Problems with a fraudulent contractor? Click here for some good articles. Marshall Ramsey's view on Katrina So you think Katrina only hit New Orleans? Has Mississippi Fallen Further Behind? Trends and Challenges in Mississippi's Disaster Recovery The Steps Coalition Updated September 24, 2009 http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/images/NewsPdf/katrina+4%20report.pdf Enter your search terms Submit search form Web This Site Only

Kathleen's Blog

Thursday July 16th, 2010 Last Week, This Week - Huge Improvement on Waveland Beaches! Farve Lane Site Water Then, Water Now Silver Slipper Site Beach is now open, but in mourning still The New "View" Protecting the Bayou at the Silver Slipper Oil still left at Silver Slipper rock outcrop site Note the discolored water near the oil - that was the color of the water all across the beach last week. Now it is in isolated spots where oil is present. Birds doing well "The Workers" Why on earth are they called "the workers". Back at the Camp, Under Case Management - Meeting! MCMC Case Management Meeting with MCMC management - working on clients one by one on Thursday afternoon. That was our week, how was yours?

Thursday July 15th, 2010 Here Kitty, kitty, kitty...... We have a client out in Cedar Point, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi - we have been working on his home for quite some time.  On reading the article re a wild life alert in his neighborhood, I dropped him a note this morning. Dearest Unnamed client: I see you have a big kitty cat wandering your neighborhood in Cedar Point. Do we have to get workman's comp to cover that? Inquiring minds want to know. *Grin* I have convinced the volunteers that the mosquito is not the State bird; Convinced them that the nat is afraid of wet wood fires and vanilla essence; Convinced them to never put their fingers where they can not see them - and a NY Federal Judge now dost belief that part as the biggest water snake I have ever seen came flying out from under that last piece of sheet rock she reached down to pick up. Better yet there was the team of volunteers that went out to work on my favorites clients home in Bayside and when I found them whispering over a digital camera that night I inquired "What is going on?" and lo and behold - Greg L had put on a cock fight for them and they had pictures. AAAaaaah, says I, "The public relations of this is gonna be the ruination of this operation"! And they laughed - the secret was out and they promised not to do it again. And last week when I told the last batch of volunteers to watch out for the alligators in the blue lake at Pass Christian when I sent them to work on Molly Netherlands property - and so they fed their lunch to both the alligators so they could take pictures! But warning those volunteers to be on the lookout for big kitty cats?  Now you just know they are gonna want to feed it lunch, take pictures, pat and pamper it, adopt it , pack it up and take it home! http://www.sunherald.com/2010/07/14/2332252/hunt-continues-for-bay-panther.html

Wednesday July 14th, 2010 EOC they said? To the last person, not one of the 47 knew what the EOC was - so I sent them to find out today. And, the EOC of Hancock County was gracious enough to share their space and time with them all. Thank you Jessie and the crew in the command center for the oil spill in Hancock County. They found present in the room FEMA, MEMA, Homeland Security, BP, EPA, DEQ, Health Dept, and various other Federal, State, and local agencies - all there from 7am to 5pm everyday for the oil spill disaster in the Gulf. They learned the part the EOC plays in the aftermath of a disaster and who participates - which they learned today is everyone and everyone is part of "the team". From the time they walked in when they got back today was the talk of the EOC, Jessie, closed beaches, oil, and Jessie. There is "always" Jessie Finneran and they went and mowed his grass for him today. Jessie is retired and has been volunteering for the EOC long hours checking out oil contamination reports from one end of Hancock County to the other. Along with that the oiled bird reports. So this team reached out to Jessie today and went and took care of his yard so he could come home to a mowed yard. What a great team! That is what recovery is all about - teamwork and it is the optimal path to recovery. EOC you ask - Emergency Operations Center. The central command of any disaster in the United States. There is one in every county of the US - there is one in your county. Check it out. They can always use volunteers! Thank you Wisconsin for sending your finest to Hanock County to volunteer!

Tuesday July 12th, 2010 Traveled From This In Wisconsin To This For A Week In Mississippi! Ingram Home in Perkiston - MCMC Case Management project Norris House in Carriere a MCMC Case Management Project Injured on the job! A blister - you would think the nurse was gonna cut the arm off this team leader! Still waiting on BP to respond on the Blimping Oil hotline number, a phone call, anything. I still wanna ride in that balloon! *Grin*

Sunday July 12th, 2010 That Blimp - what a great tourist idea! What a great Gulf Coast Marketing tool - tourist tragedy blimp tours! And it was BP that came up with the idea. Alambama is going to take their millions from BP and put on concerts to create tourism. We can compete with that - we can put on Blimp tours of the oil, the islands, the swamps, the "beach from the air" since you can not walk on the beach. Link to article on Blimp Volunteers from my Facebook page are willing to come "work" on the blimp spotting oil - no training need, no funding - willing to do it for free. We will bring our own refreshments! Some meeting on the Port side, some on the Starboard! Some were concerned about a dress code, so Terry Latham of Hope Haven came up with an "official" dress code: Notice: OSHA regulations require the following attire be worn on all blimp flights over water: International orange longjohns with flap, orange safety helmet with rotating strobe light attached to top, steel toed safety boots, disposable plastic gloves, class 4 air mask and a parachute. Have a nice flight!" So BP - can we come "work" for you on the Blimp? What is the Blimping Oil Hotline Number - inquiring minds want to know! Wisconsin Volunteers Arrived Sunday 50 volunteers arrived from Wisconsin on Sunday. Their first order of business was to head down to the Huck Finn swimming hole and find that infamous rope swing. Today they are out in the field working across three counties. Report due in later today. God Bless Them One and All!

Sunday July 11th, 2010 Possibility of the loss of $400 million in Road Home money has Louisiana scrambling The House vote to use $400 million from the Road Home to help offset some emergency spending, including $300 million for the BP oil spill response, isn't the final say. The Senate still must vote on the $80 billion package, which pays for the war in Afghanistan and other emergency government operations. But the vote has caused state and New Orleans officials to scramble, trying to assess the impact while warning of major consequences to ongoing hurricane recovery efforts. http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/07/possibility_of_the_loss_of_400.html

Saturday July 10th, 2010 In the Trenches Today - Oil Is Not Well. Daily EOC Oil Disaster Meeting (Emergency Operations Center) All agencies front and center: local and State Government, FEMA, MEMA, Homeland Security, DEQ, Coast Guard, EPA,National Guard, Hancock Medical, Parsons Group, various State, Federal and State Representatives offices, and BP. Everyone sharing with the other progress, what is going on and concerns. BP reported the layoff of 56 people and was looking to place them elsewhere - that was interesting and, quite frankly, I did not understand why that would be necessary considering the beaches are still covered with tar balls and the "bags" are still sitting out there not picked up. The smallest victim Out at the Silver Slipper/Bayou Caddy, this gull was in dire distress and probably is not going to make it. We called the "bird police" and they were there within 20 minutes. They immediately crated the bird and headed to "bird ER" leaving less stressed oiled birds for a return trip. And there were several oiled birds in the area. Bird Police The bird police arrived within 20 minutes and crated the bird and headed quickly for the bird ER. Could not have gotten better service even if she had been a human patient considering the isolated area and the issues getting to the spot because of road construction and closed roads. This little gull was oiled and unable to fly. The thirty minutes I was there he was washing himself constantly in the fresh water in the road construction ditches. Unfortunately, those ditches were full of tar patties and the more he washed, the worse it got. Note the paper in the trenches - it is used to soak up oil in water - which was in the trenches after a heavy rain. In the same area of beach - true oil contamination "Those Booms" are in trouble Tides exceeding 7/10ths of a knot tear them apart - regular booms or fabric booms. The technology is 20 years out of date. The "locals" wanted to put sandbags in the "intakes" to the marshes (to be removed at low tide) - "government" stopped that plan. Now the intakes are "protected" by these loose booms that provide no protection for the contaminated water (dark brown from the oil) or oil in heavy seas and high tides. There are complaints that there is no funding for the overtime being worked at the EOC, no funding for personnel who are doing the site checks in the field, no funding for boats/equipment to work in the field, and that there is a suspicion that there is a lot of oil on the floor of the ocean close to the beach not being considered in the equation - there is no scientific proof as no one has the equipment to search out the suspected floored pools of oil. Just how short of staffing is the EOC? That became very evident when the local Chief of Police of Waveland requested that the daily EOC report have numbered pages and an index. The report that day numbered day 24 pages. While there was much joking about that request - the end result was that the EOC director pointed out his lack of staffing and that anyone who wished may volunteer to assist with the report and assist getting those pages numbered and an index produced on a daily basis. Such a simple request, such a critical need as I noted the crowded room shuffling through the pages to find the information they needed for their various specialties. Residents are reporting algae as oil contaminants in the marshes and the EOC is spending a lot of time on false alarms. The public need training on what they are seeing and where to report what they do see in the Bayou and the marshes. Mullet spawning produce a froth that is very similar to oil contaminants. There is a significant alge bloom that is also the causal of false reports. On the beaches that had been cleaned, were miles of beaches with those twenty pound bags of contaminated oil - sealed in clear heavy duty plastic gags and left sitting on the beach. A visual environmental eyesore. Apparently those picking up the contaminants are not the same crew that pick up the bags and haul to the dumpsters. So, the first crew walks back to the road, to the buses, and leave. Leaving behind these bags that leave the beach with the appearance of being "unusable" although, in Bay St. Louis, the beach is not closed. Only between Nicholson St. and the Silver Slipper. The lack of consideration for the community, leaving those bags on the beach over the weekend, visually upsetting the pristine view for the tourists - very problematic for public image localy and nationally. Added to the issue of the bags on the beach is the question of where the contaminated oil is going to be disposed of. Local communities are rallying to prevent the oil from being deposited in landfills in "their back yard". Harrison County is up in arms and I noted an article in the Picayune Item (Pearl River County) where they were looking for a report from the independent run local dump site to see if they had been approached to accept the refuse. There was also discussion at the EOC this morning with a questions from the Director of the EOC for members to report if they knew what the disposal plan was. Openly, on the public table - there is no indication of what the plan is. There was discussion this morning of a Community Meeting. BP was quick to point out that it was a "community" meeting and that the community needed to play a large part in the organization of such a meeting. There was discussion of having the meeting at the National Guard in Kiln. Locals at the meeting pointed out that that was considered "far away" and that attendance probably could be improved if the meeting was held in one of the local school auditoriums. That discussion is still in the works. These community meetings are a critical part of development therapeutic communities that, in the aftermath of the Valdez, proved to be very beneficial to recovery. BP's overall presentation to the crowded room was lack luster at best. I was very surprised at the lack of a solid plan even on the community meeting. Hundreds Of Fishermen Missing Checks From BP -BP Gives No Indication Of When Payments Resume. Click here for link What I found today were a lot of very frustrated people trying to make this work - but it is going to take funding at the local level for staffing so they can organize effectively at the local level. Even if it is to get page numbers on the local daily EOC report. And, for goodness sake BP, have those workers haul those bags containing contaminated soil/oil/trash to the road and lets get them off to a dump - somewhere, anywhere, but please get them off the beach as quickly as possible. Why the first crew was not asked to haul them to the road, at the very least, is very puzzling to me. I still support the BP recovery effort - the scope is overwhelming. There are some troubling issues surrounding the local recovery entities having enough funding and latitude locally to get the cleanup job accomplished. And lets seriously look at what it is going to take to protect the Bayou outlets at high tide. Those marshes can not be cleaned once contaminated. This is a technological disaster and it is going to take technology to resolve these issues, a disaster specialist to come up with a Master Plan to devise a solution, and it is going to take unilateral teamwork to move forward into recovery. No one has ever said that BP is a "disaster specialist", BP never has claimed they are "disaster and recovery experts", and that is where the problem lies as the funding and the expertise are placed on different platforms with no one person having authority or access. There is no approved Master Plan and there is no one "in charge". Disaster recovery is a business - and as such must be run like one. So who is the "Disaster Expert" running this recovery operation with access to the funding. Why do we not let the local areas design their own recovery invoking their own local nuances in culture and geography and treat this is a "pilot program". Competition breeds excellence, lessons learned from Katrina need to be applied, and those impacted need Case Management - across the board.

Friday July 9th, 2010 MEMA cottage consortium meets with Gerald Blessey and Mike Womak Members of the Mema Community Cottage consortium met with Gerald Blessey and Mike Womak on Friday morning to work through some issues clients were having with cottages and cottage placement. There was an agreement to get together to iron out issues for clients who are having problems with the current system. Next cottage meeting next Thursday at 6.30pm at the Leo Seals Community Center in Waveland at 6.30pm. Hancock Beaches closed due to oil infiltration Great progress is being made on these beaches from Tuesday to Friday, in bags containing twenty pounds of contaminated soil and oil, cleaning the beach one grain of a sand at a time. Looking east from the old pier site Looking west Overseer - a custom Mississippi understands Headed to the Silver Slipper - not cleaned yet A new arrival on Friday At the pier, a "new arrival". It is going to be like this for months. The oil will arrive, it will be cleaned, stay that way for a day, a week, and then at the next high tide or rough weather - we will be back out cleaning again. But, it will come to an end and we will have all learned something from this and, hopefully, work on prevent it from happening again. These pictures were taken on Wednesday after oil landed Tuesday The high tide effect The high tide sent the very contaminated brown water up the Bayou and, then, at low tide it ebbed out. Notice the difference in the water color Loose boom - allowing the swamp to drain Workers on Wednesday Yes, they ask where the website is - so I like to give them credit for their hard work! All is clear on this portion of the beach Pass Christian Harbor - All is well But, either side, the beaches are filled with a myriad of workers cleaning off the beach. 50 Katrina Volunteers Due In On Sunday! More to follow on that! Oil spill snarls local mission's plans Scott Haymond couldn't believe what he was hearing on the other end of the phone Thursday. Just hours before members of his group from West Lafayette's Redeemer Lutheran Church were set to depart for a mission trip to New Orleans, their plans for lodging and food fell apart. The group, headed to help Habitat for Humanity rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina, originally planned to lodge for $25 a night, including meals, at Camp Hope, a sanctuary for volunteers. But as the BP oil spill spread in the Gulf of Mexico, the camp was transformed into a dormitory exclusively for oil spill workers. Two weeks ago, Haymond said, he was told his 11-member group could eat at Camp Hope and stay at a nearby hotel for the agreed-upon daily rate of $25 per person. On Thursday, he called to confirm that arrangement. "That's when a gentleman said, 'Well, there's nothing we can do for you. We can't let you stay in the hotel because the hotel no longer is agreeing with the original contract they had with us.' "We couldn't eat at Camp Hope, either," he said he was told. "That's when I just started looking around frantically to find other options." The group has been planning the New Orleans mission since early this year. The first four missioners left by car Friday, and the rest are flying today. With a limited amount of donated funds, the group was counting on cheap food and lodging. The plane tickets are nonrefundable. Link to article

July 7th, 2010 Hancock Beaches Closed Picture:MSDEQ The beaches from Nickleson to the Silver Slipper were closed today as thousands of oil patties/tar balls came onshore. The water is dark brown. BP estimates it will take three days to get the beaches cleaned up. Some, not all, of Beach Blvd is also closed until oil is cleaned up off the road. This is how it will be for months, maybe years with this technological disaster. The oil will come on shore with the moving tides, BP will clean the beaches and it will stay clean until the next shifting tide. In the interim, the beaches will be as good as they were in the pictures below. It certainly makes you treasure Paradise, Waveland as it was before Katrina, does it not? Five Leadership Lessons from the Gulf Oil Spill That You Won't Learn in Business School Siegel just wrote a brilliant article on the Huffington Post - Five Leadership Lessons from the Gulf Oil Spill That You Won't Learn in Business School Well worth the reading. Gill McCorkindale discusses leadership and the lack thereof as demonstrated in the manmade disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that was precipitated by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig 1. Crises expose dysfunctional cultures. 2. Leaders must recognize when a crisis can't be spun. 3. Leaders need to work together rather than scoring points or deflecting blame. 4. Leaders are there to serve their companies, people and communities. 5. True leadership exists beyond title and office. Siegal's spin on those five hard learned lessons from Katrina. 1. Have nothing to hide 2. Tell the truth. 3. Be humble and contrite. 4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. 5. Understand the true meaning of national security. RP Siegel is co-author of Vapor Trails, a story about an oil company, a spill, and a lesson learned. Link to article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rp-siegel/five-leadership-lessons-f_b_637786.html For all the latest links on volunteerism and the oil spill, check out my Facebook news links.

July 7th, 2010 Largest volunteer camp on coast to close doors August 30th Mission on the Bay, Camp Coast Care, Camp Victor to close I first started working with Mission on the Bay in 2006 - it started with a visit to Pastor Elizabeth with a donation to her church, Christ Episcopal on the beach, in 2005. From there started a long time friendship with Elizabeth. I am sad to see Mission on the Bay close - but the time has come and the cost of keeping these camps floating has been a logistical and fiscal nightmare for going on five years. There was no government funding for these critically needed camps. Thankyou Elizabeth for going on five great years of teamwork! Below a letter from LESM regarding their camps closure Greetings, travelers, pilgrims and all of have served and supported the mission and ministries of Mission on the Bay and Camp Coast Care! The time has come and our season in post-Katrina recovery and rebuilding is drawing to a close.  Thus, I am writing to let you know that as of last Thursday, the leadership of Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi has announced that the remaining Coast recovery camps - Mission on the Bay in Bay St. Louis and Camp Victor Ministries in Ocean Springs - will be closing at the end of August, marked by the Fifth Anniversary of Katrina.   Indeed Mission on the Bay's journey has been quite the extraordinary adventure, our beginnings being immediately after Katrina on the floors of Coast Episcopal School and their hurricane-torn gymnasium in what would become Camp Coast Care. First, the recovery efforts focused on pastoral care, distribution of much needed goods and provision of medical care.  Then, "Klub Katrina" expanded into the realm of debris removal, demolition and the beginnings of rehabilitation on the remnants of the Coast communities.  By the summer of 2006, Camp Coast Care operated as a full service adult volunteer camp engaged in the long-term recovery and rebuilding process and the time had come to open the flood-gates to the masses of eager, energetic, and mission-oriented youth.  Thus, with the arrival of 130 youth from Naperville, IL and 25 youth from Wellesley, MS, the original Mission on the Bay was born as a sister camp to Camp Coast Care located on the grounds of Christ Episcopal Church in Bay St. Louis.  That first summer was, to put it lightly, an experience of roughing it by the grace of God and engaging in the fullness of the muck and mire of hurricane land with a tent city for lodging, a shower trailer and the hospitality offered through the use of Christ Church's Quonset Hut (aka multi-purpose post-Katrina building which served for worship, fellowship and dining hall).  Over the course of the lives of Camp Coast Care and Mission on the Bay, facilities became much more "civilized" with a new building erected on the back of Coast Episcopal School's property and portable Quonset Huts and trailers set up on the back of Christ Church's property.  However, in June of 2009, Camp Coast Care transitioned one last time to a larger facility in Bay St. Louis, which previously housed Lagniappe Presbyterian's Recovery Center.  And by the end of September in 2009, LESM's west Coast recovery and rebuilding efforts had merged as one at the new property, the "new" Mission on the Bay, which has served adults and youth in great numbers ever since. But, that is all about locations and facilities, the real story of the camps is told by the extraordinary stream of volunteers who have passed through the doors of the camps, including our sister camps on the east end of the Coast.  To date, our camps combined have housed, fed and deployed over 60,000 volunteers.  It was YOU, the volunteers, who under the guidance of our capable staff and volunteer leadership have mucked/gutted 3500 homes, rehabbed/built anew 550 homes, case managed 2200 individuals/families, consumed 1,250,00 meals, input $15 Million cash into the Coast economies and worked in the realm of 2.5 Million hours amounting to a value of $45 Million in services.  Now, that is creative and holy response to an otherwise horrific and dark moment in our history and indeed a job well done in the name of collaborative, servant-ministry; participation in the ways of God, the transformation of lives, one family and one home at a time, day in and day out for five years. As Butch has put it on more than one occasion:  If it were not for the kindness of complete strangers (now friends), the Coast would not be where it is today --- well on the road to recovery and wholeness. And, although the work on the Coast is not complete, quite a feat has been accomplished, even surviving as a volunteer organization long past any date that was imagined when we first set out on this mission nearly five years ago.  And, my-oh-my the good that has been done and the difference that has been made by each and all of you who have extended your love, support, energy, prayers, resources and presence on behalf of the people of the MS Gulf Coast.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  And, remember:  While our season in post-Katrina recovery and rebuilding may be drawing to a close, the time to build, to serve, to console and to love is always before us in the faces of those in need and the challenge of MISSION remains strong.  Take it and run with it, my friends --- the torch is being passed to YOU!  To give thanks for the phenomenal mission and ministries of these past five years, we invite you to send your stories or a few words of reflection to be included in an Archival Scrapbook.  Please, e-mail those stories and reflections to us by August 1st via Lindsay Asker, our volunteer coordinator, at lasker@lesm.org or (228) 466-2900.  Furthermore, we extend an invitation each and to all who might be able to join  in a Celebration of Thanksgiving for Recovery and Rebuilding ministries on the Coast on Saturday, August 14th at 5:00pm at Mission on the Bay, 647 DeMontluzin Street, Bay St. Louis.  Again, please, notify us if you plan to join us by contacting Lindsay Asker, our volunteer coordinator, at lasker@lesm.org or (228) 466-2900.  For those unable to join us, know that these ministries could not have happened without many hands, many hearts and many lives working together to rise to the Challenge of Mission in this "time to build."  Thank you to each and to all, and thanks be to God! Take care, traveling mercies and blessings all around!!! Shalom, Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones Mission Director and Chaplain Mission on the Bay

July 5th, Monday The oiled beach of Waveland - and all is clear! Pelicans and seagulls safe and secure - no oil impacted birds observed I went down to the beach at Waveland today. I have to say, it is cleaner than it has ever been. There was more debris on the beach from the fireworks and party goers last night than impact from the oil spill. I did get some great photographs, waded in the ocean, took a long breath of that fresh sea air - and it was fresh. The beach was being cleaned by oil cleanup workers - some in suits and some just in jeans and T-shirts. I chatted with several of the "workers" - all working for contractors of BP if I understood their explanations. All, the the nth man, said they were working seven days a week and long long hours - rain hail or shine. Each of them expressed frustration at the negative comments passed by so many to them that are hurtful and negative. They each talked about an "angry lttle ole lady" who had been harassing them at the beach on and off since they had got there a few days ago. Since they are working hard to clean up "her beach" they were at a loss as to why she was directing her angry tirade at them. It was obvious no one is working with these crews to help them deal with the public or to identify the anger is not at them - but at a feeling of helplessness and an event. As in Alaska where the community was split by the spillionaires, here on the coast the debris kings, and now "the workers". Note the "the" in there - it is a southern colloquial additive to anything that is culturally out of reach to the poor like "the coast", or the residents of Waveland referring to the residents of "The Kiln", actually "Da Kiln" who are living a lower income lifestyle as compared to those on "the beach". Never just the town of "Kiln". Now we have "The workers". I chatted at length with these hard working folks - when I assured them I was not with a newspaper they showed obvious signs of relief. The first team were on a skiff - both college students from the northern part of Mississippi who were working to save for tuition next semester. Both proud of their job, proud of their boat (making sure I got a picture of them in the boat), and very proud to be working for BP. They had pulled into shore to use the bathroom - a porta potty half a black away. Another boat contained workers from Ocean Springs, Moss Point, and Lucedale. They were putting booms on the bayou outlets to prevent infiltration of oil back into the Bayou. The wind was blowing, the waves getting more frequent and they were being buffeted against the seawal as they were driving in posts to hold the boomsl. All three told me of the long hours, the rough conditions, and how proud they were to be contributing to the recovery effort. They wanted to know where their pictures would be and so we exchanged information. The only complaint I heard all morning was that the workers are at the mercy of the contractors under who they are hired to work. They all complained of a lack of an appeals process, the notion that this is a disaster and they are not entitled to breaks, and that they have been threatened to tow the line, keep quiet, or there are hundreds in line waiting to get to work for BP. What I heard all morning had tones of "plantation mentality" and is certainly needs to be addressed. It is obvious that BP has this beach cleanup here in Waveland under control - it was organized and thorough. If only the locals had taken their fireworks trash with them last night - else the beach would have been a picture perfect Norman Rockwell scene. Except for the water - it had this tinge of orange and black flakes that were not oil - but of unknown origin. I have never seen this debris in the water before. The beach, though, was abandoned except for one family for the miles I drove from Bay St. Louis to the point out near Silver Slipper. What a waste of miles of pristine white sands. There were plenty of birds - Pelicans, Seagulls and others - not one showing signs of oil contamination. They were all just sitting there waiting for the rain which was moving in from the horizon sprinkling down between the rays of sun. Just a typical perfect summer day here on the Gulf Coast. So, thank you BP - I hope this process continues as smoothly as it appeared today. I personally felt assured that the recovery team is on on the right path. More tire tracks from oil vehicles than the natural wind worn sand Protecting the Bayou outlets from high tide infiltration Bathroom Break - two university students from northern Mississippi working to pay for tuition in the fall. Water tinted yellow, black flakes of unknown origin Not sure what the black flakes were, appeared to be something "burned". The water has this strange yellow tinge. Otherwise, tis "the gulf". Oil Workers on the beach Beach Blvd in Waveland, still tore up! Pier to nowhere - still in shambles after Katrina Toilets still a temporary affair High proportion of properties for sale, especially on the beach Combing the beach - both coming and going. Empty Beach from Bay St. Louis to the Silver Slipper Only one family on the beach at 10am Gulfside Retreat Center Formerly the CARE Amish camp - now empty. One block off the beach. The vegetation growing back and it is hard to believe this was a thriving camp in April of 2010. Lonely and isolated now This Methodist minister born in 1888 and buried in 1953 lies in the weeds of the Gulfside Retreat Center - this site has seen many hurricanes. The beaches are wide and open - come on down! So much to see, so much to explore. So much more work in the aftermath of Katrina that needs to be done. We need you!

July 4th, 2010 Gulf Coast churches, non profits fight for survival amid spill; BP undecided on paying claims See Article: Gulf Coast churches, nonprofits fight for survival amid spill; BP undecided on paying claims www.foxnews.com God only knows what will happen to churches and other nonprofit organizations who say they are struggling for survival because of the Gulf oil spill crisis. My comment below: 1. Many commenting on this article are assuming that there is a direct correlation between non profits and churches. Non profits may, or may not have an affiliation with a particular church. 2. The non profits are struggling as the technological disastrous oil spill has further impacted a fragile economy and the rate of donations has dropped to 50% or more of what it was prior to the spill. 3. Non profits in the Katrina impacted zone who house volunteers are seeing a drastic reduction in volunteers coming to the region: A) Because the word is that volunteers are not being put to work on the oil spill and thus, on a national level, not needed. B) The national mantra is so focused on the oil disaster that the unfinished Katrina recovery has been pushed into the background and ignored both locally and on the national level. Thousands of homes are unfinished in the aftermath of Katrina and volunteers are still critically needed. C)Volunteers are also Voli-tourists and since it is believed that the region is a "cesspool" because the national marketing is not able to differentiate the beach tourism from the myriad of other Mississippi/Louisiana tourist attractions - all tourist destinations appear as "tainted". D)The technological disaster has focused funding on soliciting volunteers for the oil spill and that marketing is overriding the Katrina recovery volunteer recruitment. The cash depleted Katrina Recovery engine can not compete with the funded marketing from the oil disaster. 4. In the South the churches and non profits are the central driving force in the community. It is, and always has been, the central platform for delivering social services inclusive of a focus on affordable housing as, in Mississippi and Louisianan, the States have never been able to afford to deliver those social services in full to a population largely impacted by poverty.  Culturally, in both these States, the churches and non profits play a far more important role in the community than any of the other States in the nation. Loss of funding for this platform is a critical crisis. 5. Added to this dilemma is the issue of BP soliciting well trained recovery employees from the non profits across both States. Non profits are not able to compete with the BP pay scales and this employee drain is further impacting the struggling non profits as they deal with the social services issues in the aftermath of this technological disaster. This technological disaster has created a region wide trickle down economy breakdown. Both Louisiana and Mississippi were not prepared to work on either disaster (oil or economy) and the drive to repair the economic recovery has been to rectify the lack of tourism with national advertising of "all is well", which the nation views as "oil is well". And you can not blame that perception. Reality is that Mississippi and Louisiana are going to have to economically reinvent themselves and do it quickly as this is not only a technological disaster, but a fiscal disaster pointing to a region wide catastrophic recession. Taken from the daily blog at: http://www.reliefvolunteers.com/hancockdailyblog.html

July 1st, 2010 Doorway to Katrina damaged home in Pearl River County Still living in FEMA trailer - and being rushed on the re-construction of the home. Assistance for clients in Pearl River County has been slow coming as the low picked fruit on the coast was dealt with first. This home is now on a high priority. But we need skilled workers! Oil Summit in Long Beach Wednesday Excellent articles on the summit both at WLOX and the Sun Herald. Well attended conference. Luncheon speech by Dr. J. Steven Picou, Sociology Professor, University of Southern Alambama. The sociologists are able to pair down the data to a few lines - so well done yesterday Sun Herald Link WLOX link with article and video Auditorium Lunch in the library amidst the Katrina exhibit Mary Tell, United Way Professor Picou, University of Southern Alabama. Excellent talk! Brought the issues and resolutions down to a few simple lines and tasks. BP Speaks to the summit Sincere, stressed, and strained - you could hear it in her voice and see it in her body language. BP is working hard and struggling just like the rest of us with this oil spill. Interesting Links for this week Festivals, concerts, memorials to mark Katrina anniversary - WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News for Sou www.wlox.com WLOX TV 13 - The Station for South Mississippi - Local news, weather, sports, jobs, and entertainment - Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula Used FEMA trailers being used for Oil Relief Workers housing See more http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/us/01trailers.html?adxnnl=1&ref=us&src=mv&adxnnlx=1277975172-oMfoh www.nytimes.com BP adds insult to injury by using our landfills - Editorial - SunHerald.com www.sunherald.com With incalculable amounts of oily waste washing ashore along some sections of South Mississippi�s coastline, BP should not add insult to that environmental and economic injury by dumping in our landfills the substances and materials removed from our beaches and our waters. Summit looks for solutions to Coastians oil-spill issues - Long Beach - SunHerald.com www.sunherald.com LONG BEACH � �Recovery happens when people come together,� said John Hosey of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Interfaith Disaster Task Force. Disaster Recovery Summit warns against long term effects of oil - WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News fo www.wlox.com WLOX TV 13 - The Station for South Mississippi - Local news, weather, sports, jobs, and entertainment - Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula Book tells Katrina stories from Bay St. Louis - WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News for South Mississipp www.wlox.com WLOX TV 13 - The Station for South Mississippi - Local news, weather, sports, jobs, and entertainment - Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula Mabus: Cleanup plan to take months, not years - Oil Spill - SunHerald.com www.sunherald.com President Barack Obama's point man for the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast after the massive oil leak said Wednesday that developing a plan for the region's economy and environment will take months rather than years. $24M of BP�s $25M already is budgeted for Coast oil cleanup - Oil Spill - SunHerald.com www.sunherald.com South Mississippi governments are buying heavy equipment, boats and booms, and paying employees overtime using $25 million BP gave the state for Coast cities� oil-protection measures, but most of that original amount has already been allocated. http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/an_effective_oil_spill_respons.html www.nola.com

Tuesday June 29th! Wild Life! I told the volunteers from Alabama - watch out for the alligators. I had sent them to Molly Netherlands home to cut down a tree threatening her MEMA cottage - the property backs up onto the "Blue Hole", a man made lake, in the middle of Pass Christian. That is one of the volunteers lunch - they opted to "feed the alligator". There are actually four in the pond - 5 foot, 7 foot, and a couple of three footers. Molly has been trying to get "someone" to tend to this issue before someone gets hurt in the middle of this residential area a couple of blocks from the beach. To no avail. Two of the alligators will come out of the water to search for "people food" but the third is a little skittish. We still have work to do in Molly's yard. So, please "DONT FEED THE ALLIGATORS!". A fed alligator is a dead alligator when the wild life people finally do come to capture. Just a fact of life. Although - alligator meat is mighty fine eating! If nothing else, I made believers out of the volunteers and they did not doubt any future warnings that week! And when I almost stepped on a snake at the swimming hole and let out an almighty scream - those four big burly men came flying out of that water onto dry land. *G* We are, as volunteers, having entirely too much fun here in the wilds of Mississippi

Sunday June 27th! Still Waiting Over behind the Hollywood Casino - an entire subdivision is still "waiting". For houses to come back, for roads, for infrastructure - and its going on five years. Complete recovery they are saying at the highest levels, we are "done", what a great job we did. On the main highway maybe - but back in the trenches this is the real story. I sure miss Mr. Harvey - there was honor in those days with the real rest of the story. (I was over in the area checking on a client, getting pictures for a grant, and checking out the area as I had not been there in a few months.) The first clue you should stop at the "T" intersection The power pole - a particularly solid one that has been replaced a couple of times that I know of since the storm? The first stop sign that someone obviously hit (and has been hit and replaced multiple times since the storm.) The other four stop signs placed by a desperate public works employee frustrated that the first stop sign kept getting pummeled? Or the question of how someone hit the first one without hitting the power pole or getting stuck in the very constantly muddy ditch? And the last desperate attempt by the public works department - the horizontal 6x6 laying on the ground tempting fate. Where you ask - the road leading from the Hollywood Casino.

Saturday June 26th! The Huckleberry Finn Mississippi Exists Today The best of Mississippi is not the Gulf, it is the back waters and the byways and highways down little country roads. The scenery, the culture, the people - it is priceless. While they are bemoaning the oil on the beach - maybe it is time to look inland to the treasure that Mississippi is and always has been. This best kept secret is around the corner from the camp - the volunteers love it as a relaxing spa at the end of the day. (Short of the water snake I almost stepped on yesterday - I named it as it slithered off into the water!) Five houses worked on this weekend, three completed, the others a little more to go. You can not ask more of that from volunteers. Thank you one and all - these pictures tell a story without the words. What a great week! Yes, that is Kathleen! I put the camera down on the beach and took a swim - and they caught me out there in the crisp cool clear water! Age immaterial - it is all about wisdom and drive... The Players! Best Kept Local Secret - Shaw's Fish House on Fridays! Steep Hollow Store and Cafe - Saturday morning A quick breakfast on the way out of town. This little restaurant just opened up across the street. And in Mississippi - prayer is everywhere!

Thusday June 24th, 2010! Marshal Ramsey Rocks! Kathleen Johnson via Marshall Ramsey on Facebook: Absolutely brilliant. And all the Kings men could not come up with something this savvy with all the marketing money they were given. I say hire Marshal Ramsey to promote the Coast! Link to Cartoon MCMC Director's Meeting Wednesday It was all hands on deck for the June Directors meeting of the MCMC Consortium on Wednesday at the Knight Non Profit Center in Biloxi.

Monday June 21st, 2010! Mema Cottage Community Meeting - LEO Seals Center Monday night! Partnership with Steps Coalition, Fair Housing, Mississippi Center for Justice, Katrina Relief/Waveland Citizens Fund Packed house - Sun Herald was there, WLOX absent (at the BP meeting), didn't see Dwayne Bremmer from the Sea Coast Echo. The oil spill is impacting other aspects of recovery in very subtle ways - dividing up the limited resources we do have and the "Katrina" card is being left further and further behind. Very successful meeting. The residents were focused, their questions direct and to the point, and MEMA had their entire management team there addressing the issues head on. This type of "community case management" most certainly motivates the most timid of the residents to move forward. Case Management can isolate clients and leave them working on their own - this approach, combined with case management, moves the client out into the mainstream of the community with assistance from fellow residents struggling with the same issues. It has been interesting to watch these clients over the past couple of months move forward - working in tangent with fellow residents and actively engaging in the recovery equation. This "community meeting" approach should be viewed to be part of any Case Management in future disasters. More pictures to follow later this morning. Thank you Hancock Bank for the use of your facilities at the Leo Seals Center There will be a debriefing session on Thursday night (Leo Seals Building at 6.30pm) for the residents to go over the information shared and to plan an agenda some upcoming meetings. For those of you needing one on one meeting with a MEMA HA to discuss issues - please contact a committee member (Mississippi Center for Justice, Katrina Relief/Waveland Citizens Fund) or call your housing adviser directly. If you have any issues you can not resolve - please contact the Mississippi Center for Justice. The Faces in a Crowd of Recovery Both sides of the equation, both impacted by Katrina, both residets and Mema officials alike - both sides personally losing homes to Katrina. And here they are, all victims, working both sides of the recovery equation and the young lawyer from the Mississippi Center for Justice. Faces in a crowd of recovery - you can not tell the difference from this viewpoint. All working for the good of the Gulf Coast - this truly is a remarkable paradise despite the issues so evident in the disparity of the recovery equation. MEMA officials answer questions Working the Room Mema Officials, Mississippi Center for Justice, and Residents Update: Miss Anita Lee, Sun Herald, weighs in on the costly MEMA records requests for clients: Anita Lee Blog Link

Monday June 21st, 2010! June 21st - Longest daylight of the year! Volunteers in camp and we plan to utilize every last second of these daylight hours despite the heat index. We have so much to do!

Sunday June 20th, 2010! Tis still Paradise Six local juveniles broke down in their SUV this afternoon. Heat index 106 and they were headed to the local watering hole to swim. They wanted water for the radiator - but the car was far beyond a simple "fill up". I offered to run them to the watering hole and told them they could call me when they were done and by then, maybe, the car might start. It did not take a lot of convincing and they piled into the van and I drove them over to this little known local secret off of HW53. They had zero cell phone service when we got to the site so I gave them my number and told them to have one of the "locals" swimming at the river to call me when they were ready to come back. It seems this is a popular spot for swimming - there were cars everywhere. I took these pictures when I picked up the boys - what a great spot. And, just around the corner (by 6 miles) from the camp. I can see this being used this summer! The car, well it started, but Daddy is not going to be happy as it was knocking really bad and the young driver was asking me what was wrong. I hated to break his heart. I told him to take it easy and he should make it back to town. He still had my cell number and I told them to call if they did not make t. I didnt hear anymore from them, so I guess they made it home. Joe Shelton and Crew Have Arrived! We are off to the races with work orders! Thank you Joe and volunteers - you guys rock!

Sunday June 20th, 2010! An eye in the sky! I had never met the man before, but a friend brought him over as he needed to look at the stimulus funding for his communication business. But after going thru the three ring binders of information - we opted to not write the grant. And the concept was to expand access for the local communities to the internet - so much of Mississippi has no coverage for the internet. But, slowly, over the past few months this small business owner has "done it on his own". Negotiated a contract with Pearl River Water District and he is slowly placing repeaters on these water towers giving rural residents access to the world. Katrina impacted Mississippi with so much not replaced here five years in the aftermath - but, on the other side, not talked about, is the "growth" and the uplifting of the plight of rural Mississippi and there has been growth. This small DSL by Air - being one of them. This is one of the efforts, in the aftermath, that I am very proud of. Joe, you are my hero! It took five years in the aftermath of Katrina to get this electrical service repaired So many comments "they should be recovered" by now - referring to the thousands who are still in unfinished homes, temporary housing, or even still "evacuated". And here, on Thursday, the electric company showed up to replaced the electric lines on the electric pole feeding our building. The support wires were splintered and providing zero support for our electric feed - it had been that way since Katrina. Five years - can you imagine waiting for service for five years. Thousands are still "waiting" here on the coast. We need volunteers, especially skilled volunteers - we have hundreds of homes that are needing work And, the beaches are "clear", the fishing is great - we have not been impacted by the oil excepting the "fishing community" that has been put out of work as they can not fish the Federal waters. That part of the community, a large part of our client base, is in crisis. Volunteer Crew Headed In This Evening ! More to follow on that! I had two wonderful volunteers stop in for two days this weekend. They are spending their summer going from volunteer camp to volunteer camp, checking out what is going on in the volunteer world across three States. They worked on a house in Perlington on Friday, and on Saturday, a house in Picayune - a long day and some of the residents from our Transitional Housing for the Homeless went along to assist. The grass at this home was six foot tall, the owners dog had just been bitten by a snake that morning, and the resident, elderly, on a fixed income, could not even afford gas for the mower or dawn dish soap to bathe the small dog. Our "hero volunteers" took care of all that. Now we can "see" the home, maybe we can get some work done on it. More to follow on that story! Steep Hollow Baptist Church, Poplarville, Ms. Nestled in a cow pasture, 12 miles from Poplarville. This church is the epitome of the southern Baptist tradition. This picture taken from the adjacent water tower this weekend. And that was our week - what is going on in your world?

Thursday, June 17th, 2010! Interesting Links for this week Obama's Gulf Coast restoration plan is short on details www.washingtonpost.com President Obama made an ambitious promise Tuesday to bring the Gulf Coast's habitat back to health. Cuzs Seafood Market closes; restaurant remains open - Business - SunHerald.com www.sunherald.com BAY ST. LOUIS � Cuz's Seafood Market went belly-up this week, the victim of an oil-soaked Gulf and customer misgivings. What's Really Happening In Grand Isle Louisiana - You Won't Believe This!!! www.youtube.com For more on the BP Oil Disaster, please visit http://maya12-21-2012.com/2012forum/ Please comment, rate and share Original upload from user nolafilms Honors for this video (4) #63 - Most Discussed (Today)) - Science & Technology #85 - Most Viewed (Today)) - Science & Technology - Canada... Daily Reveille - Hurricane season storms could stall oil response efforts, help oil disperse www.lsureveille.com The 59th day of the Gulf oil spill catastrophe also marks the 17th day of this year's hurricane season in the region, forcing government and BP officials to devise alternate response plans for a worst-case ... Add Psyche of Gulf Workers to Spill's Toll - NYTimes.com www.nytimes.com Mindful of the psychological woe that followed Hurricane Katrina, social workers are monitoring the mental well-being of those whose lives have been most affected by the oil spill. Haley Barbour On Obama's Speech www.realclearpolitics.com Miss. Gov. Barbour breaks down Obama's primetime address on Gulf oil crisis.</p> Miss. beaches largely unspoiled by Gulf oil gusher State News Leader Call leadercall.com Gulf Food Safety: Is Seafood Safe to Eat After Spill? - Yahoo! News news.yahoo.com With images of oil-drenched wildlife in the media, seafood consumers in New Orleans have reasons for concern. But the trouble isn't food safety; it's diminishing quantity The Gulf doesn't need a 'czar,' Bam - NYPOST.com www.nypost.com Here is the Obama theory of disaster management: In times of crisis, you can never have enough unelected, un-vetted political appointees hanging around. Nearly two months after the BP oil spill, the Oval Office speech: Obama's 'take charge' moment in Gulf oil spill - Yahoo! News news.yahoo.com President Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office for the first time Tuesday night in a bid to convince the American public that, in his response to the Gulf oil spill, he is more Lyndon Johnson than George W. Bush. Ramen Noodles May Lead to Chronic Illness | Food & Drink | Lifestyle | Mainstreet www.mainstreet.com The cheap college kid favorite could be worse for your health than you might think. Brown pelican long a symbol of survival www.cnn.com Long before the brown pelican came to symbolize the tragedy of the Gulf oil spill, the giant bird stood for something much greater: survival against all odds. Katrina Relief Hancock Volunteer Resources www.reliefvolunteers.com It is just not the Case Managers that are flailing five years into recovery. The same symptoms ascribed to Case Manager burnout is also applicable to these clients we are working on. Look at the symptoms - can you recognize yourself? Your client?. ... Preventing Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies helpguide.org Reprinted with permission for personal or non-profit use. Visit www.helpguide.org to see the article with links to related articles. Helpguide.org. All rights reserved. 100611-G-0000W-001-One ton tarball cgvi.uscg.mil GULF OF MEXICO - One of two one-ton masses of tarball material recovered south of Perdido Pass, Fla., by the crew of the lift boat Sailfish, a Vessel of Opportunity working in the largest oil spill response in U.S. ... BP engineer called doomed rig a 'nightmare well' - Yahoo! News news.yahoo.com BP took measures to cut costs in the weeks before the catastrophic blowout in the Gulf of Mexico as it dealt with one problem after another, prompting a BP engineer to describe the doomed rig as a Where do you send your donation for an oil spill? www2.tbo.com Another disaster, another wave of charities and volunteers trying to help make things right. This time, however, charities aren't dealing with something straightforward and terrible like an unavoidabl... A major hurricane in Gulf could burst pipelines and topple rigs, research says www.nola.com As if the Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout wasn't enough to threaten Gulf Coast communities with oil, scientists with the Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center say waves as tall as 91 feet and strong underwater currents generated by major hurricanes create massive forces that can w... BP Spills Coffee www.youtube.com This is what happens when BP spills coffee. More comedy videos: http://www.UCBComedy.com/ Like UCB: http://www.facebook.com/pages/UCBcomedycom/10522597325?ref=ts Follow UCB: http://www.twitter.com/UCBcomedy Director: Peter Schultz & Brandon Bassham; Writers: Gavin Speiller, Eric Scott, Er...

June 14th, 2010! All burned up It is just not the Case Managers that are flailing five years into recovery. The same symptoms ascribed to Case Manager burnout is also applicable to these clients we are working on. Look at the symptoms - can you recognize yourself? Your client?. It is one thing to classify clients as "Non Compliant" and close the case. It is quite another to ask the open and honest question "Why is my client acting in this manner?". And the end result, the client is "evicted" from temporary housing into a world where their Case Management "ends" and, if the appropriate services were there, it should just be beginning with mental health services. But, in Mississippi, there are very few, if any, mental health services available - let alone dealing with "client burnout". And, now the "Case Is Closed", there is no Case Management either. The failure to recognize "client burnout", in the aftermath of Katrina, is one of the overriding factors in a new form of homelessness in Mississippi. The clients have become collateral damage in the driving requirement to meet benchmarks and end of contract requirement that all be out in a "Zero by Five" mandate (everyone out of temporary housing by the anniversary date of the fifth year in the aftermath). Case Management Burnout is dealt with in hundreds of papers, books, and classes at the college level. You would think, given the deep understanding of the emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion related to extended case management exposure - there would be a line item on the budget for the pilot programs out there for Case Management to build resilience into the Case Managers repertoire of available resources - classes, retreats, professional services, and referrals to agencies able to treat the symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no such "line item" in those budgets and the issue is dealt with by "replacement". When a case manager fails to perform, or resigns due to burnout (recognized or not as burnout) - the only recourse the agency has is to replace the case manager. The "non compliant" case manager, who by the burnout point, has probably also burned all the bridges at the agency where they work by failing to appropriately respond to clients needs or keep up the contract dictated paper trail and, also, has been written up and disciplined more than once. Often the recommendation of seeking treatment is rebutted. I remember offering one Case Manager "time off" to go seek treatment - he repeated that offer at his appeal for unemployment telling the judge that "My offer was persnally offensive as there was nothing wrong with him". Once the case manager resigns, or is fired - the medical benefits cease and there are no resources for treatment of burnout symptoms. This is certainly a facet of the disaster effort response that needs to be looked at seriously in the event of future disasters. Both for the residents and the case managers. Stress vs. Burnout Stress Burnout Characterized by overengagement Characterized by disengagement Emotions are overreactive Emotions are blunted Produces urgency and hyperactivity Produces helplessness and hopelessness Loss of energy Loss of motivation, ideals, and hope Leads to anxiety disorders Leads to detachment and depression Primary damage is physical Primary damage is emotional May kill you prematurely May make life seem not worth living Physical signs and symptoms of burnout Feeling tired and drained most of the time Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches Change in appetite or sleep habits Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout Sense of failure and self-doubt Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated Detachment, feeling alone in the world Loss of motivation Increasingly cynical and negative outlook Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment Behavioral signs and symptoms of burnout Withdrawing from responsibilities Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope Taking out your frustrations on others Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early (tables above from article below - excellent reading) Excellent Article on "Burnout" http://helpguide.org/mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm

June 14th, 2010! First Thing - This Is A No Paper Towel Zone ! How did the world survive before paper towels? How many trees do we kill in a year in order to use paper towels? Ever had a septic system? Ever hosted a group of juvenile volunteers? Ever tried to convince people not to flush "those paper towels"? Truth is, unless your in the bathroom 24 hours a day - someone, yes someone, is gonna flush that paper towel that makes for hours of plunger work. Why is that urge so great - putting that paper towel down the toilet instead of the trash can? And you tell someone "This is a no towel zone" and for goodness sake they write to the Governor's office. Ain't free speech wonderful? That There Gooch Crew - They Rock! Look behind, there is that fence - The Great Wall of China! What a great job they did! Those youth just rocked and rolled in 106 degree heat index and got that fence built! And, the rest of the crew worked from Pass Christian to the Louisiana border. It was a great three days. Want An Electrical Box? Weatherhead? Meter Box? We have em! Any non profit may pick up what they need for Case Managed clients. Retreat - A Whole Weekend Of It Wow, what a restful weekend. And I surely needed it. And Alabama is so beautiful - my first visit. I am was very impressed. We are critically in need of skilled volunteers!

Tuesday May 25th, 2010! Tuesday June 8th Updates A lot happening here at Katrina Relief and that is why the blog has been tardy the last week. New Employees Onboard: Lisa Herndon: Case Manager Judy Thompson: Bookkeeper Helen Buckley: Housing Resouce Specialist We welcome them onboard for the balance of the MCMC contract! Materials Available ADA Shower seats (new) Weather Heads for residential houses - 50 Electrical Meter Panel Boxes - temporary power 200 Amp Breaker Boxes Screw Ties for holding down sheds during a storm (and we have limited strapping to go with those ties) Storm doors 36" for mobile homes (new) Call the office you have have a Katrina impacted resident in need of these materials. Must go to a non profit and then to the resident. Oil Spill News for Volunteers As you can see from the news links above - that is what is dominating the news these days. Very sobering for everyone on the coast as there is little anyone can do to go out and be a hero and "plug the dyke". I can tell you that I got a call this Sunday to come help volunteer - but it is in the administrative and office arena. No volunteers are going to be used in the actual cleanup. Those wanting to work with the animals are also going to find the same news. It takes very special training and licensing to be able to work cleaning up the birds. If you feel motivated to help, and please do, please contact the Mississippi Volunteer site and sign up. News on the Katrina Aftermath Effort The oil spill is impacing the flow of volunteers to the coast - I see it in the daily bookings (or lack there of). We critically need skilled volunteers to complete some homes we have materials for. If you, your group,or your church can assist us down here with volunteers - we critically need them. The link to our new website for Work Orders: The User Name and Password is given to group leaders so they can access the information on the Work Orders. If you, or your group, is interested in any of these work orders - please contact us as soon as possible. Volunteers Coming this Week! The Gooch crew is coming this week - the priority for them are the Gulf Coast Community Foundation funded projects. God Bless them! Housing Survey Gerald Blessey's office, through the Housing Resource Centers, are doing a random survey, that will take two hours to complete, to guage the remaining housing need in the aftermath of Katrina. If you receive a call on this survey, we encourage you to participate as the outcome may impact future funding for rebuilding from Katrina. And that is our week, how is yours going?

Tuesday May 25th, 2010! "We" have a baby! 1.45pm this afternoon. 8lbs 10oz! Daddy Domonic is very excited. Mother doing well! They were just cleaning up the baby when Domonic called.

Monday May 24th, 2010! Spring is here! But all is not as it seems Oil 75 miles out in the Gulf, Mississippi beaches clear so far! So I thought I would put up a reminder that it is Spring here in Mississippi and not all is gloom and doom as it appears from so many of the newscasts. These pictures were taken at 7am this morning - another glorious sunny day in Paradise. Critical Need For Volunteers So many disasters of late is so many States - and we are seeing the strain on our volunteer pool. We are critically short of skilled workers to finish up homes where we have materials. As it stands now - I am going to have to leave the office and head out in the field to assist the volunteers. There are just not enough skilled workers. I am not the only administrative volunteer who is going to have to return to the field. This has come at a critical juncture in the recovery equation. With the Zero by Five mandate - all temporary housing to be cleared by the fifth anniversary - an enormous pressure has been placed on the remaining relief organizations to get the homes finished. No funding for the camps, the volunteers, or materials - just get it done! My client base is 3% funded and the balance do not have services funded in any form. They are clients that have fallen between the cracks. Over a 1,000 of them. As MEMA and FEMA move the remaining clients out of their housing, so ends what little Case Management or Housing Advisor services that was offered to the residents. Then we have the elderly, disabled, and mentally impaired clients floundering as there is zero assistance for them to find alternate housing. And the voucher program ended before the August 29th deadline although there were remaining unfilled vouchers across the State of Mississippi. They were absorbed into the regular voucher program despite the fact that were mandated by Congressional act to be for Katrina impacted residents. There was never funding for the clients who only received wind damage. Where is an elderly lady on a fixed income of $400 - $700 a month going to come up with funding to repair a home? It was not possible or probable. But still that blaring problem in the recovery equation is being viewed as the hushed elephant in the corner. And the "haves" continue to point at the "have nots" - Paradise and Poverty working side by side. One not acknowledging the other. One not being able to see the forest for the trees. And even the State Mississippi volunteerism website makes zero mention of a need for volunteers for Katrina. The emphasis is on the Yazoo tornadoes and the Oil Spill - although, to our knowledge, zero volunteers have been placed for the oil spill related volunteer work. But, sadly no one at the State level is marketing an alternative volunteer option. The fiscal crunch had decimated the economy; the oil crunch finished off what little fudge room there was to brag of a wave of hope for a growing economy on the Gulf Coast. 50% of the hotel rooms have been canceled. At the taping of a positive upbeat marketing video, meant to overcome the negative oil spill news, taped with the Governor and his wife - a photographer from the largest local newspaper was ordered to leave the taping and then ordered to leave the sidewalk in front of the building where the taping was being done. Tempers and stress are running hand in hand at both ends of the economic equation - like the storm there is no differentiation for economic class impact at this time. All is not well on the coast - though the story is "the oil is 75 miles out and "might" not land on the Mississippi coast. A prediction that is easily overturned with the first hurricane where hurricane season is on the horizon. Tough to be positive in this climate. Though everyday on Facebook my comment for the day talks about the sun shining and the beaches being clear - as if my token comment on Facebook is going to start the trend to an upswing. We critically need skilled and unskilled volunteers. We need some funding for the clients - check out the Adopt-A-Family website for a family - any family. Only the private side can make a difference for these clients now. Some grant programs on the horizon but the funding is small, 450 homes or so, the process so tied up in bureaucracy that it will be months before the clients find out if they have a grant. Some funding was "found" in the "Lost and Found" fund at Renaissance - but we still have yet to see the parameters. This is the same program that designed the "My Home My Coast Program" and we are still looking to see some positive statistics on that program. They are not quick to brag on the success of that saga. Sound frustrated? You bet! Come on down and talk to the residents - they are angry and frustrated. And you can understand why. This is not a rousing success story by any means. Although, politically, you will see some attempting to portray this project as "almost done". Look at who is making the claims and what their political aspirations are - you can bet they are running for office this November or in the next major Federal elections. These poor residents are being swept up as collateral damage. This is a travesty. And it is Spring, the Magnolia's are blooming, the oaks spread out as if to hold and protect - but all is not as it seems as Paradise and Poverty are not in harmony.

Thursday May 20th, 2010! MEMA COTTAGE AUCTION JUNE 4TH MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: 866- 920-MEMA "Disaster Preparedness Saves Lives and Property" Visit us online at www.msema.org  Media Contact 866-920- MEMA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 20, 2010 Mississippi Cottages available at auction PEARL. More than 175 Mississippi Cottages will be auctioned off to registered bidders at 10 a.m. on June 4. The cottage units are staged at 346 Beaver Dam Rd., Perkinston, Miss., 39573. The auction will feature one-bedroom, 400 square feet units with feature front porches. The units will be sold as they are. The condition of the units varies from slightly damaged to needing multiple improvements. No employees from any Mississippi state agency or university are eligible to participate in this public sale. Per Section 25-4-105(3)(b) of the Mississippi Code, state employees/officers may neither directly nor indirectly participate in this sale or receive property offered in this sale. To participate in the auction, people must register and obtain a bidder number prior to the auction. Bidders may contact Deanco Auction at 877-898-5905 for more information. To register, a person must present a driver's license. If paying cash for a unit, the bidder may or may not have to place a 10 percent deposit depending on prior history with Deanco Auction, the auctioneers based out of Philadelphia, Miss. If a bidder is paying for units with a company or personal check, a bank letter of guarantee must be provided. A 5 percent buyer's premium will be charged and sales tax may apply. Proceeds from the sale of these cottages will be used to continue the operations of the Mississippi Cottage program that is currently helping find viable living options for those Hurricane Katrina survivors who still are living in FEMA-provided disaster housing units. People interested in viewing the cottages online may do so at www.mscottage.org Taken from the daily blog at: http://www.reliefvolunteers.com/hancockdailyblog.html

Blog Archive   For the blog archive click on this link.

If you need work done on your home or property - call us at (601) 795-9979 On this video clip Kathleen talks about where we are in the recovery. 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)