HELP REBUILD INNOCENT LIVES
By Bev Freeman
Published Thursday, March 15, 2007, Belmont Citizen Herald
Belmont, Mass.
I just returned from a week on the Gulf Coast with several others. We
prepared homes for rebuilding and we gathered information.
None of us knew the geography of the Gulf Coast before we visited.
It's actually easy imagine: From west to east, there are cities that
dot the coast starting with New Orleans and then the Mississippi
cities and towns of Bay Saint Louis, Waveland, Gulfport, Biloxi,
Pascagoula.
The still-devastated Gulf Coast region couldn't look more different
from Belmont. Imagine driving through Belmont and finding all
landmarks gone and roads of gravel rather than pavement (potholes and
all). No McLean Hospital, no Belmont Public Library, no churches or
temples. No Gulf, Citgo or Mobil signs, no Pleasant Street Gas and
Service, and no Belmont Studio Cinema. Trash in bundles everywhere; no
services, no homes or businesses left.
We spent some time in Pearl River county, home of Picayune,
Poplarville and other small rural towns. It's an hour due north of the
coast. Hit by Katrina, but not as badly damaged as the coast,
Picayune's current problem is that its population has tripled due to
an influx of people from the coast. Ninety-five percent of families in
Bay Saint Louis and Waveland are living in FEMA trailers, generally in
350 sq. feet of space, no matter what the family size.
I heard so many stories---for example, about a teen-ager who
courageously swam his own parents to safety but, to this day, is
violently angry because he wasn't allowed to return to save his
family's pets. I listened to a Hancock County school district
official, proud that schools were re-opened two months after the
storm, but who looked absolutely grief-stricken when she spoke about
the growing emotional toll on children, teachers and caregivers. The
need for mental health services in this area is huge.
Today, more than a year and half since Katrina, we saw what it takes
to rebuild lives in historically poor areas, made worse by one of
the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. It takes the work of many
brave and resilient people, like Kathy, who we met during our
stay. She works at the interfaith disaster warehouse in Biloxi, which
gives rescued furniture and building materials free to anyone who
asks. It takes the work of David, the YMCA director from Ocean
Springs, who has added to his to-do list the people of Pearlington, 45
minutes from his office's location, where youth violence is on the
rise.
It takes the work of groups and organizations, like the Lower Pearl
River Valley Foundation in Picayune, which has created after-school
programs and summer camps, called "Safe Harbor," for 2,400 children.
This effort required massive coordination on the part of many people.
The camps include service learning as well as field trips, sports and
a curriculum to mitigate post-traumatic stress. The foundation is hard
pressed to meet their goal to serve at least 3,000 children this
summer. In addition, comprehensive mental health services for the area
require expansion and paid staff to ensure sustainability well in to
the future.
Of course, helping people rebuild their lives also takes money. Your
financial support or volunteering on the Gulf Coast or advocacy at the
national level are tangible ways to help. Addressing disaster on our
own coast teaches lessons and empathy for the human consequences of
disasters everywhere. By giving in these ways, we can hope that our
community will be lovingly cared for in our time of need by the gifts
of strangers. Let Belmont show the way!
Consider a donation to the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation. It
serves as a responsible conduit for funds to meet basic health and
emotional health needs of families. This organization has the trust of
community leaders, and has flexibility and detailed knowledge of community
needs. Your check can be made payable to Lower Pearl River Valley
Foundation, 505 Williams Avenue, Picayune, Mississippi 39466,
attention Dr. Ted Alexander, CEO. Every single gift will be personally
acknowledged and you will be kept apprised of progress in meeting the
needs of hundreds of families.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Gulf Coast - What You Can Do
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Sunday, Mar. 4
Mike and I just got home Spent Sat. with Lanier in New Orleans. We had a chance to speak with Jed Horne, metro editor for Times-Picayune newspaper and Mark Newberg, who is chief of staff to Oliver Thomas, president of NO city council. Jed is author of "Breach of Faith" and oversaw article in today's (Sunday) Times-Picayune, "Last Chance." See www.nola.org. Due to canals, tearing up of the Delta by shipping interests and lousy leadership at all levels over the past decades, the cost of saving south Louisiana and indeed New Orleans are estimated to be astronomical.
We stayed at a B&B just outside the French Quarter. Floyd at the Lion's Inn couldn't have been nicer. It was great to shower in a tiled bath. Small luxuries. We also walked around quite a bit and then did a tour by car (see below).
BTW, I also recommend "The Great Deluge" by Doug Brinkley, which I'm reading now.
Our last day at Turkey Creek (Friday) was a lazy morning. Actually, I cleaned both the men's and women's bathrooms, which amazed the long-term volunteers. I think I may have become a best buddy of Lish's as a result! Eddie got held up so planned work on the huts at camp didn't start until the afternoon. By then we had to leave because we needed to stop in Biloxi to deliver the last of the Home Depot cards to the Interfaith Disaster Warehouse ($950 worth).
Kathy, the woman who received them from us, burst in to tears, and hugged us several times during our conversation with her---she declared that this money would be used to hire a truck and to buy and haul some sheet rock, which is in extreme short supply. She has been working at the warehouse for two months and she says it keeps her sane. She is living in a trailer with her 12 year old and recalled finding her home's roof two miles from where she lived, and other valuables strewn all around.
While in New Orleans, we drove through Lakeview, Gentilly (both suburbs next to Lake Pontchartrain) and the Lower Ninth Ward, which is huge, and it's accurate to say we were devastated by what our eyes saw. Lanier pointed out how the ruin on the Gulf Coast-Mississippi was due primarily to incredibly high winds (exceeding 175 mph) and hard rain so there is a randomness to the distribution of damage (some homes spared). Water receded relatively quickly. But in New Orleans, with waters at greater than 8 ft. in the Lower Ninth Ward and staying for weeks, a majority of homes collapsed and the damage is totally "equal opportunity" and consistently horrible. French Quarter as you may remember (and the Garden District) because built on higher ground, and due to fortress like architecture and layout, are still intact.
Bev
We stayed at a B&B just outside the French Quarter. Floyd at the Lion's Inn couldn't have been nicer. It was great to shower in a tiled bath. Small luxuries. We also walked around quite a bit and then did a tour by car (see below).
BTW, I also recommend "The Great Deluge" by Doug Brinkley, which I'm reading now.
Our last day at Turkey Creek (Friday) was a lazy morning. Actually, I cleaned both the men's and women's bathrooms, which amazed the long-term volunteers. I think I may have become a best buddy of Lish's as a result! Eddie got held up so planned work on the huts at camp didn't start until the afternoon. By then we had to leave because we needed to stop in Biloxi to deliver the last of the Home Depot cards to the Interfaith Disaster Warehouse ($950 worth).
Kathy, the woman who received them from us, burst in to tears, and hugged us several times during our conversation with her---she declared that this money would be used to hire a truck and to buy and haul some sheet rock, which is in extreme short supply. She has been working at the warehouse for two months and she says it keeps her sane. She is living in a trailer with her 12 year old and recalled finding her home's roof two miles from where she lived, and other valuables strewn all around.
While in New Orleans, we drove through Lakeview, Gentilly (both suburbs next to Lake Pontchartrain) and the Lower Ninth Ward, which is huge, and it's accurate to say we were devastated by what our eyes saw. Lanier pointed out how the ruin on the Gulf Coast-Mississippi was due primarily to incredibly high winds (exceeding 175 mph) and hard rain so there is a randomness to the distribution of damage (some homes spared). Water receded relatively quickly. But in New Orleans, with waters at greater than 8 ft. in the Lower Ninth Ward and staying for weeks, a majority of homes collapsed and the damage is totally "equal opportunity" and consistently horrible. French Quarter as you may remember (and the Garden District) because built on higher ground, and due to fortress like architecture and layout, are still intact.
Bev
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thursday, 8 pm
We've just returned from a celebratory dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Also saw UVA beat Virginia Tech (thanks to ESPN. This is our son Ross's college. Mike made a call to Jim Staton to share their joy at the victory.
We took Eddie and Kelly to dinner, and were joined by Sally and Lisa from Durham, North Carolina. A great time was had by all...there were some wild stories told; I'm not sure Eddie has completely absorbed what it means to be with UU women (and men)!
In the afternoon, the rains came. We left at 2:30 pm to see Hands On in E. Biloxi and to meet with Dr. Joe Dawsy, head of the Coastal health centers -- 8-9 clinics (now mostly in trailers, vans and rented space) that serve the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.
Hands On is a well run shop--we met with Chris, the director, and met other longer-term volunteers. This place can accommodate 90 in their bunks; presently there are 30 long-term volunteers and they will be full all during March.
Chris met David Campbell, founder of Hands On USA, in Thailand during relief efforts after the tsunami. He's been running Hands On-Gulf Coast for over a year. (Generally, Hands On USA does immediate rescue and relief and then moves on, responding to emergencies around the world. In cooperation with Hands On Network, another relief org, volunteers can stay long-term in affected areas.) I like the Hands On no-nonsense approach, nimbleness and effort to be good planners. East Biloxi is the poorer area of Biloxi; that is where Hands On is situated.
Meeting with Dr. Dawsey informative. Losing personnel each month, hard to draw doctors to the area since Mississippi, he says, has a reputation for extreme poverty and a lack of sophistication. Not so in Biloxi and with respect to the health care efforts there. Very underfunded for mental health services. Volunteer medical professionals are needed. Recipirocity (in terms of practicing medicine there) can be arranged with some advanced planning. UNC is bringing a busload of RNs and doctors to Biloxi in two weeks. Luckily, anyone licensed to practice in North Carolina automatically has licensure in 5 other southern states. Not so for nurse practitioners unfortunately. NPs can come to the Gulf Coast, but their scope of services is limited to RN duties due to Mississippi's rules. Especially this summer, this is a huge need in the area, as well as for, e.g., MPH students (who have a medical or nursing degree or health care admin. experience) who could help with management of the center and some clinical issues.
Lanier is taking Cally and Teresa to the airport nearby at 5 am tomorrow morning. Then Lanier, Mike and I head to New Orleans.
Bev
We took Eddie and Kelly to dinner, and were joined by Sally and Lisa from Durham, North Carolina. A great time was had by all...there were some wild stories told; I'm not sure Eddie has completely absorbed what it means to be with UU women (and men)!
In the afternoon, the rains came. We left at 2:30 pm to see Hands On in E. Biloxi and to meet with Dr. Joe Dawsy, head of the Coastal health centers -- 8-9 clinics (now mostly in trailers, vans and rented space) that serve the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.
Hands On is a well run shop--we met with Chris, the director, and met other longer-term volunteers. This place can accommodate 90 in their bunks; presently there are 30 long-term volunteers and they will be full all during March.
Chris met David Campbell, founder of Hands On USA, in Thailand during relief efforts after the tsunami. He's been running Hands On-Gulf Coast for over a year. (Generally, Hands On USA does immediate rescue and relief and then moves on, responding to emergencies around the world. In cooperation with Hands On Network, another relief org, volunteers can stay long-term in affected areas.) I like the Hands On no-nonsense approach, nimbleness and effort to be good planners. East Biloxi is the poorer area of Biloxi; that is where Hands On is situated.
Meeting with Dr. Dawsey informative. Losing personnel each month, hard to draw doctors to the area since Mississippi, he says, has a reputation for extreme poverty and a lack of sophistication. Not so in Biloxi and with respect to the health care efforts there. Very underfunded for mental health services. Volunteer medical professionals are needed. Recipirocity (in terms of practicing medicine there) can be arranged with some advanced planning. UNC is bringing a busload of RNs and doctors to Biloxi in two weeks. Luckily, anyone licensed to practice in North Carolina automatically has licensure in 5 other southern states. Not so for nurse practitioners unfortunately. NPs can come to the Gulf Coast, but their scope of services is limited to RN duties due to Mississippi's rules. Especially this summer, this is a huge need in the area, as well as for, e.g., MPH students (who have a medical or nursing degree or health care admin. experience) who could help with management of the center and some clinical issues.
Lanier is taking Cally and Teresa to the airport nearby at 5 am tomorrow morning. Then Lanier, Mike and I head to New Orleans.
Bev
Thursday
1:30 pm - Woke today to find out about tornado warnings until 6 pm. Cloudy and increasingly windy but tolerable. This morning we were back on Rippy Rd. at the pink house, as I call it, cleaning out the interior -- which means mucking around in rubber boots loading metal pieces, wood pieces large and small, and scraps of memorabilia in to garbage bags. Mike cut pipes; Eddie was insistent on saving some, so Mike was also using a wrench to unscrew them. Others on the roof securing a temporary roof. We then started to pull down a wrecked shed in a neighbor's yard. Eddie was joined by Cally in using a saws all. I watched her body vibrate at about 60 mph I don't know how she stood it. Having a quick lunch of a variety of leftovers. Saw Teresa eating sliced green pepper and corned beef hash!
Lanier was taking photos on Rippy Rd. taking photos of 25 or so houses on the historic register. Eddie Griffin, our fearless construction project leader, is psyched about improving the road because it's doable but $$ are needed for materials. Eddie and Derrick may be coming to Boston soon, an opportunity to be updated. I leave this afternoon about 2:30 to meet with Joe Dawsey in Biloxi, head of the health centers for Biloxi and Gulfport. Others want to see Hands On's set-up where they're building so we'll do this, too. More later.
Bev
Lanier was taking photos on Rippy Rd. taking photos of 25 or so houses on the historic register. Eddie Griffin, our fearless construction project leader, is psyched about improving the road because it's doable but $$ are needed for materials. Eddie and Derrick may be coming to Boston soon, an opportunity to be updated. I leave this afternoon about 2:30 to meet with Joe Dawsey in Biloxi, head of the health centers for Biloxi and Gulfport. Others want to see Hands On's set-up where they're building so we'll do this, too. More later.
Bev
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