Camp Coast Care

I just received an e-mail saying that Camp Coast Care was not affected by Hurricane Gustav. They kept power throughout most of the storm, and are back operating awaiting volunteers. The e-mail also stated the the Mississippi didn't get much in the way of damage, so that is something to be thankful for.

I'm sure it was emotional however little damage they got. We also need to keep those who did receive damage in our prayers.

Landfall

Well, I've been resting most of today... But Gustav made land fall and has slowed to a category 1 hurricane. Strong wind and rain are still an issues, but it appears that things will not be as serious as Katrina. From what I understand the major part of the storm went west of where Katrina was, but people still felt effects even into Florida. Keep praying as everyone waits out the storm. When I hear from people I know. I will post more.

Update 2

The outer strips of rain and wind are starting to make landfall on the coast. It's such a bizarre feeling, being this far away and still so emotionally involved in the event. I can't even begin to imagine how those who have evacuated and watch the storm hit their homes from afar, not knowing what they will come home to.

I'm also torn as the Weather Channel showed some fishing and shrimp boats getting ready for the storm. The owners were staying with their boats. While I really want them to get out and protect their lives, at the same time the boats are their lives. They need those boats to provide for their family, and I feel for them as they make a tough decision to be with their boats throughout the storm. The jobs are endangered enough because of the economy, losing their only boat could be devastating.

Keep watching. Keep praying.

Gustav Update

Overnight the winds of Gustav died down to a category 3 hurricane. This doesn't mean much, considering they can build again at anytime. The storm is expected to fall west of New Orleans, but again, also can change course at anytime. It's still important to remember that even if the storm doesn't directly hit those affected by Katrina, the flooding can still be significant. This can be scary for all those still living in trailers on the coast.
Keep praying.

Hurricane Gustav

The 3 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina just occurred this past week in the midst of preparing for an eerily similar storm, Hurricane Gustav. Please keep Katrina victims, residence of the Gulf Coast, evacuees, their family members, and the workers who are preparing for the storm in your prayers.

I've been keeping an eye on the storm and anxiously hoping that things will not be as bad as they look. As most of you know, last summer I visited the Mississippi Gulf Coast twice to help with the Katrina Recovery efforts and they were not even close to attaining any sense of normalcy in their lives. Now with Gustav lurking just around the corner, I can't imagine how the people who I met are feeling.

I am hoping with all the hope that I have that the government gets it right this time. That evacuations are being planned and aid is being sent to those who can not evacuate on their own. I am also hoping that people do not make the mistake of sticking around thinking that this will all just be a false alarm.

This afternoon while comfortably watching the first week of college football at Paul's house, he called his friend Matt who lives in Mississippi. While Matt is only an acquaintance, I had been thinking about his preparation for the storm. He owns a house a few block away from the beach in Mississippi and this is his second hurricane season in the area, but it is the first big storm that he has prepared for. He was getting ready to evacuate with all important documents and irreplaceables, including a cat. Without much idea of where he would go he was heading north as soon as he was done packing. Ohio is about 12 or so hours away, and he was thinking he might just come this way to be with friends and family during the storm. I pray that all will go well for him, and that no damage will come to his house.

Please pray with me for everyone, and keep your eyes on the weather and gulf coast. I will post here as there are more updates, and if I hear anything from Matt. You could do me a huge favor by posting here that you are praying, as just a little show of support for all of those involved in the storm.
Thank you.

P.S. You can go to campcoastcare.com to see any updates and needs that the camp I attended last summer might have. Keep the staff in your prayers as they pack up, they are all amazing people and really care about all those who have been victims and are potential victims.

I Hear Them All

Story from the Grist

Grist, which is one of my favorite website published a story this week that originally appeared on the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors website. It discusses issues on the Gulf Coast two years after Katrina, long forgotten by the media. Take a look.

Stories from the Forgotten Coast
With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues

Some of Mississippi

I wanted to take a few minutes and post some pictures from our most recent trip to Mississippi. I did not get any pictures on the job site because of the nature of the work...just imagine what would happen if you tour your walls and ceilings out of your house...now imagine if you house had been underwater, you waited two years, and then tour your walls and ceilings out... that was the situation we were in.

This is the Friendship Tree on the University of Southern MIssissippi's Gulf Park campus. It is estimated to be over 500 years old and although all her leaves were stripped during the storm survived Hurricane Katrina.

Pretty artistic photo of the beach.

The Gulf Coast is so Beautiful.

Reporting Live from the MS Gulf Coast

I thought I would have been more efficient at getting a post up here while still on my trip. Ryan and I have been in Long Beach Mississippi since Saturday and will be leaving this Saturday morning. We are working with the folks at Camp Coast Care which is run by the Lutheran and Episcopal Services in Mississippi and funded primarily through the Episcopal Relief and Development.

Among many things it is hot in Mississippi, the heat index for the past few days has been well over 100 and the sun has been shining very brightly. I spent today not feeling well, as I have been sick to my stomach since arriving on Saturday.

I have also not taken many pictures because of the nature of the job I have been participating in. When I was here in June I took great pleasure in laying ceramic tile, and although it was hot and slightly strenuous it was not all that difficult.

This week I have had the opportunity to learn what it is like to rebuild your life from the ground up. After the storm many people were not able to return to their houses for many reasons. The house we are working on lost it's roof so received water from the top and the bottom. After the roof was replaced the family moved back in but was soon trouble by illness caused by the mold that was present from all of the water damage. The only way to fix this problem is to completely gut the house, spray down the studs and floors with bleach and start over. So this is what we did, ripped up carpet, tore out drywall and paneling, scrapped up tile, etc. It was hot, dusty, moldy, smelly, and uncomfortable. I don't think that I've worked harder in my life. But it is well worth it. The woman who was living in the house with her son has not had a normal life for quite some time, she's been through a divorce, lost most of her money to her husband, had to pay back taxes she thought were taken care of, lost her primary home and all her possessions in the storm, and dealt with the illness from living in the house. She has had some amazing friends who have helped her get back on her feet, and now some great volunteers from all over the country will help her move back into a home.

I will take some pictures of Mississippi away from the job site and post them soon.

This makes me very angry.

A Washington Post article about FEMA trailers that hurricane victims have been living in for the past two years. I don't understand how government agencies can be so blatantly destructive.
FEMA Knew Of Toxic Gas In Trailers

The Federal Emergency Management Agency since early 2006 has suppressed warnings from its own field workers about health problems experienced by hurricane victims living in government-provided trailers with levels of a toxic chemical 75 times the recommended maximum for U.S. workers, congressional lawmakers said yesterday.

Money Money Everywhere

Thanks to Matt at Absolutely No Spin for his encouragement in continuing to write about my experiences at the Gulf Coast. After awhile the emotions get to be too much and it's hard to write about something so serious all the time. However I believe it is really important and I will keep talking until the word gets out there.

Today I came across an article from the Christian Science Monitor that said Private Dollars Leading Recovery of New Orleans. I of course had to read it, I think I've pretty much every news story about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast since being back from my trip.

The day I spent in New Orleans was education and sad to say the least. Our guide Mary who is the director of All Churches Together (ACT) a PICO organization discussed with us, among many things, the money situation. There are millions of dollars coming into New Orleans, but people are not benefiting from it all that much. Mary described over and over again, how it has been the people in the neighborhoods that have brought the spirit back to New Orleans and how the government has not been very helpful.

This article describes the situation in New Orleans, as I know it to be, very effectively. It discusses what has been done by the government (including the rebuilding of the Superdome, which to the best of my knowledge no one lives there), and what is being done in greater numbers by the people themselves.

Take a few moments to read the article, become educated about the situation. Note the sidebar on the last page giving you "recovery by the numbers." While there is a large number of street signs, light poles, and storm drains that have been repaired you would not notice these things during a drive through the city. What you would notice are the closed hospitals, schools, libraries, and the vacant houses.

One last statistic: The article says that $117 million in US funds have been allotted for the long-term community recovery program to rebuild public works such as libraries, sewers, and schools however $0 has been actually received by the city so far. We are coming close to 2 years since the storm and people are living with out the things that most people in the US take for granted, our libraries, schools, and don't forget our sewers.

Too Much

I am still trying to adjust to life after being in Mississippi, knowing that I can never go back to "things as usual." The scope of what is going on down there or rather what isn't going on down there is almost too much for me to handle. What can I do? As an unemployed seminarian in Central Ohio there is not much. I can sit here behind my computer and tell you what I witnessed, but I'm not sure if my words are nearly sufficient enough. I can also share my pictures and my stories and encourage others to take a week and see for themselves what needs to be done. But until everyone who experienced what I did starts to spread the word, most of the United States is going to be clueless to the condition of our Gulf Coast.

Two news articles were brought to my attention this week, one about the workers of New Orleans, and one about the safety of the city from flood even after damages have been repaired.

These are both New Orleans specific issues, however it is not just New Orleans who are being treated unfairly after the storm. For NO, it's a government problem and as we know government problems are hard to solve. For the rest of the Gulf Coast, such as in Mississippi, much of the problems are coming from the insurance companies. I don't even know how to begin to describe what the insurance companies are doing to the people that they are suppose to be helping. Someone pays insurance on their property, not for small incidents, but for large catastrophes like Katrina and then they never see the money they are entitled to. An Episcopal priest that I had the privilege of talking to while in Mississippi went as far as to call the insurance companies Satan... those are strong words coming from a very loving and understanding man. Lawsuits (like this one) are raging and people are still not seeing their money. I also found this attorney's website helpful in finding more information about the insurance companies. Keeping in mind that he is running a business and will be making money on any client he attracts through his website, I think it gives a pretty good picture of the problem at hand.

That's probably enough information for ya'll today.

FEMA Trailer

FEMA Trailer, originally uploaded by pnkwoobie.

Until recently I thought a FEMA trailer was a trailer like you would find in a trailer park. However, my eyes were opened that these so called trailers are what I call a camper. The kind you take on vacation. Depending on where you are some of these trailers are fifth wheel types, and some look like the one above. But they are certainly not large enough to accomodate a family full time. This is the trailer of the Shehorn family. Mr. and Mrs. Shehorn were living in their double wide trailer with their son Charles who had bought it for them in their retirement. Since the storm, they have had to move in with their other son and family, while Charles is trying to live life in the governmet provided trailer. I don't think it has to be said, but going to the bathroom in this trailer is challenging... I experienced it. Can you imagine living your life in this trailer?

The Gulf Goast is dotted with these trailers, with entire families living in them. I drove past on lot that had two kids playing outside with a basketball, their trailer sitting on the empty concrete slab where their house use to be. These kids went from living in a house where they probably had their own rooms, to living in a trailer with their entire family. And their family was lucky they could stay on their property. Some families living in FEMA trailer parks, where each of these trailers are lined up against a fence with enough room to park a car between each. If they are lucky they have a picnic table or chairs outside, otherwise they live their lives in these trailers.

Realizations

After being back from the Gulf Coast, there are things that take place in my everyday life that remind me of my life of privilege, and how things could be different if more people would take action.

On Saturday Ryan and I were driving towards the mall to purchase new cell phones before visiting his sister in Cincy. The fact that we have a mall to go to and that we can afford new phones is amazing in itself. However, while driving the back way on Old State Road, I observed housing development after housing development that seem to appear in a matter of months. Delaware County is one of the ten fastest growing counties in the country, and most people who live here are proud of that.

If you were to drive on highway 90 along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, you would not see housing developments, or shopping centers, or large apartment complexes. You would see empty concrete foundations where houses, shopping centers, and apartment complexes use to be.

If developers can build houses in a matter of months, there is no reason that we should still see so much emptiness on the Gulf Coast almost two years after the storm. It doesn't make sense to me. Why build houses for people who already have some place to live in Delaware County Ohio, when you could build houses for people who are living in FEMA trailer parks in Harrison County Mississippi?

I don't know the answer to these questions, but if it was up to me development in the United States would stop until people in the Gulf Coast region had some sense of normalcy returned to their lives. Katrina was a natural disaster and it should be considered a National disaster, but most people go about their lives considering it as one of the many things in the list of "not my problem."

After being where I was, I am overwhelmed by a sense of sadness every time I step outside of my air conditioned 600 square foot apartment. Several weeks ago we were trying to buy a house, because for some reason I didn't feel that this place was sufficient enough for us. But it's bigger than a FEMA trailer. I have a grocery store near by, and a church to worship in, and my neighbors have a school to send their kids. How can my apartment be any more sufficient than that?

The Last 7 Days

The last week is almost too hard to describe. I've found that sitting and writing about it isn't the way the story relates the best. For one, my writing skills are not up to par with what I've experienced. These experiences are best expressed in the form of a conversation. I hope to dedicate the next week or so trying to get the details out in writing, meanwhile discussing it all with those who will listen.

For those of you who didn't know I spent a week on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi in a town called Long Beach. I participated in the ongoing task of rebuilding everything that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which occurred in August of 2005. While New Orleans has gotten the most press, for many good reasons, there are parts of the Gulf Coast that have been affected drastically and are in need of as much aid as possible.

I was offered the opportunity by The Beatitudes Society, where 15 amazing, progressive, Christians gathered for a trip to Camp Coast Care. We were from across the United States with many different gifts. We came together to be the hands and feet of God in this world and to show the love of Christ to others.

We worshiped, slept, ate, worked, and laughed along side each other for 6 days, and shared hugs when it was time to depart. We carried the spirit of the Gulf Coast back to our homes, with hopes of effectively sharing our stories and the stories of those we met on our short trip.

However, this is only the setting for the story and does not begin to reach the meanings of what I experienced in Mississippi and since I've returned home to Ohio. Please be patient with me as I process all that has happened and post here what I can.