Today we got some new assignments so the team went to 2 houses that weren't in too bad of shape because they had doors and windows open to at least get some ventilation. We did the "standard" routine on both of them and will finish them up tomorrow. I had my first positive Red Cross experience today; one of their trucks stopped by the house I was at so we got some drinks (not that we needed them). The owners at the house I was at worked along side of us all day and came to the church for lunch. The wife was a little emotional when we first arrived but she quickly regained herself. That is a very common response. Their house only had an inch of water during Camille, but got 67 inches from the bayou behind their home this time. Luckily for them, they did have flood insurance so they should make out pretty well. Her daughter's house didn't have that so they're concerned about them.
After we got back we tried to head to Waveland to scope things out but the traffic in Gulfport on the route we took was backed up so we turned around and went to the Gulfport coast. This team hadn't been to the coast here yet. Maybe we can hit Waveland tomorrow. I'd like to see where some of our supplies made it on my first trip down 9/3-4. I've seen the outskirts of Waveland but not the town itself (or where it once was). Tony Proctor, who's an UMCOR rep from the Starksville, MS, district, should be down again tomorrow and is trying to get the teams more involved in the community like working at distribution areas. I was also told today they may need help getting some churches networked so they can communicate needs more efficiently so maybe I can help with that. I'm not sure what will happen though since my "boss" should be back here any time now.
This evening I was struck by the disparity I see in the community. While there are many who do have hope and plan to rebuild, there are obviously others that have not found any peace yet. I'm sure some of those that were on the margins before Katrina are in that category, but you even find it among the "rich" on Beach Blvd, which is US 90 along the beach.
And in typical Michael fashion, here's my sunset picture of the night.
After we got back we tried to head to Waveland to scope things out but the traffic in Gulfport on the route we took was backed up so we turned around and went to the Gulfport coast. This team hadn't been to the coast here yet. Maybe we can hit Waveland tomorrow. I'd like to see where some of our supplies made it on my first trip down 9/3-4. I've seen the outskirts of Waveland but not the town itself (or where it once was). Tony Proctor, who's an UMCOR rep from the Starksville, MS, district, should be down again tomorrow and is trying to get the teams more involved in the community like working at distribution areas. I was also told today they may need help getting some churches networked so they can communicate needs more efficiently so maybe I can help with that. I'm not sure what will happen though since my "boss" should be back here any time now.
This evening I was struck by the disparity I see in the community. While there are many who do have hope and plan to rebuild, there are obviously others that have not found any peace yet. I'm sure some of those that were on the margins before Katrina are in that category, but you even find it among the "rich" on Beach Blvd, which is US 90 along the beach.
And in typical Michael fashion, here's my sunset picture of the night.
posted by Michael Ray at 12:23 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home