Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
 

I am going to Bay St. Louis, MS, to help people in the wake of Hurricaine Katrina.

Our church, University Presbyterian Church, is coordinating volunteer work teams of 10-15 people to go there for one week missions. We will be serving "shoulder-to-shoulder" with the Presbyery of Mississippi Disaster Committee and Steve Bryant, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Vicksburg, MS.

"Team members will identify specific needs in the area and do what they can to meet those needs. Viable ministry may range from helping sort through debris, to providing a shoulder to cry on, to setting up a local cooperative for clearing debris, to identifying new strategies for local medical, educational, or business activity, to..."

I had my physical exam today, and my vaccinations. I have submitted my application, cleared my time off from work, and checked with SWMBO at home (not neccessarily in that order, of course). I am waiting for a green light. Departures are on Saturday, depending on flight schedules. Team members are expected to bring sleeping gear, all personal items, sturdy work boots and heavy duty gloves, etc. Team goal is to consume NO local resources, with the exception of minimal water and power usage. I am ready. Not packed, exactly, but ready.

I have more time than money, and I am aching to DO something.

outstanding BigV! that is awesome dude! :thumb:
just be careful in all the heat. DO drink your fluids!

Great BV and if you by a chance to stop by Bay Springs, MS. I might cook something.

*checking the map*...

busterb, I would gladly spend the week with you, helping in any way that I can. I will bring it up when I meet with the team. I am an indian on this trip, though, not a chief. I may not get to do what I want. But really, it's not about what I want anyway.

I will take a rain check on some home cooking, though, if you don't mind. :)

You are the man!

Bay St. Louis and I are about 100 mile a part, but a place to crash on the way, or to take a break. BigV. I've not forgot your offer of help. Pass it around. Take care! bb

Having just packed for such an expedition I have a few hints on things to take ...

Some type of premoistened wipey thing. Baby wipes are good, especially if you can find them in the travel pack size. The diaper bag size boxes are far to large to be practical, and don't fit in the pockets of a pair of BDU pants. I have spent a lot of time recently looking at the labelling on these antibacterial wipe things. A lot of them very clearly state "for hands and face only." I assume this to mean that they aren't intended for use on the more sensitive areas of the body. For this reason I bought the ones for diaper changings.

BDU pants are the way to go, incidentally. Tons of pockets, durable, and comfortable. And they come in an amazing variety of colors. Go for neutrals like navy and black.

Waterless hand wash is an essential.

Flashlights ... pick one(s) that are small, light, and durable. Try getting ones with an easily replaceable battery. I happen to prefer AA, since that's also the size that fits my digital camera. Nothing sucks more than a perfectly good flashlight with dead batteries. If you get Maglites they usually have a spare bulb under the cap. I purchased and packed with the idea that everything I took should be considered a disposable, so I went out and got a new LED flashlight that takes AAs for around $10.

I also took a booklight, just in case I had some downtime at night. Reading under the covers with a flashlight was really cool as a kid, but it's a pain in the ass sometimes. Also, if you end up having to fill out paperwork, it's tough to balance a clipboard, flashlight and pen all at the same time.

You don't necessarily need these ... but I got a batch of glowsticks, both 12 hour and 1 hr varities.

Speaking of batteries, if you can get a spare battery for your cellphone, all the better.

If there aren't sufficient cell towers, you'll also want to have a prepaid phone card.

Journal - you never know when you're going to want to jot something down for posterity and later Cellar posting. In fact, start your journal now, write about your current impressions, concerns, fears, and hopes for your mission.

A book you don't mind abandoning somewhere.

DO NOT be wearing those "heavy work boots" for the first time. Make sure that they are broken in. One of the most frequent injuries treated at disaster sites are blisters!!

Even if you aren't an EMT or First Aid provider, get a small personal first aid kit. Bandaids and Corn Pads are your friends.

Disposable gloves really do have 1001 uses.

Take more socks than you think you'll actually need.

Toiletries. Travel size stuff is GREAT for this ... although you'll be on the ground for a while. I bought the travel container for my hippie soap (discussed in the tea tree oil thread) for when I went camping this summer ... since it's able to be used as both a shampoo and body soap it really helped as far as reducing the bulk of what I was carrying).

Travel alarm clock.

Watch that's cheap enough that you don't care if you lose or break it.

Any medications that you need to take daily. Take extra. Make sure that at least one set of the pills is stored separately in a watertight container.

Aspirin (or motrin or tylenol), vitamins, antacid, antidiarrheal, allergy meds, cough drops.

Picture of the familyV.

And a towel. Always know where your towel is.

I might think of other stuff later.

Oh, and the most important thing to remember when you're going to take care of others is TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST.

Even when you are doing good for other folks, helping them, it's stressful! Make sure that you get some time for YOU every day. Exercise when you can, and make sure you talk to other folks about your impressions and feelings. You may end up seeing stuff that you're not supposed to, or not accustomed to. Trust me, some of it's rough even for people who do this kind of thing every day. I know that somewhere around here I have a stress management for disaster workers handout ... I'll post that later tonight.

Thank you so much wolf!

That is very, very valuable advice. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience in such a practical way. That is right up my alley. I have camped for years, I have done service projects at various camps, I have done household repairs on my homes of my own and others, I had first aid experience in the classroom and in the field, but I don't have any "disaster relief" experience. I want to render help more than receive help, but I know my limitations.

I don't know if/when I'll be called, but I have a regularly scheduled scouting camping trip this weekend, and I'll pack tomorrow night. I expect I can take my regular kit plus the disaster relief add-ons with little difficulty.

I like the journal idea. I guess this thread is the beginning of that process. In no particular order, in addition to all the above...

Chargers for phone and camera.
Headlamp
Vitamin I (ibuprophen)
Heavy duty work gloves
Hardhat (work provides one)
Safety glasses
"camp shoes" ie. tennis shoes
nalgene water bottles
water purifier that works with bottles
writing materials
shorts
sunscreen
...

brain has run dry for now. Bedtime for me. More tomorrow.

OOh ... Shower Shoes. Either flip flops or water socks.

Take several extra pens. It is inevitable that you will take at least one that is about to run out of ink.

Rather than direct linking to the stress management article (honestly, since right now I'm starting to recognize I need to go to sleep), go here:
Montgomery County CISM and click on the "Stress Eduction" link. The second batch of links relates to disaster related stress.

this might be a direct link to the education page

And bug spray. The more DEET, the better. It may damage some plastics, but you'll appreciate the long lasting killing strength. Deep Woods Off for Sportsmen. (regular Deep Woods Off has too low of a concentration, only about 38% or so. Get the GOOD stuff)

If you have room in your suitcase, and you want to be the best friend of any of the ladies on the journey ... take some feminine convenience products with you. Somebody's going to end up needing them. You could end up nominated for Sainthood because of that.

This is the "official" packing list that our team has on the member's only portion of the website. I haven't edited it to remove stuff we've already discussed.


Deployment Items

Think compact and small in packing:

Keep it to 2 duffels
One for your clothes/personal items
The other for everything else
Bring what you own or can borrow
You are not required to buy lots of items
Peruse list to see what you may want to augment
Many of these items are core to a personal emergency/disaster kit

Not all items need to be brought by everyone:

** items can be shared among the deployment team
Coordinate with the other team members

Clothing: (Suggestions are for minimum 6 days without washing clothes)

Sturdy shoes or boots
Bring an extra set
Make sure they are comfortable and broken in
Closed toe/low heel
Hard sole works best
Several pairs of socks
Hiking type socks are a good choice
Wear one, 5 extra?
Pants
Jeans
Work
BDU style pants
Wear one, 2 extra?
Undergarments
Your preference
Consider thermals in colder seasons
Wear one, 5 extra?
Belt
Belt pack or backpack
Shirts
Please try to wear team (or primary service organization) shirts
Considering layering options
Wear one, 5 extra?
Sweatshirt or fleece vest
Jacket or Windbreaker
Don’t bring your designer stuff
Hat
Inclement weather
Waterproof boots
Snow boots in winter
Consider “Waders” if going to a flood zone
Umbrella
Rain slicker, poncho or rain suit
Hand wash clothes detergent (e.g. Woolite)
Miscellaneous
Something to sleep in (sweats, scrubs, T-shirt/shorts)
Something to wear to showers (same items?)
Shower sandals

Sleep:

Sleeping Bag
Blanket/Sheets (Recommended in case it is too warm or cold)
Pillow (Can bring pillow case and use spare clothes)
Waterproof ground pad (inflatable for comfort?)
Ear plugs (highly recommended)

Food Stuffs:

Water (Mandatory)
1 gallon per day for 3 days
More in hotter seasons/high humidity
More in operations with primitive conditions (harder work)
Fresh tap water (that you bring) in appropriate container is fine
Consider smaller bottles or canteen to fill from main supply
Food (Must bring, Ideas follow)
High energy such as peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, trail mix
Comfort food, hard candy, candy bars, cookies, gum
(Take care with melting chocolate)
Cereal and UHT (box) milk
Freeze dried or MRE (military) meals
Utensils
Mess Kit (or reusable plastic cup, bowel, plate, flatware)
Manual can opener (pocket sized or on multifunction knife)
Knife
**Cooking supplies (if you are so inclined and facilities are real limited)
Charcoal, sterno, camp stove
Spices, cooking oil

Medical Stuff:
**First Aid Kit (Basic items for personal or team use)
Bandaids-large and small
Tape and sterile dressings
Gauze
Super glue
Triple antibiotic ointment
Butterflys/steristrips
Saline for irrigation (eye bottle works well)
Tweezers, small scissors
Prescription Medications
Keep with you at all times
Keep a listing of your medications in a separate spot
Include prescribed non-prescription meds (e.g. aspirin)
**Non-prescription Medications
Ibuprofen (Advil) or Naproxen (Alleve)-Pain, fever, inflammation
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)-Antihistamine, sleep
Meclizine (Dramamine II)-Motion sickness and nausea
Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)-Decongestant
Antacid (Maalox)-liquid and /or tablets
Immodium-Diarrhea
Hydrocortisone ointment-Rashes/irritations
Insect Repellant-The Higher the DEET, the longer and more effective
Sunscreen 30+
Sunblock lip balm (Can be used on lips, nose, and ears)
Eyes:
Spare glasses
Sunglasses on neck strap
Contact lens, spares and solutions, etc.

Communications:

Cell phone
Spare batteries
AC and 12 volt charging cords
**Radio (AM/FM/NOAA weather)-For news/weather info)
Spare batteries
**FRS/GMRS radios
Chargers
Spare Batteries
**Pocket (Casio style) TV
**Extension cords with multiple plug ins
Pay phones
Cash and change for pay phones
Calling Cards
Your phone/address book

Sanitation/Hygiene:

Pre moistened toilets
Alcohol based hand sanitizer (Purell)
Plastic Bags
Plastic garbage bags
Sealable, (Zip Lock)-Quart, 1 and 2 gallon sizes
Paper towels, nose tissues, toilet paper
Personal Hygiene
Liquid soap, shampoo
Deodorant
Comb/Brush
Travel size hair dryer
Toothpaste and brush
Dental floss
Feminine supplies
**Spray disinfectant
**Bleach
Disinfectant
Water purification (8 drops per gallon)
Towels and washcloths (2 each?)
Shower sandals

Safety Items:

Flashlight
Might consider pocket sized and larger
Spare batteries
**Small Hand Tools
Pliers, screwdrivers, knife, duct tape, trauma shears
**Alternate lighting
Candles, matches
Lantern
Cyalume sticks
Work gloves
Eye shields/protectors
Respirator/face masks
Peppermint drops/oil or similar to put on mask
**Hard hats
Second set of ear plugs (first set is for sleep, trust me)

Administrative Items: (## Coordinate these needs with coordinating team)

##Maps of Area (Can download from Mapquest or Yahoomaps)
##Handouts, starter supply
##Any forms required for deployment
Especially recording of expenses
##Writing materials
Tablet and drawing paper (or newsprint)
Pencils/pens
Crayons/markers (permanent and dry erase)
Masking or scotch tape (or similar)
##Deployment handbook and plan
##Larger cache of above supplies as needed
Especially if team is the primary team in/coordinating team
Identification
Photo ID, license and other personal identification
Official Team/Deployment ID
Professional ID
Cards
Medical
Emergency
Credit/Debit
Cash

Boredom Things:

**Good book(s)
**Deck of cards
**Crossword puzzles
**Travel board games
**Music (electronic or otherwise)

Security: TAKE NOTE…

Do not expect there to be security of your items
Do not bring anything that you can’t bear to lose (or be damaged)
Essential items (e.g. prescriptions and ID) should be with you at all times
Laptops and similar electronic devices may be useful
Consider their security before bringing
Such as security cables and locks (though no guarantee)









The above has been gleaned from Red Cross, PA MHRT, FEMA and personal experience/professional recommendation

My mother-in-law is a Presby. :thumb: Good-luck BigV.

Update:

I heard from one of the people at the church today. Here's an excerpt.
I'm not one of those who "know who you are..." I am not on a team yet. Feels like standing in line on the playground, waiting and waiting as the team captains took turns ignoring me. I wasn't always picked last, but I was never picked first. I must say it's good to see that the response has been "overwhelming". Not that I like to see them overwhelmed, but that it's a nice sign to see a strong response.

Meanwhile, I wait some more.

While you're waiting, going over the stuff you've packed and discarding the things you don't really need whiles away some of those hours ...

Hell, all he really needs is Deet and a Bowie knife. :lol:

And learn how to say "ya'll," supper and a few other key words.

Do you hear that? Do you feel that? It's my heart pounding, and my head buzzing from the nervous excitement.

I just got the call, my week will 29 Oct to 05 Nov. This is a tenative date, they called me to double check my availability before they booked the airline tickets.

I'm stoked, nervous, excited. And tongue tied, apparently.

More reports as events warrant.

eggsellent!

now repeat after me:
didjaeetyet? (did you eat yet?)
naw (no)
yontto? (do you want to?)
aight (alright)
sko! (let's go!)

:lol:

I cn dooat. An yessir, and yes ma'am, nosir, and no ma'am.

attawaytago! iaahh jus newwww ya cud

I believe you mean yez'm. :)

I am going to stick out. They might as well hear me coming. Yan-kee. But not NY style.

Is it really yez'm?

It is....

And i'm a yankee in the south too - it's interesting, people tend to look at ya twice when you open your mouth.

Pretty soon you'll start fixin to do stuff. You'll know then, it's time to come home.

Glad you can do this...wish I could, but unfortunately, current situations won't let me head further south.

Today there was a very good article on NPR about Bay St. Louis. Recommended.

From one of the links off Big V's link: Man, is that guy a dreamer. :lol:

Nope. Not a dreamer. The waiving/relaxing/suspending/changing of the rules is in full swing. I read that the casinos can now be onshore, not floating as before. A considerable change, driven by the hunger for the revenues from gambling. But with the casinos difficulty in obtaining insurance for floating properties, compared to bulidings on land, the change is in the works.

Yes, dreamer. Build the casinos on land....who's land? Former public land? Like hell, they'll take the land they want, in the best locations. Lot's of land for parking too.

What? You want to rebuild that waterfront home that's been in the family for 80 years. Tough shit, Boy. We're, with the help of the supreme court, building tax revenue generating properties here, so go away, squatter.

Oh, you'll sue? Bwahahahahahaha! You can't rebuild...we changed the zoning. :spank:

Yeah, I guess I misread you the first time. There will be many instances of those with power/pull using it to bulldoze the opposition. I guess I wasn't sufficiently cynical. One of my many character flaws.

You've got a crack in your bottom, too. :lol:

A couple of updates.

First, there have been several good stories on NPR coming from BSL. Here is a quick list. Listen at your leisure.

Second, I got a note from a stranger who lives in the area who saw this thread and wanted to thank me for my concern and my help. Wow. That was a nice surprise. It was a nice letter and also included some tips on what to expect and I found that very helpful. The whole letter was very encouraging. I may or may not meet this person in BSL, but I will be thinking of them. Thank you very much.

Next, we had our planning meeting last weekend. I got to meet the other five members of my team. There are three men and three women. Two younger, two my age, two older, one of each sex. What was the name of Noah's dinghy? :) I am the treasurer and one of two designated drivers. We fly Saturday morning Seattle to Houston, Houston to Jackson. We're expecting a van in Jackson. We've been instructed to top off the tank in Hattiesburg, even if we're not low. The whole idea is to place the minimum load on the local environment. It's not exactly Leave No Trace camping, but I will be very conscious of it. We'll be buying our own groceries before we get to town, and any supplies we may need.

I have been told that there's a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot within about 30 miles. That will come in handy as we have decided not to pack any tools. The only gear I'll be taking is my own personal safety gear, hat, gloves, goggles, masks, respirator, boots, etc. Anything else toolwise I'll get on site, or in Gulfport, 30 miles east.

Speaking of which, I want to take a minute and acknowledge my employers. They have been uniformly generous and supportive of the whole project from day one. In fact, when this was all happening, they announced they'd match any employee contributions. Nice.

When I asked for the time off for this project, I intended to take a week of my vacation time to do so. It's my time, I figured, I'll just have a coastal "vacation". My boss says "Oh no. We'll cover your time." Nice. Unexpected and nice. And tools? Here's the company credit card. Use your judgement. Bring receipts. Wow. My administrative costs are zero, so you can bet his help will be placed directly on the hurt. Class. It's this kind of personal generosity that inspires my loyalty. Thank you, all of you, at work. Those who will be picking up my slack, those who will be paying the bills, and to those of you who will be patiently stockpiling your problems to ambush me with upon my return. Just kidding. I am indebted to you all.

We will probably be spending a lot of time mucking out houses. For those structures still standing, the water damage from the storm surge ruined the remaining contents of their spared homes. I heard talk of drywall hiding sopping insulation. It's all got to come out. Once it's down, and dragged out of the house and to the curb, FEMA will take it away. We've also been told that some lumberjack duty may await us. Boss said I'm clear to get a couple of chainsaws if I see fit. I respect a chainsaw. For those jobs where it's the right tool, nothing else will do. Well, nothing you can buy at Home Depot. Ammo Depot, maybe, but that's not my bag.

I had my doctor followup today, set two of three in my hepatitis a/b series. My arm's sore.

I'm using this thread as my main journal at this time, but I will be taking a camera and posting the pics at my blog. I'm sure I'll get a couple here too. I will be taking pencil and notepad for my non electronic journalling onsite.

I'm feeling kind of scattered now. I'm gonna go home and finish packing. See you all tomorrow.

kewl dude, keep us posted and be sure and wave when you pass me by i'll be in the air and on station over beaumont/port author.
kudos to your boss as well for everything he's doing for you, your group and the people your going to help out! :thumb:

Good luck and way to go, BigV! It is people like you and your employer that make the real differences in this world.

Thanks for the bon voyages!

I'm really nervous now. I have to finish packing, get some rest and get to the airport on time. I'm accustomed to this pre-test pre-event stress. Tonight will be the peak, or tomorrow eeeeeaaaaarly (at airport at 4am local *yawn* time) if I'm not too zonked. Once on the plane, all will be well. "out of my hands" so to speak. But tonight it's Tums for dinner. yeeesh.

"Oh BigV's a lumberjack and that's ok ,
he sleeps all nite and he works all day ,,,,,,,,,"

Good luck down south , don't work your self to death , we need you around here !!!

Good luck. I hope that you have valuable and interesting experiences!

I'm still waiting to hear on my latest "potential deployment request."

Packed. Gear packed and packed with nervous energy. I should try to get .....2 hours of sleep before waking for trip to airport.

I'm taking my cellphone, and I'll try to post with it if I find the time and energy. I understand there's a 9pm curfew. That's early for me unless I've worked hard, then I'll sleep. But I've been known to trade sleep for reading before. See you all later.

shhhh....

on the ground now in BSL. Literally. Bunking w/other two men on team. lights out now. am posting in darkness from ppc. safe trip. arrived in darkness. dim signs of devastation: crushed homes, overturned cars. every intersection has 25 or so signs for roofing or mold removal or painting or siding or hauling, etc. stuck in the ground where you have to read them while you're waiting for the light to change.

I promise to take (and post, I hope)my favorite pic so far.

manana. :sleep:

I'm back.
 

I have returned from a week in southern Mississippi. I stayed in Bay Saint Louis and traveled and worked from Waveland to Bay Saint Louis to Pass Christian. The trip has changed my life.

I have been struggling with how to begin to report what I found. This first post trip post promises to be poorly organized, but a positive start. Please bear with me as I try to tell this story.

I know what heaven smells like--it smells like bleach. We mucked out a house on Sunday in Waveland. This house is about a mile in from the shoreline and the storm surge flooded the house with seawater. I don't know how deep the water was at this house, but inside the house there was a ceiling fan in the living room. Resting on one of the blades of the fan was a little table clock and on another blade was a videotape. They obviously had floated up there and were left high and dry as the water receded.

The walls, carpet and ceiling were black with mold. Everywhere. The house looked like the set of a horror film. Including the garage, naturally. That much water in motion floats and moves everything around so much that nothing can stays in it's original place unless it was built in. In their garage they had an upright freezer, well stocked with food. When we found it, it had fallen over forward onto its door, with the weight of the freezer and its full load of food sealing the door tightly shut.

We intended to remove the freezer from the garage by tipping it up enough to slide the blade of the handtruck underneath and the haul ass to the curb. When we tipped it up, it began to leak. It poured out a milky yellowish liquid with little sparkles in it. Actually, what I thought were sparkles were little wigglers of some kind--maggots probably. Eww.

The smell coming out of the freezer was BY FAR the most vile revolting gagging choking nasty assault on my senses I've ever encountered. I've smelled everything a baby can make stinky from loaded diaper mines to sour milk bombs. We have had all kinds of pets and they can stink too, from rolling around in who knows what to smeary wet dog. I have eaten things my body has rejected, from either end, that I will never eat again. The smell of all of these put together would be a delicate rose by comparison. The smell coming from this freezer was like the smell of death. I never want to smell it again.

We got the handtruck blade under it and expressed that monster to the curb and it leaked all the way. I came back into the garage to sweep out the crap and mud and funk. While I was doing this, B, another member of our team, was emptying the freezer of its biohazard cargo. FEMA / Army Corps of Engineers / Contractors won't take it unless it's empty and has the doors taped shut. I respect B, and although his sanity is somewhat in question, he will never again have to prove his masculinity to me. Ever.

I was caught in the garage with this evil spirit trying to possess me through my respirator. The spill covered the whole one car garage floor. I was using a push broom to urge the muddy funk out toward the door. As I swept the sides, I bashed into a soaked box of Tide laundry detergent. Great, I thought, I could use the help. After a couple of more strokes with the broom, I thought, Hey, if that's the detergent, the bleach must be around here somewhere...There! I uncapped the bottle and poured out about half the one gallon jug onto the floor, shaking it all over. Normally, that much bleach in such a small space would be a recipe for chemical poisoning, respirator not withstanding. But that...biological warfare agent, against that, it was barely a fair fight. I could breathe without gagging and retching into my respirator. I quickly finished sweeping out the garage and onto the driveway (using more bleach here, because we left a drippy trail out there too) and sweep sweep sweep across the street and into the ditch. Success!

Hours later, on the way home, someone said Boy, I want a shower, I really stink. I said, after today, B.O. smells like perfume. And heaven, well, heaven smells like bleach.

I don't see how maggots could get inside a sealed freezer?
C'mon...fes up...you were really raping and pillaging down there. :lol:

BigV, I am the one who wrote to you before you left for Bay St Louis. I had intended to post a reply, but I had one eye closed at 2 or 3 AM and didn't see the "Reply" button! Sorry, I forgot to mention the refrigerators.

Well, now I know why all the refrigerators haven't been picked up! That is the first I have heard about having to have them cleaned out! That is sadistic of whoever made that decision!!! However, I think we will win and they will eventually pick them up. (There are very few people living in that area of Long Beach, so maybe it is a little different than BSL and Waveland.)
There is NO WAY I am opening my mother's refrigerator after all this time. I can smell it when I pull up to her house, even though it is taped shut. My nephews gagged and ran out of the house for air when they accidentally opened it a little, and I could smell it from outside!

I think my refrigerator will never be the same again, after staying closed for 9 days without electricity. I didn't have much in the freezer because I had given it to my sister while moving to my new house I had been renovating, which is now very ... not good. Luckily, I had not moved a lot of my things, so I didn't lose a lot of personal stuff.

It is so wonderful that so many people are coming here to help! We couldn't do it without you! THANK YOU!!!!

BigV you are the man.

First, welcome to the cellar, MVM. I did get your message, and I read it many times. I found it very inspirational and I thank you for the encouragement you gave me. I also shared it with some of my team members and others the church, and the reactions were uniformly positive and thankful.

As to the refrigerators... They are more awful than my essay reveals. I did learn later while working on the last house of our trip that refrigerators with food in them *will* be picked up, in Bay Saint Louis, anyway. It is a different crew(s) that handles the "hazardous waste", a quote from the young supervisor of a trash pickup crew. He referred to the refrigerators as "dirty whites" and told me that the crews got extra for them. I told him those crews earned that extra pay.

When we mucked out a house, we hauled the debris out of the house and to the street. If there were no houses on the opposite side of the street, we dumped it across the street. If there were houses on both sides of the street, we kept to our side and within the width of the house, but we were instructed that we could use the street so long as we left one lane of traffic free. I took this to heart and started at the midline of the street and worked my way to the curb, and then into the yard. This had a couple of advantages. I got some "free" space to dump in, the mess in the street was very obvious and unlikely to be ignored, possibly/probably likely to be picked up earlier. Plus, when the houses were in close proximity to each other, we needed the extra area to dump in because the trackhoe that loaded the trash trailers could only reach twelve feet into the yard, measured from the curb. Plus, we could only dump so high, probably no higher than two wheelbarrow loads high. It was just too hard to roll/raise the subsequent loads over the previous ones. If we could roll up over a door, it was ok, but rolling on the trash was not really possible. It spread out, not up.

As we brought out the debris, we put it into two piles, metal, like refrigerators, ovens, bedframes, televisions, sinks, freezers, stovetops, etc, and the other pile was everything else. I was pleasantly surprised to see the diligence of the cleanup crews in their effort to keep the waste streams separated. I watched the trackhoe operator stop his rig, get out of the cab, and walk into the pile to extract a pair of 13" televisions from the everything else pile and put them in the metal pile. He got back in and fired it up and kept loading.

You're one of the good 'uns BigV!

So is Karl Malone

Right on!!

I had many people express their disgust at some, not all, of the "official" responses. But without exception, every local I encountered with whom the subject came up said they owed the volunteer effort everything for their survival. The Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, and Karl Malone. Open up the Yellow Pages to churches and they were all there. And the distinctions between one to the other disappeared. What uniform you wore on Sunday was a matter of monumental indifference when it came to getting the work done.

I was brought to tears more than once by the expressions of gratitude by the people we met. My team and I came from Seattle, and we were working and sleeping and eating and praying alongside teams from New Jersey, Team Vermont, a group of eight guys who piled in a Suburban and drove 1600 miles with a tiny U-Haul trailer full of chainsaws and food and supplies, alongside a doctor from Sonoma California, San Diego. Two ladies from Alabama showed up and said "We want to help". This was a very common expression.

There were people there who were working for pay, and there's nothing wrong with that. As long as both parties respect one another. I heard one story of a home owner who hired a crew of Mexicans to clean out his house. They worked for two weeks and at the end of it, they asked for their pay. The homeowner balked, saying "I fed and housed you these past weeks. Isn't that pay enough?" And then drove them to the outskirts of town and dropped them off. True or not, I did hear the story. Equally bad is gouging on the part of the worker. I didn't hear any stories, but having the distressed homeowner over a barrel and pressuring for more money is unconscionable.

At the intersections were many many signs stuck in the dirt at the edge of the road for house guttin', tree cuttin', "Hungry roofer" (my favorite), mold removal, debris removal, every possible labor offer... Commerce will return to the Gulf Coast.

On a slightly different note, I just heard a story on the radio about volunteers in New Orleans. There is a city park where many people are camping. The city has decreed that if you are camping in the park you own $300 per month if you're in a tent and $350 if you're in a trailer. For the people who are working to clean up the city. Does this sound backwards to you? The city representative is saying the park suffered $46 million dollars worth of damage and the funds are needed to start the rebuilding process. These details are from memory, and I have done little fact checking. I look forward to any corrections.

;)

BigV, you sound like a man with a plan! That's great about your calculated debris piling!

Now that you mention it, I have noticed the piles being separated. I think the crews have to do it a lot of the time, and they group them together. The crews have been doing really great in Long Beach, too. It is amazing how fast they are clearing the debris in the hardest hit areas.

One of my mother's neighbors has about 15 refrigerators in their small front yard, but my mother's is still across the street in her yard. There aren't that many houses in that block, so I don't know where they all came from! These neighbors have been working on their house and they are planning on being moved back in by Thanksgiving. We are hoping the refrigerators will be gone by then!

That is so true what the locals in the Bay-Waveland area told you about the Gulf Coast needing all the volunteers! Not only has it helped us physically by clearing out our yards and homes, but just knowing that so many people truly care is a great lift to our spirits. Everyone is talking about how the church groups have been so helpful. The next time there is a disaster, I know where I will be donating my money!

The volunteer groups have made me realize that I never even thought about going and helping another community the way you and all the church groups have done. A lot of the locals have been talking about that. We have been amazed that people have been using their vacations from work to come and help us! Sometime in the future when there is a disaster, I want to be able to do what you did (as long as it isn't any time in the next year or so!). Thank you for teaching us the kind of compassion that is partnered with action.

I looked up about City Park charging rent and it is true. At first I was surprised, then I realized that New Orleans is grabbing at straws, trying to find a way to stay afloat. I think the intention was to charge workers, not volunteers, and to provide portable toilets and showers. I guess the officials figure if they had a place for people to stay, they would be paying to stay there. Here is the link to the full story: <http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-89/113152179542700.xml?nola>.

Also, New Orleans is New Orleans, and they just do things the way they do them. A favorite quote I saw recently is that "New Orleans is just trying to get back to abnormal!"

About the Mexican workers in the Bay St Louis area, I heard a similar story. The story I read said the company hadn't gotten their money yet to pay the workers. I don't know if that was true or not. I hope that is not happening a lot. The illegal aliens have no legal recourse and they can be deported, so they are taking chances working here. I have read horror stories about what some of them go through to get to this country.

I see the link didn't work. If you go to the Times-Picayune site, which is nola.com, then look for "City Park tent fee", you should find it.

I stayed at First Presbyterian Church, in Bay Saint Louis. This is a picture of the church. The high steep roof suffered a little damage, mostly missing shingles. The structure, just two buildings back from Beach Drive, had only two inches of water covering the floor, and, as you can see, wasn't crushed by water or trees or wind. Eyewitnesses said the water parted around the building. You may draw your own conclusions.

In the second picture, you can see the tool shed and a couple of tents erected to house the work teams.

Our team was fortunate enough to be able to bunk inside. In fact, in the second picture, you can see our bunks being made. Two by fours and a sheet of OSB, we got four two bed bunks in the room. Our team was six, three men and three women. But the team following us was eighteen. They were going to need the bunks. Probably the tents too.

This tree stood across the street at the end of the block. The whole area was filled with these trees. They are huge. Some of them are hundreds of years old. I took many pictures of them, and you're sure to see more in future posts. In the direction of this picture, you can see some of the homes wrecked by the hurricane.

The second picture is of an envelope I found lying on the sand.

I found it poignant that someone's letter was cast upon the shore, like a message in a bottle. I leaned closer to the letter and to my surprise, I found it was dated 07 Sep, only one week after the storm. Then I looked closer. 8 cents for an airmail stamp?! The postmark had a year too. 1967. Someone's love letter, or a card from a loved one, a message that brought back memories. Now just a piece of storm tossed debris. I can see a house in the background, but where was it's home?

Child's play, but no child.

Here's the dresser, but where's the bedroom?

Walk down the beach with me a stretch, will you?

In the corner of the first picture is B, from our team. This is along the area where Beach Drive *used to* be. You can see a line of flotsam and the ruined Hwy 90 bridge in the background. I took many pictures of the bridge, not so much because it is wrecked, but because it showed the awesome force of the water. The violent way the large and heavy and built into the ground components of this roadwork were cast about is stunning. More of these pictures later. This one shows the breadth of the destruction of the bridge.

The second picture is taken from what would have been a lane of traffic on Beach Drive. Look closely and you'll see large brown pipes--water mains. Yellow gas lines. Crumbled sections of roadway. These are usually buried well below the surface, and here and in other places, so much erosion has left them exposed. In other places, I'm looking *up* at fire hydrants. The roadway was chewed up and spat inland.

Here are a couple of houses still mostly standing on the beach.

In the first picture is a concrete cylinder, with a red line near the top. This is the opening to a manhole that led down to the sewers. It is a brick lined concrete well.

In the second picture, the roots of the oak tree in front of this house are two to three times my height. The house looks remarkably intact.

This house fared less well. In the second shot you can see how the storm surge pushed the seawater and sand well up into the main hallway of the house. Notice the fireplace hanging loosely on the left. See the colored window at the end of the hall.

The owners of this big old victorian house were veterans when it came to storm preparation. But this storm obviously overwhelmed them. Here are a couple of pictures showing evidence of their practiced defenses.