albans over in Bay St. Louis. All in all, a very busy week.

And sad news - Harry Brittan passed away in Bay. St. Louis this past weekend. His house had just been finished.

Up With People were here today - worked hard in the office and also over on Martin Luther King Park.

So much more to tell you all about, but its been so hectic this week I just have not had time to blog. I will try and get everyone caught up this weekend including all the wonderful politics. That, of course, never ends.

Thursday March 12th Update

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Helping Hands Serves Lunch to the Giving Circle Volunteers Friday in the Park

Thursday March 12th Update

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This piece was sent to me and I was asked to post it on the blog in response to the "Contractor" who is personally approaching volunteers and telling them to go home as they are not needed as they are taking away work from contractors. (Despite the fact that the "mothers" home was built by volunteers).

Thursday March 12th Update

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University of Illinois Just Doesn't Talk About What Needs To Be Done

They dont wish wish someone else would clean it it - They Get It Done!

Thank you Illinois - you guys are awesome!

Save-A-Center Cleaned in Waveland - Finally after going on four years - the sidewalk is all cleaned up !

What Happens When You Turn Liberal Arts Students Loose With Paint?

They go round and round at the playground at Martin Luther King Park

The Giving Circle gives the old playground equipment a new lease on life

Thursday March 12th

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That Park under the bridge at Pass Christian

Best kept secret in town

Everyone says "Where?" And it is, a little known fact - but there is that park there on Ponce De Leon. And the University of Illinois finally got the last of the debris picked up yesterday. And the County of Pass Christian was there at sunup yesterday morning to make sure all their hard work was hauled of in a timely manner.

Yes, lots more work to be done. And where the Freedom Tree, a magnificent magnolia, stood before the storm - now stands a brand new Oak tree, the State tree of Illinois, in the place of that Magnolia tree - a tribute to these hard working volunteers.

Martin Luther Park Helping Hands Meeting - Tuesday

And the Giving Circle met with the Helping Hands Committee on Tuesday night putting to great use the small meeting room at Martin Luther King Park. They were there to discuss after school programs. A very successful meeting with another scheduled for next Tuesday.

The volunteers continue to plow thru work orders across the region with some heading up as far north as Poplarville yesterday. And, still, there is no funding on the round table for recovery. This situation is fast becoming critical as residents struggle with recovery, deadlines, and looming removal of FEMA trailers/MEMA cottages and no funds to complete their homes. There is absolutely no solution in sight and the current small pot of CDBG funding is tied up in bureaucratic tape and even when it is released the homes it will serve (somewhere between 17-100) will all have to undergo environmental evaluations that could take six months or more.

Recovery has slowed down to a very slow crawl......

Tuesday March 10th

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Great start to another week. 150 volunteers either staying with us or matrixing in from other camps. We continue to work on the Great American Cleanup - which continues despite the hoopla ending.

This operation has taken on the management of the Martin Luther King Park and the War Memorial where we will water and weed whip. The City of Waveland is going to mow.

Interesting event yesterday. A well known local, who claims to be a contractor, came by and yelled at our volunteers yesterday and told them to go home as they were not needed. He claimed that we were taking away work from the contractors. I have a couple of comments about this continued harassment by this local contractor who is well known at Waveland City Hall.

1. In four years - I have yet to see you working on a job here as the only time I have seen you is when you stop by to see the volunteers to harass them. At one point you stopped in to advise my volunteers that the client was going to sell the house and she had no intention of staying there. Well, she has lived in the home for fifteen years prior, is back living in the home now, and the reason we had had trouble getting her back to live there is because you lived next door and you harassed and bullied her as much as you did the poor volunteers. The woman is the sister of a Waveland Alderman.

2. The Amish reported this morning that you stopped by to harass them as well.

3. When my volunteers yesterday were down helping Chris Johnson plant 60 trees at Bourgeois park - I did not see you there, as a volunteer contractor, to assist them.

4. When my volunteers were at the Methodist Church in Pass Christian cleaning and painting - I did not see you there as a volunteer contractor.

5. When my volunteers were at Martin Luther King Park fighting off hoards of nats where they were painting benches, trim, and placing concrete for the new trash receptacles - we did not see you there either as a volunteer contractor.

6. When volunteers went to build a wheel chair ramp for a lady over on Waveland Ave because she could not afford to pay anyone (and she is case managed) - as a contractor, we did not see you there offering to help.

7. And when a volunteer electrician went over to Bourgeois to check and see why the 84 year old man over there did not have any heat in his home due to a broken wire - as a volunteer contractor, we did not see you there either. He had no funds to call anyone else.

8. And last Monday when we had the kick off for the Great American Cleanup of Waveland- as a volunteer contractor - we did not see you there on any of those jobs either. And if you had heard the speech that Mayor Tommy Longo delivered on the beach at the Great American Cleanup on Monday to the volunteers - you would understand that Waveland is behind this volunteer effort 100% as it is still critically needed.

9. In fact, of the forty plus work orders we had out yesterday working with volunteers - as a volunteer contractor we did not see you there at all. If you feel you would like to contribute in a positive way - you are welcome to join us at any time to help those that can not afford to move forward with their recovery.

And this same contractor had volunteers build his mothers home. Not something I see him running around bragging about at all. Why on earth would a "contractor" need to have volunteers build his own mother's home and be so opposed to others getting the same assistance?

Not everyone got large MDA grants or insurance settlements. Many did not flood and got no grants at all. Many had their MDA funds swallowed up by predatory banks leaving them no funds to rebuild with at all.

It burns me to hear people, who have their homes completed by volunteers, now denying others access to the same resources to get their homes worked on. Someone had to be first in this recovery equation, someone had to be last. This is a ten year plan. There is still a critical need for volunteers.

For the bible belt, I have a very tough time understanding how people can go to church on Sunday and profess to being a Christian and then on Monday turn like vultures on their fellow man. What is wrong with this picture?

Somewhere here we have to develop some feelings for our fellow man who maybe not be as fortunate as we are.

And down at the beach

And down at the beach yesterday I found Dayle Lewis who is carving and the proceeds from the sales are going to the C.A.R.E Amish camp on the beach.

And what else is going on this week? We are over at the Park on Ponce De Lon in Pass Christian helping out the garden club over there. This park was untouched since the storm and we hope to have it completed within the next three weeks. The volunteers tell me that the Sun Herald was there today and it is supposed to be in the paper tomorrow.

The Giving Circle (click link to see WLOX story)is working hard at Martin Luther King Park this week - they are rocking thru the mountain of work left there to do. The Giving Circle is also working with the Helping Hands Committee on an after school education program - the first meeting for that is this evening.

The long term volunteers at the camp are working hard. Tom was working on the Park project and Mike was helping. Dorothy has also been down with the flu. Lois has been helping Domonic with the cooking. Chris, the son of Brenda and Allan, is here with us for a bit and has been helping out at the camp.

The volunteer electrician is up in Stone County working on an MCMC project house up there. He states there is another week's work there.

Myself, I am under the weather with the worst case of the flu in years. I would not wish this on my worst enemy.

Mema and Henderson Auctions in battle of MEMA flooded cottages. Sun Herald Article

And that is our week so far - how is yours going?

Friday March 7thUpdate

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All over the front page of the Sun Herald - at the top of the page is a beautiful pie chart and singled out is an area that states there is 200M for long term recovery in Hancock County. Where are those funds? How long have we "had" those funds? When are they going to get distributed? Who is going to distribute them? When is the application process? So many questions - and absolutely no answers. I am as surprised as everyone else, in shock in fact - this has never been discussed with anyone over here at all. If it was - who was in charge?

So, where is that 200 Million?

Thursday March 6thUpdate

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MCMC holds a Supervisors meeting at the American Legion in Waveland on Thursday. 45 Supervisors in attendance.

Thursday March 6th

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The Great American Cleanup - for Martin Luther King Park it was a great great day !

Still some work to finish up but a huge part of the project is completed with work this week still ongoing and we estimate we will be working at this over the next month.

The Bay Waveland High School sets the tone for the opening ceremony of the Great American Cleanup.

Getting those identifying T Shirts on

Strike up the Bank

The Honor Guard from Bay Waveland High Scool

The sea, sand, water and a new day

Band from Bay Waveland High school gets ready to start up the band

The youngest of the volunteers stand to attention - but kicking that sand is such a temptation no matter who the speaker is up there on the podium.

From the old to the very youngest of the volunteers - all came to assist.

MCMC Case Managers from the Katrina Relief here for the opening ceremony

St Annes, volunteers with Katrina Relief, at the beach for the opening ceremony.

Some of the members of St. Annes stop for a picture at the beach at the opening ceremony of the Great American Cleanup

Getting ready to till the ground at Martin Luther King Park

Ready to work !

Delivery of materials - Lowes stepped up and made sure this happened despite the tardy response of the City of Waveland to tend to the ordering of these materials. One has to ask who is being paid at the City of Waveland to assure that projects move along at an appropriate rate, that the materials are ordered, that the needs of the community are being met in a timely manner.

This corrosion on the bathrooms at Martin Luther King Park are a direct result of deferred maintenance. The condition of the buildings and park before the storm was deplorable and maintenance at the Park had been ignored by the City of Waveland for years. Yes flooding did some damage - but the majority of the work we are doing at the park is not related to storm damage.

These jams were removed and new doors put in the bathrooms.

All men to the masthead - this garden is going to get completed by sundown

Tom and Dorothy spearheaded the rebuild on the inside of the kiosk. I did not catch them for a picture but I did find Mike working at the new shelving that was put in. The three did a fabulous job and the Helping Hands Committee was absolutely thrilled at the final result.

And when the day was done - the volunteers from St Annes and the local children get to work doing what is done at playgrounds. They let loose and had a good time.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

The camp at Pass Christian, packed this week with volunteers.

It was a birthday for the member of the crew from St. Annes - and Domonic, camp Chef, made sure that the occasion was celebrated in style.

Dining Room at the camp in Pass Christian

St. Annes fills the house with laughter at supper time.

Wednesday March 4th Update

For Links on Katrina Recovery I post the links everyday on Facebook: Click here for the links

• We may have had to battle to get the park included in the Great American Cleanup since, originally,  it was left out

• We may have still been listed last after the Cemetery on every list of projects

• We may have missed most of the meetings as no one told us when the meetings were
  

• We may have had to threaten to protest with 150 volunteers and placards to even get the materials delivered

• The Mayor was able to describe all the work being done at all the other parks  and sites at the opening ceremony but unable to list what work was to be done at Martin Luther King Park and Middletown.

• They may have not read out the list of volunteers who were working at Martin Luther King Park but other groups working at other sites were acknowledged.

• They even ran out of food to feed the volunteers
  

• And only one Waveland Alderman stopped by Martin Luther King Park while the work was in progress (thank you Charles Piazza!).
  

Monday March 2nd Update

For Links on Katrina Recovery I post the links everyday on Facebook: Click here for the links

Two children at Martin Luther King Park today. The Helping Hands Committee was cooking up red beans and rice for the community. Miss Earline sent me home with a batch and it was superb ! This was how the park used to be used prior to "the storm".

The team leaders meeting to discuss Work Orders in camp this morning. We have 150 in camp this week - three crews. Great job they did today - I am in awe of the mountains juveniles can move. Reverend Lydell called as they were driving back to Louisiana - they were thrilled to get the volunteer tent and all the cots we sent from the camp in Pass Christian this morning. This is the beginning of their affordable housing program. We have one more tent over in Gulfport we are going to try and get down on Thursday/Friday for them. Eventually all the tents at Pass Christian will be sent to Angie, La - all down before hurricane season this year.

The Waveland Coalition meets at City Hall on Monday to discuss the Great American Cleanup. Not the friendliest meeting - Tammy from City Hall advised me that we could not get our materials for the park on Tuesday as Maureen was "not available". When called to the Board room she denied she said anything to that effect and stated that a non City Employee could not pick up a Purchase Order (not that I ever asked her for the purchase order) and then she went on to advise the committee that they had not got the request until Friday afternoon. Which was true - the umpteenth copy of the same request that has been submitted time and time again for going on three years. Some changes here and there - but basically the same request. Miss Earline, in fact, had submitted prices as she was asked for two weeks earlier. She thought it was "taken care of". No one from City Hall advised her (or myslef) that that was not acceptable. The only pricing I was to supply was for the steel doors and I was responsible for submitting that. But that was all. But there was no urgency for that until we framed out the doors again. The other material - critical. Then Tammy went on to say a large portion of the list had been "back ordered". "Not true", I explained, "Every item was in stock at Lowes excepting the Urinal- I personally saw to that last Friday when I collected the item numbers and submitted the estimate".

An Alderman called City Hall and it was promised that the material would be delivered Monday afternoon. That never happened.

We were advised at 3.45pm that we could come pick out some trees and bushes. I took Miss Elizabeth and Miss Genavieve to the site at the Ball Field on Central at 4.30pm. When we got there we found out that everyone else had hand picked over the stock for the prior two days and we were the last ones advised to pick up nursery stock and were privy to the left overs.

The Project at the Ball Park on Central is well underway with the entire walkway outlined and all the shrubs laid out in place and some of the wooden structures partially built. There were a myriad of volunteers working on this project and it appears to have been under construction all week. No such courtesy extended to Martin Luther King Park.

There has been a long standing dinner planned for tonight at the West End Resturant for the Park Coalition and the organizers. Alderman Ricky Geoffrey was advised of the dinner at 4pm while he was on his way to Gulfport. Alderman Charles Piazza was never advised there was a dinner where the Alderman were invited. My invitation must have slipped between the cracks as well as the Helping Hands Committee members. Most definitely not a mutually inclusive team dinner.

The parts that were accomplished - the tent is up at the Park, the chairs are at the Park, the tool trailer is loaded and ready to go to the Park. Dumpster at the Park. T shirts delivered to the office along with wrist bands. The juveniles have gone around the neighborhood and talked to all the residents and asked them to tie a yellow ribbon on the fence post if there is trash in the yard they need removed. Bushes picked out at the Ball Park. And a bank is sponsoring the garden in the Memorial Garden - that estimate was delivered today and they are bringing the plants tomorrow. The Helping Hands Committee was absolutely thrilled to hear that the garden for Miss O'Rita is now coming to fruition. They have a plaque all ready for that area. I am hoping to get it displayed this week.

What has not happened: No materials at the Park yet from Lowes, no lines drawn for the garden placement by the architect (he stated the park was locked Sunday but also admits he never called and asked for a key), and still waiting on the mulch to be delivered along with the bushes from the Ball Field.

No matter what obtuse excuses are extended - we will get this Park done. The team tomorrow is being led by Chris LaGarde from Congressman Taylor's office. He is so good with the juvenile volunteers - they all love him.

And there is a group flying in from New York coming in next week to make this "right". There will be no more of this disingenuous half hearted less than mutally inclusive team work all justified thru rose colored glasses and tap dancing.

Anyone can write an applause of what a great job they are doing - it is backing it up with results is where the saga flounders.

That Trailer

Is now pink. Miss Kelly says that will cure any future theft issues. Hmmmm, I think she maybe right !

We are going to make this week "right". How is your week going?

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