HancockCountyRelief

Books On Hurricane Recovery

2009-02-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

As I have time, I'll be posting more links to books regarding the rebuilding of Pearlington, Waveland, Bay St Louis, Kiln and the rest Hancock County. If you know of any, please let me know.

I've long held I wouldn't advertise anything that was a for-profit endeavor, but I think at this point, they need to be shown in an effort to prove rebuilding has yet to be complete.

The first is Pat Holt's Rebuilding Pearlington. She's a lady from basically all over the nation, having served in the military and after retiring, took up photography. I wish her memoir included many more of her photographs, but perhaps she is working on a separate book for those.

I do have a few others, which will be posted in the appropriate blog, and then all will be collected on the KatrinaNetworking blog

Letters From Katrina

2007-12-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

To Contact - fill out form

To Purchase From Barnes and Noble

In the spring of 2006 Growing Field Books began donating books to a single elementary school in Colorado. Inside each book students were invited to write a pen pal letter to an elementary student in Mississippi. Today the project has grown to over $20,000 in donated books, includes dozens of schools, classrooms and grade levels from Colorado to California, includes thousands of students and has generated thousands of letters written between children.

Today, these heartwarming letters of hope, encouragement and friendship are being offered to you in the soon to be released book “Letters From Katrina.” 100% of the proceeds from this project will be donated to create the Katrina Endowment and will generate a lifetime of scholarship opportunities for every child in Hancock County.

Buy your copy of Letters From Katrina today and be inspired by the hearts and minds of our youngest and greatest generation.

Each letter reminds us all that we can truly change the world when we learn to ask not about gender, race, religion or socio-economic status- but instead ask one another the magical question that will truly change the world…”Would you be my friend?”

Letters From Katrina is not about looking back in fear or focusing on destruction. It is about hope, about inspiration and friendship and about the example set by the children of our country.
Make a difference today! Purchase your copy of Letters From Katrina and help every child in Mississippi understand that while the storm may have been able to wash away much of their past…it cannot touch their future!!!!

The Katrina Endowment was created for the children of South Mississippi who were directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. It is intended to provide graduates of Hancock and Harrison County schools with the opportunity to attend post-secondary education with up to 100% tuition scholarship. You can review the Katrina Endowment program details by opening this document

You can also donate directly to the Katrina Endowment below. Please know that 100% of all donations go directly to the Endowment.The Endowment’s Tax ID is 37-1514239.If you prefer, you may send a check made out to:

Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
Please include on the memo line: The Katrina Endowment

Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
4745 Wheaton Drive, Suite 100
Fort Collins, CO 80525

Thank you so much for taking the time to write and inform me of your remarkable project, Letters from Katrina.

This book sounds like an amazing collection of compassionate stories and a true testament of the human spirit. And it’s wonderful that the proceeds will directly benefit the children of Hancock County, Mississippi – you should be so proud of your dedicated efforts to make a difference.

Again, thank you for thinking of me and I wish you much success on the release of the book.

Best,
Maria Shriver
First Lady of California

Mark Hoog’s book YOUR SONG was an incredible gift to the children of South Mississippi but the letters of love and encouragement inside made them real treasures. When Mark came to present the books he brought his wife and children and a dear friend/photographer Kim Lemaire and her children to share the gift.

Mark and Kim don’t just talk about friendship and hope; they have embedded themselves into our lives and our community. They have taken our stories to their own communities in Colorado and California and far beyond and from that this beautiful project LETTERS FROM KATRINA was born. What an amazing gift of hope and future to our children.

Thank you to our angels of hope and friendship.

Dian “De” Ross
Brain Food Literacy Founder
Gulf Coast First Book Volunteer

I fell in love with the book at first glance! The pictures, the letters, the tidbits of information touch on so many memories we all share from those days after the storm. Kids are so resilient and can frame our emotions in just a few actions or words. This book does an excellent job of capturing post-storm feelings. Job well done!

Kim Stasny, Ph. D.
Superintendent
Bay St. Louis – Waveland School District

I'd like to personally thank you and the rest of your group for taking such an interest and making such a difference in the lives of these kids. Many individuals and groups have offered and given assistance in the aftermath of Katrina, but few have given long-term assistance as you have. Thanks again and God bless you for the important work you are undertaking.

Myron Labat, Sr.
Principal, Second Street Elementary

Upcoming Events:

January 15th. Loveland, Colorado
Mark will be speaking at Monroe Elementary in Loveland, Colorado. All day plus parent night at 7:00 PM. []
February 21-23. San Diego, California
Mark will be speaking with Olympic Gold Medalist Mike Eruzione at the Digital Solutions Cooperative Conference (DScoop) []

Blog Index

2007-09-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Items in Red are NEW
Items in Green are UPDATED
Writing in Purple is my addition

Other Sites Related to Hancock County Relief
Katrina Networking Site
Pearlington
Waveland
BayStLouis
Gulf Coast Artist Relief
Gulf Coast Emergency Services Relief
Real People Relief

Volunteer Information
For Agencies and Organizations
Katrina's Angels
For Non-Profits and Municipalities
Assistance For Schools
Grants for Non-Profits
Grants For Communities
Citizen Action Team
Community Gardens Effort
City Action Partnership
Gulf Coast Civic Works Project - please support
MS United Methodist Disaster Response
UMCOR Response
Safety Guidelines For Volunteers

For Individuals
Resource Pages -
Grandfamily/Single Parent Resources
Family Resources
Medical Resources
LA Family Resources
Education Assistance
Businesses
Mortgage Resources
Furniture and More
Home/Utility
Elderly
Resources for Children/Childcare
Disabled
Grants for Individuals - does not include homeowner or repair grants
Dental

Articles, etc.
Article Index
Pictures and Videos Collected
Blogs To Follow
FEMA Information

Children's Information
Helping Expectant Mothers
Boys and Girls Clubs

County Information
6/27 East Hancock Volunteer Fire Department
Long Term Recovery Organization 6/5 - updated with lumber information
Hancock County Arts
Hancock County Event Calendar
Radio Station (2/16 Article )
Green Spaces Landscaped
West Hancock Fire and Rescue
Hope Haven Childrens Shelter
Support The Shelter - Buy an Afghan
Friends of The Animal Shelters
Hancock County Families in the Real People Relief Blog
Emergency Operating Center
Food Pantry Updated
Library System Information

Organizations Working For The County
CC Here Hope
Volunteer Index Of Many Organizations Working in Hancock County
Calvary Chapel
Charity in Action
Camp Victor
Manna Ministries
Disaster Corp
MDA Office Opening in Hancock County
Powerhouse of Deliverance Church
KenTenn
Gulf Coast Recovery Corp in Kiln
Medical Center Assistance
Sheds of Hope - Through Lagniappe Presbytery
Governors Commission Housing Center

Helping Without Going Down

Auto Break Ins On Rise

2007-07-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Car burglars hit Hancock County
Many residents still leaving autos unlocked, police say
By J.R. WELSH
baybureau@aol.com

HANCOCK COUNTY --

Law enforcement agencies countywide are investigating a rash of auto burglaries in which thieves are stealing cash, guns, cameras, jewelry and other valuables from vehicles that often have been left unlocked.

The burglars are indiscriminate about jurisdictional lines. Thefts have occurred in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, and an especially large number of cases has been reported in unincorporated Diamondhead.

"We've had 35 cases in Diamondhead in the last two weeks," Kenny Hurt, chief investigator for the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, said Monday. He said that 11 suspects - all under the age of 16 - have thus far been arrested, but burglaries continue.

In one Diamondhead case, thieves removed a digital camera from a car, took pornographic photos of themselves, then put the camera back in the car, Hurt said.

"There has been a rash of car burglaries all over the county and both cities," said Waveland Police Chief James Varnell. He said Waveland had seven car burglary reports recently, with five occurring in the past week.

In one Waveland case, he said, a man went outside about 1:35 a.m. after hearing his car's burglar alarm go off at his Sharon Street home. Thieves had smashed a rear window to enter the car and the owner found a front door standing open.

The burglars stole two guns - a two-shot Derringer and a .40-caliber Glock handgun - as well as $15,300 in cash. The burglars also stole a 14-carat gold bracelet with tiger stones from the same car, Varnell said.

Since Mississippi law treats someone's car as an extension of the home, it is not illegal for citizens to have guns in their cars.

The thefts are not being limited to auto contents, however. In another case, a Bay St. Louis resident reported seeing a four-wheeler being stolen from his house off Main Street. The man went outside just in time to see the four-wheeler being loaded into a white van with a ramp and being driven away.

Interim Bay St. Louis Police Chief Tom Burleson could not be reached for comment Monday.

In a Waveland neighborhood off Beach Boulevard, at least two other thefts occurred. One resident reported seeing a red pickup leave the area immediately after a car burglary.

Diamondhead resident Katie Breath, another burglary victim, said a purse containing identification, cash and a digital camera was stolen from her car after the lock had apparently been jimmied open. When she called Diamondhead security, she said, "They told me I was the seventh car burglary call that day."

Breath said such cases seem almost epidemic. "Every time I talk to someone, they have a similar story," she said Monday. "I talked with three others just last weekend."

Police are warning people to park their vehicles as close to their homes as possible in well-lighted spaces, and to make certain their cars are locked.

"They have been taking anything and everything," Hurt said. "And in 99 percent of all these burglaries, the vehicles were left unlocked."

Varnell also recommends that residents be watchful. "If you spot suspicious cars or persons in your neighborhood, call 911 immediately," he said.

Kathleen Update

2007-06-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Race To The Cape Where the Oak Tree Should Stand.

Gulfport to Biloxi Yacht Race, Mississippi. 6/10/07
Kathleen Johnson

A thirty nine year tradition in these parts. Nine entries last year and thirteen this year. Despite the storm - progress. Although the finish port is not the same - this yacht club was close enough to Biloxi to be the "Cape".

It has been many a year since I was out racing - I am still a fish out of water in this game. I was a young teenager, in Western Australia, just out of high school when I started racing at home. Thought I knew it all then. Even a couple of rescues by the river police didn't daunt my
enthusiasm. At that time I was also racing Olympic kayaks and was in tip top shape. And here I am at 56 racing again - as a Volitourist.

As a region, the Gulf Coast is coming back from Katrina. I find myself not talking about the hardships down here - probably because I do not want to hear it again as it was painful enough the first, second, and third time. To relieve the pain they relay their hardship to recovery
over and over. And we listen trying to formulate a unique plan to their unique situation – not a socialized solution in a one size fits alls FEMA platform.

It's not all yacht clubs and limousines either (yes there was a limousine outside the yacht club picking up a patron from the race who didn't want to motor back the few miles to Gulfport). On the trip back from Biloxi to Gulfport on 90 - it's not hard to see the devastation as it's all gone excepting a couple of new Waffle Houses. They themselves are an enigma between the new grand land based casino at each end of the highway between Biloxi and Gulfport - both
business entities serve entirely two sets of demographics.

For me - it is an afternoon to escape from the misery I see and hear everyday in this recovery. It's not about recovery - but deferred maintenance on poverty. A far cry from the lifestyle out on the high seas on a sunny summer afternoon going from yacht club to yacht club.

This is not the chocolate city of New Orleans - not even close. In fact - I do not see any of my clients here sipping wine on the leeward side of the yacht club in the shade. What a shame that is - I miss their wonderful down to earth sense of humor and good manners. This is a far
different world than the world I work in every day - and that other world is just around the corner from here over the hill back a few miles from the sea. There they are just as proud, just as strong, just as determined to recover. It is just a different world with a different set
of tools to recover with. Not a lot of money - just resilience.

For an afternoon - the locals here on the beach relive their recent past as it was, as it will be again with hard work and perseverance. The new palms and newly planted oaks on 90 stand testament to optimism.

There will be recovery Gulf wide. Like in the classic novel, "Animal Farm", some will be more equal in the process than others. We still have far to go in this quest for equity. No one is planting new oak trees or palm trees in the Middletown of Waveland, Ms - even the local Martin Luther King Park has yet to acquire either. But the locals only talk about shortfalls in hushed whispers amongst themselves or are in denial that it is an issue at all - that way the problem will go away and all will be well in the world. Still there is a space where the Oak tree should stand.

Picture Slide Show

HC Long Term Recovery Org

2007-06-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sign Up For Their NewsGroup

6/12 - Update from Kathleen
http://hancockcountyrelief.blogspot.com/2007/06/kathleen-update.html

6/5 The first semi load of lumber has arrived. The pictures and the manifest is listed: http://www.wavelandcitizensfund.org/warehouse2.html
We are expecting the second semi load today.
Also, yesterday, the semi of water arrived.
Fax Orders: (228) 466-4638
The lumber pristine and we are moving it today to 700 Tabor, Waveland for pickup.Kathleen JohnsonDirector:
Katrina Reliefhttp://www.wavelandcitizensfund.org
(228) 466-4630

4/19 From Kathleen Johnson - Who Are The Victims of Katrina?

4/8 Here at Katrina Relief, the work continues in the aftermath of Katrina. We have so far to go in this county that it is estimated that rebuilding will take, approximately, 5 years at a minimum. We have barely started. We could use your help again this summer if you have the time to come down as an individual or as a group.

We have air conditioned housing and a displaced New Orleans Chef that we have adopted (for the very best selfish reasons) who is cooking for the volutneers. Check out the website for the details under "Housing" and, also, while you are there check in and see what we have been doing lately.

We encourage "VoliToursists" as there is much to do down here if you are interested in spending some vacation time here on the Gulf Coast.

If you are planning on doing some touristing while you are here - your housing arrangements with us will remain static while you are wandering around the area enjoying the vast beaches, boating, and day tours. I highly recommend you include a trip to the Fort at Ship island and the other civil war historical spots in the region.

Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Kathleen Johnson
Director: Katrina Relief
700 Tabor St., Waveland, Ms.
(228) 466-4630 (Office)

4/1 Its been a great week watching the latest Elkview home go up - its nowstanding ready for the shingles. Great progress: http://wavelandcitizensfund.org/ElkView.html
You can watch the progress at that link above - some great shots in there. This home we can black in for less than $10,000. 576 sf with all the comforts of home. For those with absolutely minimal resources - this home can be put up with easily available grant monies.
It has been another fabulous week at Katrina Relief with another mile of work orders - particularly in electrical and plumbing. Ohio Disaster Relief contributed to that as they loaned us a couple of electricians for a couple of days and we also had our own full time electricans and plumbers. We have two new house starts this week and another two next week. We are rolling along.
So, how is it going at your operation?
Kathleen Johnson

3/27 Scam
Dear Colleagues and Organization Representatives, Please forward this to all of your contacts! I have sent this to the entire list serves(I have) for STEPS and Rebuild Jackson County.
A member of the ECD/HOPE staff was alerted today of a potential scam taking place. A group is calling and emailing folks (especially senior citizens) claiming to be MDA. They have a logo,etc that appears to be official. They tell applicants that certain information is needed to complete the application for Phase I or Phase II grants and then they get the applicant’s personal information.
Please let people know that MDA/Reznick has a policy where they never ask for personal info over the phone or via email.
If people are solicited, it is NOT an authorized contact. If more details emerge, we will keep you posted.

Thanks!
Christy M. Hahn 228-466-8267
Executive Director
Hancock County Long Term Recovery Committee
5380 Kiln Delisle Rd.
Kiln, MS 39556

3/1
Thursday March 1st

Wow, another month - hard to believe. And still 29,000 thousand people in FEMA trailers in Mississippi. We, here at Katrina Relief, are knocking out, upto 3, houses per week here. And that is a very good statistic.

We have about 950 clients total and we have till August, according to FEMA, to find all these people permanent housing. Our full time camps are all going home for the summer on April 1st - they have to go to plant their crops. Thats about 175 full time volunteers per day - thats
a critical loss of labor.

Our summer bookings are pretty solid - but the percentage of skilled labor to non skilled labor is low. Here, at this camp, we ask that there be a skilled volunteer per 8 members of the volunteer group and that the skilled person be capable of leading those 8 in the field. This will allow us to continue the work - but production will be at a slower pace.

Given this is the pattern across the region - for the life of me I can not see how we will ever be able to make the deadline in August. It is completely unrealistic. My clients are in panic mode and some of their Case Managers are already making threats. One today, with a FEMA witness
present, was threatened by her FEMA housing Case Manager, that she had to find housing by April or they were coming to get the trailer. The FEMA contractor was appalled by this and came into the office to get help for this client.

What am I supposed to do for all these "renters"? There has been no funds allotted by any entity to deal with "renters"? One of mine has already committed suicide - she shot herself with a shotgun out of desperation to the situation. I have the letter she wrote to me prior to that - I have read it often since that time. I think I am going to publish the letter, without the name, as it so clearly outlines the desperation of the renter situation.

On a good note. We just had the most unbelievable team of forty 11th graders from California Jewish Highschool. They gave up their class trip and came here to work for two days. And what a fabulous two days it was. We plowed thru some work - many hands make light work. Marvin, over in Shoreline, is still in awe as to what they were able to accomplish on his property. He called when he got home to ask me what army I had brought over there to clean up his property. He was so stunned by the work he was just "stunned" even on the phone. He was so absolutely thrilled. I had only told him I was going to paint - the fact that we stepped up and cleaned all that "debris" was a complete surprise to him.

Marvin never was the best housekeeper and was a self admitted "packrat - but the storm made even a greater havoc of that state of affairs. Prior we had made inroads to the problem - but this time we picked up the ball and just cleaned up everything and everything and Marvin finally said "goodbye" to that "stuff". He said it was about time he let it all go to the curb - he said he was calling the trash people themselves so he could make sure it left. That was even a surprise to me - and, finally, after eighteen months, we got thru to Marvin and he is off to a new
start in life. These highschoolers really have no idea exactly just how much "success" they had at this work order.

This 11th grade team were incredible - I am in awe of what they stepped up to do. They even fixed my fence around the property here. Yes, I bring home a stray dog or two, medically treat, and then send off to a better home. We never had a "complete" fence before as the storm had
played havoc with it. It wasnt that we could not do it ourselves - we, as a team, always just took care of everyone else first. But now it stands tall due to these kids. Many hands make light work.

They cleaned eaves, listened to residents, moved mountains of dirt, painted, put on siding, hauled trash, sorted paint, and most selfish of all on my part - they lifted my spirits high to the point of souring. I was much in need of revitalization and they did this for me. I can never
thank them enough.

As for the supervision - this troup of 40 was the epitome of how supervision and organization makes the world of difference for juvenile team and allows them to be the awsome success story they were.

And, as a footnote - they brought a very generous donation that is going to make huge in-roads to the recovery effort here. It has already purchased a special vaccuum for when you are sanding sheetrock so the dust is contained as the sanding process proceeds. It protects the
workers - a huge safety issue for us here.

Some of the troup expressed a desire to return - Lord I hope that comes to fruition. We are in such desperate need for volunteers with their spirit here - the "Can Do Attitude of the Little Train". Many expressed a desire to become Virtual Voluntees - calling a list of residents on a
weekly basis to a)Find out how they are b)Ask what they need c)Ask if they are in a church community and if they would like to to back to their church community. This last question is so important as the church community can provide so much support including assistance in the form of "barn building".

And the bookings continue for the summer - as well as the announcement from one of my full time teams that they may stay for an extra month into the summer - I am so hopeful that that will happen.

We have a team here from Alaska right now. Have a team coming in from Canada. From far and wide they come. A forty foot motor home in one spot in front of the warehouse and a 26 foot trailer in front of the house. Its a busy camp.

Myself - I am so exhausted. And I can see this is going to be a very long, long summer.

So, how was your day?

2/10
This has been a fabulous week at Katrina Relief. A mile of work orders accomplished, four new houses with grants in the works, a grant for a pastor, and another refurbish job funded.

The fence is almost up around Herlihy Park too. The contractor has been working hard over there and it looks great!

And, we are well on the way to starting the rebuilding of St. Rock Methodist Church - Yeah!!!!!!!!! We had a construction meeting here last night on the church - we should be starting on that foundation within the next two weeks. Everything else has been organized including a
construction coordinator. I am so impressed with the teamwork of this small church. Once built though - we are going to need your help to finish up the inside. The building plan right now is a 40 x 50 metal building (already ordered) that will be used for a community center after they build an addition, down the road, for the much needed larger church. But for right now - this will be the "church".

I have two other churchs' I am working on. Both in the poorer parts of the county, both Baptist, and neither has a sponsor yet. But we are moving forward on both of them. If you are interested - please contact us. They will need materials and volutneers. Most important - they will need a sponsoring partner church.

We have electricians and plumbers here from Washington this week and we have a long term tape and texture man arriving today - he will be here three months.

We handed out 35 work orders this week - one nail at a time, one family at a time. Every little bit moves us that few inches closer.

A good local friend confided in me yesterday that his wife has been diagnosed with cancer. This person has been a staunch supporter and true leader in the community. I cried when he told me. I still am brought to tears by this. I am so frustrated, at times, here of the one step
forward and two steps backward. I probably need a break from all of this. But no one on the horizon who can step in to take over this office for a week or two. I keep thinking God will provide. And he does. But not a long term construction coordinator.
All I want for Christmas is a long term volunteer construction coordinator. Surely, out there, is someone who is retired who could come down for three months or more for some good spam sandwich, fried spam, baked spam, diced spam and beans, spam and eggs, spam and....... *G*

Today the full time volunteers have a "paid" job working on a contractors trailer here. Not sure, exactly, what it is that they will be doing. But I see the trailer being backed in here right now. I see it does not have a deck on it - so I presume they will be decking the trailer for him. That should fiscally help the full time volunteers here. Spending money for Saturday night. *G*

Its Mardi Gras here on Sunday - this should be interesting. I know there is a team, close by, that has been working on floats for months and months. I still do not understand the Mardi Gras concept at all. Has to be a purpose - but I still fail to understand it all. Excepting it seems
to be a time for everyone just to party for the fun of it. Of course I look at it from the narrow perspective of all that money that is being spent on floats could be spent on sheetrock, nails, screws, shingles etc. etc. Hmmm.........

And that was our week - how was yours?

12/5
Good Morning:Katrina Relief and the Waveland Citizens Fund is pleased to announcethat we have moved our office to a new location at 709 Central Ave., BaySt. Louis.This new location avails us of a suite of offices plus 225,000 sf ofwarehouse space, half a dozen unloading docks for semis trailers,Volunteer housing, along with a central easily accessible location witha myriad of parking.We have $100,000 of donated lumber on its way into the warehouse. Please stop by and visit us soon.
Kathleen Johnson Director Katrina Relief/Board Member
Waveland Citizens Fund
709 Central Ave.,
Bay St. Louis Office (228) 466-4630 /

12/3 http://208.62.60.4/40/article_718.shtml
Excerpt - When Waveland Volunteer Center coordinator Kathleen Johnson first heard about stick-built homes that could be assembled, delivered and set up on a site in a matter of days, she was excited, she said. Her job is to get people back in their homes and the shortage of skilled volunteers was hindering that process. She figured a home set up ready for the finishing touches was the answer to her problems. Less skilled volunteers could finish off drywall, paint, and install flooring and bathroom facilities, once the initial wiring and plumbing were installed at the factory. It could speed up the process of getting people into a home in weeks instead of months

12/1 - Lumbar is here!

11/23 From Kathleen - Lumber Enroute
Lumber is on the way from Texas destined to arrive on the 28th ofNovember in Waveland. Any interested DRO's are invited to inspect thisfirst load of many sent to us via the Citizens Action Team!

11/17 From Kathleen
Hancock Long Term Recovery still has not received the promisedfunds from the Governor's special fund. No explanation from theGovernor's office

11/7 Update from Kathleen Johnson - head
I have a new line at the office:(228) 466-4630 (Office) along with fax, answering machine and hopefully a new assistant that is to be hired today and another one planned. Things are looking up. Thank you Tommy Longo for the phone line!
Well, the semi had a tire blow out - so the furniture from Gulfport is still in storage and can not be picked up again for 2 weeks. But, the semi is booked again and we will try again.
The two forklifts in Ohio will be picked up this week. One is going on loan to Miss Bonnie as hers is on the blitz - the second to our warehouse on Tabor. The second one will go to the warehouse on 90 when Bonne gets done with it.
The pace continues at the office and volunteer bookings are way up - not sure why. But we seem to be doing very well with volunteers - although no where near the pace it was months ago. I did come up with a HVAC person and a local electrician for volunteering (although the electrician is out with health issue this week).
I need two garage doors - large ones. Anyone know of one that is "sitting and not being used"? I have a very large load of supplies coming in Friday from Florida. I will get the manifest out as soon as I get my hands on it.
Laurie: I have "stuff" in the warehouse for you including babyfood. When you come down remind me to load up your van.
I have some laptops coming in. Call me if you can justify the use of one in the reconstruction effort or case management.
Have plenty of good monitors in storage also available to those from DRO's.
The wireless modems still not here - will call them today and see what the holdup is.
We are still working on housing for volunteers. We have been offered a great solution of "ready built" housing in the form of former employee housing in hotel format at a very large local manufacturing plant about a mile from the office.
Working on getting grant to pay the electric bills.

10/17
The Hancock County Long Term Recovery Committee Unmet Needs Committee meets every Monday at 1pm at the Episcopal Church in Bay St Louis.
10/18
Hancock County LTRC Volunteer Coordination Meeting
Meets every Tuesday 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Mockingbird Cafe, Bay St Louis

Also - A Cross Posting of information:
http://hancockcountyrelief.blogspot.com/2006/10/hancock-county-volunteer-resources.html

10/10 From Gary - I don't know if these two projects/orgs are related, but it looked right...

Learn to restore damaged items

The next public workshop of the Gulf Coast Recovery Project will focus on the treatment of glass, metal, ceramic and archaeological objects.
A team drawn from the nation's most prestigious conservation programs will teach participants to safely handle, assess and clean damaged objects.
The free, public workshop will be held at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library on Saturday from 1:30-4 p.m.
A final workshop will focus on furniture and wooden objects, Nov. 18 at the Historic Natchez Foundation Building in Natchez.

HANCOCK COUNTY LONG-TERM RECOVERY ORGANIZATION (HLTRO) :

Join in the Long-Term Recovery efforts for Hancock County!
Volunteer to answer phones. Get trained to serve as a Caseworker or Case Manager.
Coordinate Work crews.
Assist with Psycho-social and spiritual re-building of the area.
Write grants or work in fund-raising.
Serve on the “Unmet Needs” Committee to distribute monies to those in need of financial assistance.
Or just come and get an idea of who is here and what various organizations are doing to support Relief, Recovery and Rebuilding processes in Hancock County.
The HLTRO meets at Christ Church every other Thursday.
The last meeting was May 25th.
Committee meetings begin at 3pm and the general meeting at 4pm. Come and play a part in recovering and rebuilding our communities!!

Christ Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 2189
Bay St. Louis, MS 39521-2189

(found on the church's website) Church was completely destroyed - it is a slab. And they are thinking about the county rather than the building. Pretty incredible!

Playgrounds by MS State

2007-03-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

Feb/07 The Mississippi State University Early Childhood Institute has completed installation of new fixed equipment for playgrounds at 43 child care facilities in the Hurricane Katrina region of Mississippi, thanks to federal funds allocated by the Office for Children and Youth of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The funds are from the federal Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) to the State of Mississippi.

The institute will provide fixed equipment or outdoor play materials to a total of 137 child care facilities in 15 counties and 29 communities. The facilities have a maximum capacity of 8796 children. (See table.)

Facilities that lost entire playgrounds to the hurricane received new fixed playground equipment as well as outdoor learning materials such as easels, sandboxes, and puppet theaters. Facilities that had partial damages will receive the outdoor learning materials. The fixed equipment meets Mississippi Department of Health licensure standards for equipment.

Connie Clay of the MSU Early Childhood Institute is director of the institute’s Rebuilding After Katrina Initiative. Johnson, Bailey, Henderson, McNeel PA of Jackson, Miss., designed the installations of fixed equipment and Kenneth R. Thompson, Jr., Builder, Inc., of Greenwood, Miss., was the general contractor for the project. Both firms were low bidders in competitive bidding.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service also is helping child care providers in the Katrina region to resume offering safe, developmentally appropriate outdoor play opportunities to young children. The Nurturing Homes Initiative of the MSU Extension Service is providing technical assistance to license-exempt child care providers who care for children in their homes. The Extension Service received a separate contract from the Office for Children and Youth of the Mississippi Department of Human Services to assist family child care providers.

http://earlychildhood.msstate.edu/news/images/playground-table.pdf
This shows that Hancock County has only 4 registered child care facilities with a total capacity of 200 children.
In March, this was increased by 1 and 100 respectively with the opening of the facility by Bucks Mont Katrina Project.

Diamond Kids Project

2007-03-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

This project is being headed up by a gentleman not living in Hancock County, but obviously someone who cares a great deal about what happens there. I made contact with him through the Mommy 101 project, currently taking place in Waveland.
The following are excerpts from our email conversation. If you wish to assist, please email or phone him. Note - the website for his business does not have information re: this project...

I have had some serious conversations with the ECI, (early childhook institute - http://earlychildhood.msstate.edu/) out of Ms State concerning the need for a child care center in DH.
I have also had conversations with the inspector for Hancock County with the Health Dept. who is also supportive of the project.
The biggest problem at present is the need for a qualified child care director for the center. I am sending this out to your friends to see if ther might be some names in the DH (diamond head) area interested in the position.
Let me know.
Thanks,
Bert A. Welch III, M.D.
President/Owner
Med One, LLC
397 Kingsbridge Road
Madison, MS 39110
601-853-1360
bwelch@themed1.com
www.themed1.com

After the Buck Mont Child development center was opened for the 100 slots, a waiting list was started. I have heard that the waiting list has 125 kids on that list. There are only about 4-5 child care centers in Hancock County (confirmed *4*). I recently finished building a 6000 sf office building that I designed and built to 2003 IBC code. This building is built to sustain 140 mph winds. Complete with 5 offices, showers in the handicap bathrooms, small kitchenettes, hardwired for cable, computer and a security system, this building is set up for a child care facility.

I am working with the administrator of the Buck Mont Child Care Center along with the regional director for the State Health Department and the exec director of the Early Childhood Institute from Miss State University. All of these women are working to see if this facility could be used for child care, after school care, and psycho social counseling.

The director for the Buck Mont Child care has told me today that a director for the facility in diamondhead could be achieved without much trouble. By the way, Diamondhead is north of I 10 and has been a quaint retirement center for many years. After the storm, many of the older residents left the area and the homes were filled with younger parents. Of all Hancock County, this area is considered to be the wealthiest.

By placing the facility in a 501(c)3 not for profit entity, I believe that there is some grant money available to help with start up costs,and furnish the facility with toys , books, and a playground.

I approach my projects with the three "E's". Envision, Engineer, and Excitement. The children have been left behind and hopefully, we all can contribute to help restore their lives.

Thank you for your interest, I am fast tracking this project and hopefully we can get this project going before summer break. I welcome any suggestions or comments.

Sincerely,
Bert

CC Here Hope

2007-03-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

C.C. Here Hope
P.O. Box 3446
Bay St. Louis, MS 39521
(609) 892-3939 OR (609) 338-2253
ccherehope@yahoo.com

In August of 2005, as millions of Americans watched the devastation of Hurricane Katrina unfold, I was driving South from my home in Hammonton, New Jersey. My journey took me to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Then on September 17th, after only a little over a week in Mississippi, I returned to New Jersey and told my landlord "I'm moving out". I packed most of my worldly possessions in a U-Haul truck and drove back to Mississippi with my 21 year old son, Antonio. I gave everything I had to the hurricane victims and began my hurricane relief efforts.

C.C. Here Hope is at a temporary distribution center in the Bay St. Louis/Waveland area. Very soon, we will need another location (warehouse) to operate from. If you know of a location in the area, please contact us. We are also in need of a delivery truck and pickup trucks to get donations to the elderly and others in remote locations. Volunteer laborers, food, clothing and building materials are all desperately needed on the entire Mississippi Coast. PLEASE - If you can help me get donations transported to Mississippi, contact me below.

(609) 892-3939 OR (609) 338-2253
C.C. Here Hope
P.O. Box 3446
Bay St. Louis, MS 39521
ccherehope@yahoo.com

~ Needs ~

Donations of gas cards or money for fuel.

Cash donations for the rental of U-Haul Trucks or possibly someone to volunteer a truck to transport the donations in.

Donations of Goods such as furnishings, linens, pet foods, gift cards, clothing, and anything that will help these families rebuild their lives.

Building Materials and manual labor towards rebulding.

Slide Show

News From An Artist

2007-03-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

From Artist Michelle Allee

cottage living came and photographed our gallery........they said it may be a year before they use the photos, but we were all excited that they may include us in their magazine and bring focus to bay st louis............

southern living will be in bsl on march 10 for second saturday

Volunteer Update

2007-03-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

3/19 Well this is a very slow time for what ever reason. Almost nothing going on. On the birght side, six firefighters from Sterling VFD in Virginia, are volunteering out of the school. They stopped by here first delivering toilet paper and to say hi.

There are four drivers in the group. The deputy chief is with them. Plans are to fix them up with a pager and radio for their duration. At least if the defication happens to hit the rotary oscillator help is available.

3/15
Pulled in last night. It's a little rainy off and on . Chief Jones is just about out of service due to his back acting up. The church camp next to the fire department has been moved off the water plant property one lot to the old Post office property. There is a new playground with equipment for kids.

In Waveland, Bucks/Montgomery Co. PA helped build $1.25M children's center that opened this week. There are numerous offers to bid on various projects for Waveland Schools.

Waveland had a St. Patricks Day parade and is having another St. Patricks Day Parade this coming Saturday. According to the paper 60 people were arrested for various violations and about 50 this past week.

A crew from Collins FD, Eire County NY (Buffalo area) is coming down in a week or so. The biggest need all around is cash. We kind of knew that but I just got anther request yesterday to donate turnout gear. Not much is really needed equipment wise as much as cash and operating expenses. I hope to get out to Moss Point today if not I'll try Monday.

Trauma Counselors

2007-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Hi all. There will be a team of four trauma counselors (and two of us are art therapists too) from Canada visiting and doing workshops in schools in Ocean Springs, Gulfport, Biloxi and Waveland starting March 9th for a week.
If you are still struggling and want a chance to tell your story and have a pastoral visit, please leave me a message.
While we will be busy in schools, we always have time to meet with someone who would like a chance just to talk.
This will be my fourth trip to the area. We are sending only our best to our American friends in the south.

Barb email: barbdorrington@gmail.com

Calvary Chapel

2007-03-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

* Calvary Chapel Kitchen
228-467-9629
www.calvarychapelrelief.org

Recently we were able to purchase a 3800 square foot building on a one acre parcel on Reese Street in the heart of BSL. The building has been fully renovated and is now being used for many long term purposes.

Housing Teams

Beginning September 1, 2006, we will only be receiving teams on the last week of each month. The new property can accommodate up to 50 at a time. For the next few months the primary focus of the teams will be to assist in the development of the new property, the establishing of the church and the assisting to the immediate needs of the locals who are now attending the church.

Youth Center
Along with the cafe the new facility will offer an outside basket ball court, ping pong tables - foos ball tables / games and computors. Our goal is to give the youth of BSL a place to go and call their own.

Cafe
We are looking to develop a Cafe environment that will provide the community with a place to drop in and get loved on through out each day of the week. We have put a commercial kitchen inside the facility and have poured a patio that will accommodate outside seating. We will be looking for couples / families to help host the property for 1 month at a time. They will basically be responsible for running the small café in the new building.

Community work day Saturday's 9 AM - 2 PM
This is for those who reside in BSL who want to be involved in assisting the ongoing work through CCR.

Worship services:
As most of you know the relief camp on the baseball field drew many from the community with many different needs. One of the greatest needs was the spiritual need, a need to be prayed for and encouraged in God's word. That demand led to the development of regular worship services. On Sundays and Wednesdays a solid group of 30-40 locals now attend the worship services at the new location. Frank Griffin from Baton Rouge is faithfully showing up to shepherd the work. Here is a look at the weekly Bible studies at the camp:

Sunday 10am Frank Griffin - Book of Philippians

Tuesday 7pm Glenn Nelson - New Believers class

Outreach
The last Sunday of each month we will focus on outreach. We will use future teams to go out and get the word out. Our goal is to provide special music and food to follow on these Sundays.

Long term involvement:
For you that feel called to this work for more of a long term commitment, we would love to hear from you. We are currently setting a schedule for host, worship leaders , grounds keepers, and Cafe workers for the next 6 months.

Support:
Many churches have inquired about the opportunity of financially assisting this work in the future. It will take some time for this work to stand on its own financially. A large part of the community that make up the small congregation have lost most or all of their property. We have set up a special account for those church's and individuals who feel the burden to continue supporting BSL financially. You can contact Keri Whitely for more details at calvaryrt@aol.com.

Prayer:
We are encouraging everyone we know to keep this now established work in prayer.

"...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." Eph 6:18

Mississippi Renaissance Garden

2007-02-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Mississippi Renaissance Garden Program Description

Martha S. Boyce
Founder and Executive Director
The Mississippi Renaissance Garden Foundation, Inc.
(228) 388-2622 or e-mail me at msbkt@aol.com

(view a letter, along with a note from Martha, that you can send to local organizations to assist in this vital aspect of the recovery)

Mission
Our mission is to establish The Mississippi Renaissance Garden on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to not only provide places for people to reconnect with the beauty of their environment, commemorate the Renaissance of the state of Mississippi and continually renew the spirit of the Mississippi people, but also to. recognize the respect, compassion, generosity and love of the many volunteers from all cultures who are making the Renaissance possible. Through our “Horticulture for Humanity” mission, The MRG will become an example of a pathway to cultural understanding and respect for all countries around the world that come to the aid of others in their time of need.

Objectives:
· To provide non-profit horticultural and therapeutic gardens for the survivors and volunteers of Hurricane Katrina consisting of various themed gardens such as a Memorial Garden, a Therapeutic Inspirational Garden, a Children’s Plant and Play Garden, a Sensory Garden, an Enabling Garden, a Cultural Garden and a Community Garden.
· To promote the spirit of the people of Mississippi in overcoming devastation by the planting and maintenance of these gardens as a symbol of their respect, strength, determination and love for their family, community, state, country and world.
· To develop a base garden and Horticultural Center with satellite gardens maintained by communities throughout the coastal area.
· To provide an area in the base Garden and Horticultural Center dedicated to the generosity and the recognition of individuals and groups from all over the world that are assisting in the recovery, rebuilding and the renewal of Mississippi as well as the development of The Mississippi Renaissance Gardens.
· To offer opportunities for the volunteers to continue their involvement with the gardens through the Garden Angel Sponsorship Program and assist in securing resources from their own local, national or international sources.
· To provide locals and tourists an opportunity to enjoy Mississippi’s beauty and educational opportunities as well as the Renaissance of its southern landscapes.
· To encourage business, civic, casino, school, church, club organizations and individuals to contribute their time, labor, expertise, materials, plants, and financial support to construct and maintain the Gardens and Horticultural Center.
· To allow accessible participation throughout the gardens and center for people of all ages and abilities.
· To educate local officials, residents and communities to work towards creating and preserving green spaces within our communities, and to encourage beautification of existing commercial, neighborhood and city green spaces by offering incentives such as award certificates, site plaques and recognition in local media and on the MRG web site.
· To encourage the transport of visitors to the Gardens and Horticultural Center utilizing public and casino buses and trolleys.
· To offer local educational programs such as horticultural therapy, garden planning as well as environmental conservation taught by experienced volunteers to school students, groups and individuals.
· To provide places for art, photography, plant and environmental exhibits, festivals, concerts, theater, and community celebrations with a commission of any sales going to maintenance of the gardens.
· To develop a resource library of volunteers and businesses to provide information, assistance and materials to individuals and groups wishing to develop neighborhood and home gardens.

Description:
The Mississippi Renaissance Garden Foundation, Inc. is not only providing the people of Mississippi and its visitors places to reconnect with the beauty of coastal environments, but also places to celebrate the spirit of the people who are making the renewal possible. As a community outreach program, The MRG is working closely with public schools, colleges, civic and private organizations, businesses, local citizens and tourists to promote humanitarian and environmental respect, productivity and responsibility in safe, peaceful, therapeutic and beautiful coastal environments. It is a non-profit organization funded entirely from grants, trusts, sponsorships and visitor donations. All Mississippi Renaissance Gardens will be open and accessible to the public at no charge. The staff will consist of paid and volunteer personnel.
A Horticultural Center is being planned with classrooms available for community meetings, educational seminars and workshops. A gift shop will sell items such as gardening books, seeds, nature related items, photographs, artwork and plants grown in the Garden. An area will be provided for local artists to exhibit nature-related works with a commission of the sales going to the MRG.
Areas will be available for indoor and outdoor exhibits, art, photography, concerts, festivals, and theater with commissions going to the MRG. Sculptures, donated from throughout the country, will be displayed.

Mississippi is setting a precedent to allow future generations to observe and experience the true meaning of respect, resiliency, generosity, gratitude, hope, determination, southern hospitality and pride in the midst of devastation.
The Mississippi Renaissance Garden Foundation, Inc.is initiating the development of a “Horticulture for Humanity” movement to help return green spaces to areas of the world that are destroyed by natural disasters.

MRG Board Members:
The Mississippi Renaissance Garden will be under the guidance of:
Founder/Executive Director: Martha Sanderson Boyce
Board of Directors: Cassandra Griswold, Amy Nichols LeMein, Lynn McLean, Linda Saxon Nix, Wendy Barthe Peavy, Rose Russell, Cindy Simmons
Board of Advisors: Sherry Bell, Dr. Bob Brzuszek, Arlene Caanan, Dr. Christine Coker, Lucy Denton, Dr. John Guyton, Susan Hunt, Connie Rocko, Dannette Shaw

2/18 The following activities have begun or have been completed:
· A site for a model garden has been approved at Hiller Park in Biloxi, MS
· The MRG has been asked to help develop the base garden or a satellite garden in D’Iberville and Diamondhead, Mississippi.
· The MRG has distributed seeds donated by America Responds With Love and soil and cups donated by Wal-Mart to the Biloxi Public Schools on May 15, 2006. Future joint projects are planned.
· Hands On Gulf Coast is helping with site preparation, recruiting, training and coordinating volunteers. Future joint projects are planned.
· The Mississippi Urban Forest Council donated over 300 trees to the MRG for planting in neighborhoods, parks and for individuals.
· COMVEST Prosperities donated $1000 toward the start-up expense of The MRG.
· The process of becoming a non-profit foundation has been initiated.
· Grant applications have been sent to prospective funding sources.
· A professional landscape architect is currently designing garden areas.
· A MRG Demonstration Garden has been planted in the John Henry Beck Park Community Garden in east Biloxi.
· The Tzu Chi Foundation of Atlanta GA planted the first 12 foot Live Oak tree dedicated as The Tzu Chi Recovery Oak Tree on the Playground of the Biloxi Margaret Sherry Library on July 29, 2006 and donated $1000, along with a donation of $196 from their students, to the Mississippi Renaissance Foundation. The tree was donated by Frasier’s Nursery.
· A MRG Bring Back the Beauty Program and a We Care Anti-litter Program are being developed and will be offered to coastal cities.
· The MRG, along with local arborists, Harrison County Beautification Department, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, Main Street Biloxi, Biloxi Parks and Recreation Department are collaborating to restore damaged live oaks on HWY 90 and enhance the entrances to the city of Biloxi.
· Local, state, national and international merchants, organizations, city and county governments have donated funds, items and services toward the development of The Mississippi Renaissance Gardens.
· Book containing information and excerpts from the many recovery workers will be published with proceeds going to The MRG Foundation.
· Community Educational Outreach Programs have begun and volunteer recruitment and training sessions are being conducted throughout the coastal areas.

East Hancock VFD

2007-02-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

6/30 Bay to benefit with merger of city, volunteer fire departments
By J.R. WELSH

HANCOCK COUNTY --
Bay St. Louis is expected to inherit an additional firefighting operation to serve part of the city's newly annexed area under an agreement pending with the county.

Both governments agreed in principle to merge operations of the East Hancock Volunteer Fire District with the Bay St. Louis Fire Department. The East Hancock department is located near the intersection of Washington Street and Chapman Drive.

The deal would be a windfall for Bay St. Louis. Until now, the East Hancock department has collected a 4-mill tax from homeowners and businesses in the area, and reportedly has more than $400,000 in cash that would go to the city. The department's separate millage collection should cease once the department becomes part of the city, said Hancock County Assessor/Collector Jimmie Ladner Jr.

The department also has three fire trucks and property for a new station planned on Highway 603.

The East Hancock department has 23 firefighters, all volunteers. Although city councilmen and county supervisors apparently favor the merger, the district's top firefighter said the department was unaware of the agreement.

"This was a big surprise to us," East Hancock Fire Chief A.J. Arceneaux said Wednesday.

He said the fire district had considered using its cash surplus to operate the department another two or three years.

The department provides fire protection to an area running north to the Bayou La Croix bridge. Formerly under county jurisdiction, the area has since been annexed. The exact number of residents living there since Hurricane Katrina is not known.

Attorneys are now beginning work on a merger agreement. "We're just starting the process," said Hancock County Attorney Ronnie Artigues. "So far, all the communication has been between the fire department and the city of Bay St. Louis."

The merger comes at a time of top leadership dearth for the Bay St. Louis Fire Department.

Fire Chief Robert Gavagnie recently announced his retirement and no recommendation for a replacement has come before the City Council.

Details also remain sketchy on staffing the city's new operation once the merger occurs. It's unclear whether some of the volunteer department members will be rolled into the city department.

The county previously made a parcel of land available for the East Hancock department to build a new fire station on Highway 603, near the county Child Development Center. That property also would become part of the merger.

"There was a plan to put the station in," Arceneaux said. "All we're going to do now is give them the blueprints, I imagine."

6/27 A note from their Chief:

Just a note to give you the bad news... The East Hancock FD will be shutting down operations on 01 September 2007, having served continously since 1978. All services are to be supplied by the City of Bay St. Louis from that point on.

Many of our members will continue to serve the communities with the Bayside, Clermont Harbor and West Hancock Departments.

I thank you for your support since the storm and for your heartfelt service and dedication to the people of Hancock County. Please know that you have made a major and lasting difference in many lives!

Thanks again,

Bob

Come by our temporary station at 10316 Chapman Road, Bay St. Louis, call 228-466-3932 or email admin@east-hancock-fd.com

East Hancock Fire Department is a MS Insurance Comission Class "8" rated district, the highest rating an all volunteer department can attain.
Our personnel are constantly striving to further their knowledge and training as well as obtaining state of the art equipment to better serve our community and neighbors. Our people come from all walks of life and believe in "giving back to the community".

Our Department provides 1st out Mutual Aid to the Bayside, Cleremont Harbor and West Hancock Fire Departments, as well as the Cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland.

3/6 New From Bob - A Plea For His County:
Now imagine going through your own town... and nothing is, as you knew it was yesterday. You have no grocery stores. They all closed overnight. IF you want groceries, get on the interstate and drive 20 miles. Restaurants? Yep they're out there. But they've had to raise their prices drastically. Remember your 250% insurance increase? Business' insurance rose almost 1500%! Not to mention that the labor pool has diminished. Oh ya, we have all kinds of people here now, but few actually lived here prior to the storm. There’s all kinds of panhandlers, fly by night contractors, drug dealers from the northern reaches that relocated to the land of opportunity... Can you imagine McDonald's paying a $500 sign on bonus and $200 per week bonus for staying with them? And they still have trouble hiring! All the local folk who can and want to work are. Many of the people in my town claiming "no jobs" aren't from here. That's another part that's eating people up... what little is left of the town that we knew is being scooped up by out-of-towners for condos, casinos and "high end" use. Locals are being priced out of what's left of their ancestral homes.

So yes, depression and despair is still a problem. People are tired of others trying to take advantage of their situation, and being screwed by the system. Quite a few have smoked gun barrels. Others have just given up and died. Others still have aged 20 years in less than a year and a half.

Fire companies from all over have done admirable work in Harrison County, to the point of helping members of full time Departments rebuild their homes. But this hasn't spread into the volunteer community. We've been pretty much left out of the loop for government and private assistance other than what HOO did (when it was really HOO) and the "Adopt a Firehouse Program". The full time departments in Hancock County (all 3) received cash grants from DuPont and a few other corporations. The 9 volunteer Departments did not.

I am not complaining, by any means. The kindness shown by the organizations that have helped us out is phenomenal and I am extremely grateful that they found a place in their hearts for us. The need is still there, and that's the point that needs to be made.

New Orleans ain't the only place hurting!

From Florida all the way through Texas, Katrina and Rita killed maimed and ruined people. Homes, Towns and Families will NEVER be the same again. Even in my own state, the attitude in the northern end, with the exception of those who came here and saw firsthand, is "get on with your life; it's been a year and a half". Sure.... glad to... show me how.

First, let me say that I personally am in good shape. I just need to be able to talk about things to keep my sanity levels on an even keel. As far as the Departments go, I can give a reasonable breakdown of the ones in the southern (below Interstate 10). In the Northern end, they’re in pretty good shape to the best of my knowledge, and their names are also listed in here. I can’t say enough about the offers your making, and what they mean to me.

SOUTHERN HANCOCK COUNTY:
- West Hancock Fire Protection District – Their station is unusable. They have a pole barn (a lean-to made from light poles and corrugated tin) to shelter the apparatus. Their Apparatus is in good shape, and I believe their main need is in general operating costs i.e. fuel etc.

- Claremont Harbor – They lost it all, with the exception of 1 engine. They have 2 donated engines, no station and are basically working out of the Chief’s house. Manning is the biggest problem in their area, and operating costs. Their station was washed out to sea.

- Bayside Volunteer Fire Dept. – They’re in good shape. Rockaway Beach FD (NY) has donated a pumper and tanker to them, and their station is rebuilt. Their biggest problem now is that they’re damn near broke.

- East Hancock Fire Protection District – We have our original engines, but they’re plagued with “Katrina-itis”. They took 4 feet of salt water and the electronic controls for the pumps and transmissions are temperamental at best. We did have a great pumper from CT that was our mainstay, but it was wrecked in a response. The insurance settlement went into replacing other gear we needed. On loan from West Hancock are our Snorkel and an ambulance that we’ve converted into a rescue/command/rehab unit. We could surely use a surplus pumper with at least 1000 gpm and 750 gal tank capacity that has some life left in it. Our station was washed away, and we’re working out of a Corps of Engineers trailer. (Pics are in my “Katrina” folder here)

- Bay St. Louis FD (Municipal) – They have 3 working pumpers, a rescue and are moving into a new house. Individual aid to the members can be used however. Chief Bobby Gavigne can give better details than I can.

- Waveland FD (Municipal) – Received 4 new pumpers and have 2 donated. No stations yet that I’ve heard of and are working out of temporary digs. Needs no known.

In the north end of the county, they lost no equipment that I’m aware of, and have received donations of equipment and supplies. Here they are;

- Diamondhead Fire Dept. (combination)
- Fenton Fire District
- Kiln Fire District
- Post 58 Fire District
- Leetown Fire District

If you can help, please contact the chiefs - they're listed below:
EHFD, Chief Alan Sekinger, Asst. Chief Zeke Hall, 228-466-3932
Bay St. Louis FD, Chief Bobby Gavigne, 228-467-4736
Bayside FD, Asst. Chief Billy Mooneyham, 228-467-5020
West Hancock Fire & Rescue, Chief Kim Jones, 228-533-7847

If any agency is willing to adopt a firehouse, please feel free to get hold of one that I’ve listed, I know they’d appreciate the support.

My main fear this year is in the wildland areas. The timber that cmae down in the county has been curing for better than a year. Some areas are damn near impenetrable as it's stacked so deep. With the fire history of the last 18 months, it could get extremely interesting this spring and summer. We've had to use 90% of the assets in the southern end of this county on just ONE fire. I posted about that on the old site.

Don’t underestimate my appreciation for your support and concern. Being able to talk here has been a mainstay in my dealing with both the storm and its aftereffects. Seeing so much disappear, and so many deaths is less than a 12 hour span, as well as seeing all the lingering effects doing so much to my friends and neighbors is taking a toll. I had very little gray hair before the storm. It’s almost white now.

I’m going to make it. I’m too damn stubborn not to. I have, very probably, the finest available support group and corps of concerned friends and family that anyone can ask for. All of you.

Thank you for that.
Bob.

2/17 From Bob himself! He sounds like a very nice man...
Our main needs right now are for a decent pumper truck, with a 750 to 1000 gallon tank. Age is unimportant. We had a wonderful unit from CT that unfortunately was involved in an accident and was totaled out by the insurance people. The bucks from that went to our Board of Commissioners, and it's gone into other equipment. Our older units were nickel and dimeing us to death, and were taken over by a small Arkansas department that literally had nothing to work with. Kim Jones (Chief, West Hancock FD) has allowed us the use of Tower 1, and another ambulance for use as a rescue unit.
Fuel - 1000 gal/mo.
Administrative items (you know the drill)
Donations for a new "real" station house.

Our people are getting back on their feet, and household items are in reasonably good supply. There's still many needy people that can use them, and the collection units that you've seen to date, as well as the Hancock County food pantry would welcome them.

I actually found your site by accident, while scanning through looking for pictures other than what I already had. I rode the storm out in my house, and was swimming in my living room (7 feet of water) trying to keep our 4 German Shepherds alive. We took the wind fine ( the house also made it through Camille) but never in our lives expected a 40 foot wall of water to smack our town. As far as the immediate aftermath, our people were doing whatever they could, to the point of giving away our own medications to those that needed the same meds and dosages. After 3 weeks, I finally evacuated with my wife and critters, only to take sick with over 20 staph infections, all antibiotic resistant. Fun, fun, fun...

I just got back into my house 2 days before Christmas. The workmanship was terrible, and we got shafted by our contractor as so many down here have been. But life goes on, and it's improving slowly but surely.

This well known photo shows a rescue that occured during the height of Hurricane KATRINA,
directly accross US Highway 90, from the Hancock County E.O.C. located at the courthouse annex.
Amoung the rescuers in this photo are, Former Asst. Chief Billy Mooneyham, then Captain Steve
LaRocque, and Firefighter Wade Hicks of the EHFD. Also amoung the rescuers were members of
the Bayside Fire District, Bay St. Louis Police Department, and the Hancock County Sheriff's Office

Drug Bust

2007-02-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

Deputies seize $434K in drugs in traffic stop
By ELLIS C. CUEVAS
Feb 9, 2007, 17:32

Hancock County Narcotics Division Lt. Jimmy Esposito and K-9 Dax seized 11 pounds of cocaine and 154 pounds of marijuana following a traffic violation stop of a bus on Interstate 10 early Wednesday morning, Sheriff Steve Garber reports.
"During a routine patrol, Lt. Esposito stopped a Tornado Bus Line bus for a traffic violation near mile marker 19 on Interstate 10. Esposito was given permission to search the luggage area of the bus by the bus operator. Dax alerted on two large traveler bags, with an estimated value of illegal drugs at $434,000," Narcotic Division Director Major Matt Karl said. "The two bags contained the 154 pounds of marijuana and the 11 pounds of pure cocaine in four packages. Estimated street value of marijuana in the state is $1,000 a pound, while cocaine is over $1,200 an ounce."
There were no arrests, as no one on the bus claimed ownership. The case is still under investigation, according to Karl.
Karl did report that during the past year his department has confiscated some 500 pounds of marijuana from Tornado Bus Line buses.
Garber stated, "Since our Narcotic Division now has six agents plus a director, we have agents on duty around the clock, every day of the week."
The drugs were delivered to the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics in Jackson Wednesday to be destroyed.

© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

Jobs with MDOT

2007-02-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

MDOT Faces Serious Manpower Shortage

This week, one road crew is tackling a major project in Jackson County. The workers are clearing the shoulders along Highway 63. But since the maintenance team has lost half its staff, it had to scramble to scrape up enough workers.

"We have eight people in Jackson County, plus three floating crews," said Tracy Woods, MDOT Area Superintendent for Jackson, George and Stone Counties. "We have to combine them, floating crews, and some other counties to have enough personnel to complete the job."

"We're shorthanded and it's giving us a problem," said Wayne Brown, Southern District Transportation Commissioner.

Brown says the manpower shortage is a growing problem across South Mississippi.

"In Hancock County, we have eight positions, but we have four employees, " Brown said.

Brown blames the problem on wages that he says are not very competitive, especially after Katrina.

"It's because of primarily of pay," Brown said. "They can go do hurricane relief, repairs and make more money. The construction industry down here is booming. You see signs all over the coast looking for help. We've always had a problem, but it's especially crucial now."

Brown says until the pay goes up and his maintenance jobs are filled, people will have to put up with the messy roadways.

"You'll see a pothole that may stay there a little longer, a downed sign may take a little longer being put back, a little more debris out there on the road," said Brown. "It's those things that really affect how we perceive our highways."

"It's like trying to put a Band-Aid on a cut," said Tracy Woods. "We're just doing what we can with what we have."

Wayne Brown says his maintenance employees currently make a little more than $8.00 an hour. This year, he's asking the State Legislature and Department of Finance to allow him to pay his staff an additional $2,000 to $3,000 a year.

Septic Woes

2007-02-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

Damaged septic tanks stopping rebuilding
County: Residents must wait for sewerage
By RYAN LaFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com

HANCOCK COUNTY - Rebuilding delayed due to faulty septic tanks

Thousands of property owners hoping to rebuild their homes here will soon find they are stuck between a rock and a smelly place.

At least 95 percent of private septic tanks south of Interstate 10 are no longer environmentally safe and most have been spewing waste into ditches and nearby streams for decades, according to the state Department of Health.

Aside from the stench and the environmental dangers, faulty septic tanks are illegal.

The state has placed a block on new building permits for virtually every property in rural Hancock with a septic tank, south of Interstate 10, preventing homeowners from rebuilding until they can connect to a county sewerage system.

But Hancock is awaiting its share of the $600 million available through the Gulf Regional Water Utility Authority before it can afford to expand the public treatment system to those areas.

Unlike the public sewerage systems found in most cities and contemporary towns, septic tanks are similar to having a miniature sewage-treatment plant on private properties, usually in rural areas not served by a public system.

The archaic tanks are designed to allow solid waste to settle at the bottom, while pipes suck liquids out to a series of trenches below the ground.

But many of the tanks in Hancock have dumped the waste into nearby ditches and streams and even if a homeowner pays for an upgrade - about $4,000 - the soil in much of the county is no longer suitable for septic tanks.

The Hancock Board of Supervisors this week wrestled with the thought of thousands of residents having to wait for a public sewerage system before they can rebuild.

It could take two more years before the county receives its $120 million from the GRWUA and expands its sewerage system, and some political leaders say that's too long a wait.

"They've been (using septic tanks) for 50 years," Supervisor David Yarborough said. "How much more damage can these people do in two more years? I think we need to let these people hook back up until we get sewerage."

Already at least 350 property owners have been denied a building permit to build a home south of the Interstate and reconnect to an outdated septic tank.

Supervisor Lisa Cowand was far less excited about the idea of raw sewage seeping into the ground and dripping into streams and bayous.

"I can't concur with allowing it for two years because you don't think it will do any further degradation," Cowand told Yarborough. "I can't go with that, and I won't go with that."

Before the county will give a building permit to a property owner planning to use a septic tank, the Department of Health must approve the tank. And that's unlikely to happen south of the Interstate, officials said.

School Green Spaces Beautified

2007-02-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Through the MS Master Gardener's Association
Note to Operation Rejuvenation Contributors: Two projects have been approved and are now in progress:
1) Three schools in Hancock County are having their green spaces and breeze ways redone - $1500 approved for plant materials which will be planted by Master Gardener volunteers.
2) Harrison County Office Building to revitalize the flower beds, container beds and establish two herb beds for an outdoor demonstration laboratory. This highly visible area in downtown Gulfport will be done in two stages - $1500 approved for this project.
Pictures from these projects are posted on the Operation Rejuvenation Projects on the Photos link, showing what is being accomplished. Application for other projects are in the process of being approved and other work that will be part of the October, 2007 designated work period are being selected and prioritized for needed material, equipment, and workers needed to accomplish.
It is beginning to happen.....thanks to all for your help.

To apply with a planned project:
Make Project Application Forms and requirements available (Click here for Application form and requirement (PDF)). Will start accepting applications from August 14, 2006. A review committee will assess each project and approve funding, based on number of applications and available funds. As additional funds come in, additional approved projects will continue to be supported.
Each project must submit a report at one month and six months, including documentation of work, impact and cost.

Meth Lab Found

2007-02-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

FEMA, deputies find 'meth lab'
By DWAYNE BREMER
Jan 31, 2007, 09:19

Hancock County narcotics officials discovered an operating "meth lab" last week, after FEMA inspectors discovered suspicious items during a routine check up, Narcotics Director Matt Karl said Tuesday.
According to Karl, his office was called Wednesday by FEMA inspectors who said they saw materials inside a FEMA trailer at 6142 Apache St. in Jordan River Shores.
Karl met inspectors at the residence later that afternoon, and when inspectors opened the door to the trailer, Karl said he noticed bags of ammonia nitrate and canned fuel in plain sight.
Nobody was home at the time and Karl was able to gain a search warrant for the trailer. The next day, agents searched the trailer and discovered a large amount of precursor materials, which are used to manufacture meth.
"It was a working meth lab," Karl said.
Karl said the materials were taken as evidence and two suspects have been identified, he said. The sheriff's department is seeking those subjects to interview, he said.The trailer was taken away by FEMA, he said.
© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

New FEMA Grants in HC

2007-01-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

BILOXI, Miss. -- State officials said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved four Hurricane Katrina-related projects in Mississippi totaling more than $29 million.
The largest public assistance grant, totaling $18 million, goes to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to pay for some of the help Mississippi received from Florida in the immediate aftermath of Katrina.
The $18 million grant, along with $15 million previously awarded, represents funding for the labor, equipment and material expenses for 18 mission assignments handled by Florida.
FEMA said it had provided 100 percent funding for a total of $48 million to MEMA to reimburse states that came to Mississippi's aid.
The agency also approved $5.9 million to the city of Waveland to make permanent repairs to roads damaged as sewer lines are replaced south of the railroad tracks.
Other grants went to Jackson County for a new pre-cast concrete fishing pier to replace the Ocean Springs pier that was destroyed, and for repairs to Saint Stanislaus College Preparatory School's Student Union Building in Bay St. Louis.

Jerry Mallon Problems

2007-01-29T20:32:00.000-08:00

Donations sent in good faith from Free Haul NPC, CAT Database, and CAP (City Action Partnership) are being detained by one Jerry Mallon d/b/a Anchor Homes in Bay St. Louis at 609 Central Street. Friday, in order for us to start the process, Mr Mallon demanded a $30,000 tax deductible donation receipt for full service warehousing and distribution. Distribution meaning loading the lumber onto trucks with his forklift. Free Haul gave him that receipt and after 6 hours of verbal abuse and $65/hr for the truck, we were able to get 1 partial load out. Today, Mr. Mallon has refused to let the trucks into the warehouse or to let his forklift come out. Volunteers are now having to load trucks with 40' I-beams BY HAND while taking serious verbal abuse from this man.

No matter what you have heard, this battle (and it is a battle) is being fought between Free Haul and CAP and Jerry Mallon. The donations were revoked from Waveland Citizens Fund solely to get control of the situation with Mr. Mallon. We have no problem with Waveland Citizen's Fund or anyone else who has been previously involved with the donation.

There are people here who say, it's not worth it (we are talking now about 4-5 loads of donated lumber), cut your losses and go home. But it's not just about this load of lumber, it's about being able to get more (much more) and about principle and doing what's right. After all, that's what it's always been about hasn't it? Christina with Free Haul and a lot of other people have made BIG sacrifices in their lives both financially and emotionally to do the right thing in MS. I know you all know what I'm talking about.

These steel magnolias are being beaten down here in Mississippi, both emotionally and financially and the powers that be and many "friends" from the relief effort are not standing with them. I can't tell you whether or not Free Haul will ever come back into MS, but I do know how hurt they are that the "the powers that be" have not taken care of this problem or sent police cars to just drive down the street to show support even if they couldn't interfere with this "civil action" , but I for one am going to stand with them tomorrow, for the third day of this roller coaster to try to get the lumber released. City Team Ministries stood with us today and we were able to get 1 load of lumber and 2 loads of mattresses out. God's Katrina Kitchen and C.C. White are standing with us tomorrow.

We need your support, stand with us. Come with signs that say your organization (even if you are a loan volunteer) supports Free Haul NPC. If this is their last load, let them know you appreciate what they've done in MS.
Thanks for all you do.

Laura
City Action Partnership

1/31 From Terra of CAT
It is my understanding that the materials are going to be moved to theHancock County EOC warehouse on Stennis/Airport Rd and that an "open process" is going to be put in place for people to get on the list to getthe stuff. Another couple days and things will be ironed out, as far as the materials that are currently in the Gulf. As for future shipments, that remains to be seen.
I, personally, suggest that groups that are interested in receiving the donated I beams contact FreeHaul directly to arrange for shipment. BUT if you do not have the funds to arrange for shipment of a whole load and need to get the I beams from a site that's already in the Gulf, have faith...there WILL be a process for getting them. The mission is to let the people of the Gulf have access to the I beams and other stuff. It's not clear yet how much demand there is for the I beams,but that will all come clear in the next few days...

1/30 Just got a call from Dayle with CAT - if you are willing to have your name or your agency's name used during the protest as a show of support to get the supplies released, please email Laura stating just that, along with your contact information for her records. Capbham@aol.com
Leslie

1/30 Article Regarding this issue:
http://208.62.60.4/40/article_888.shtml

Donation Dispute
By DWAYNE BREMER
Jan 26, 2007, 17:20
controversy over donated materials which have been sitting idle in a Bay St. Louis warehouse came to a head Friday afternoon when the first of four truckloads of lumber made its way out of the Anchor Homes warehouse---headed for a new location. The release of the materials was anything but a smooth operation, however, as the warehouse owner demanded paperwork, volunteers complained of a hostile environment, and before long, five police officers showed up to try to quell the growing tension.
The warehouse, which is the site of the former Alcan Cable, contains thousands of dollars worth of donated materials. Lumber, cabinets, mattresses and box springs, diabetic kits and even some sheet rock, were all left at the warehouse when volunteer Kathleen Johnson moved her operation to a private residence a few weeks ago.
The owner of the warehouse, Gerald Mallon, of Anchor Custom Homes, has said he would not release any of the donated materials until he can see paperwork on who owns the materials and where they are going.
Mallon said he agreed to allow Johnson an office at his plant at the request of the city of Waveland. He said one of his employees who went to seek assistance from the city initiated the conservations.
Johnson works alongside the Waveland Citizens Fund and she uses the funds 501-(c)3 classification as an umbrella to write grants for residents. She has also solicited a large number of supplies and materials from across the country.
Mallon said he believes the materials belong to the citizens of Waveland because Johnson is not a 501(c)3 and he said she represented his warehouse as being affiliated with the Waveland Citizens Fund and the city of Waveland. He said by her using this umbrella, she had basically created her own distribution center in his warehouse.Joan Coleman of the Waveland Citizen's Fund said Tuesday, the mission statement of the fund states it is for anyone south of the Interstate in Hancock County.
She said the mission statement was changed after Johnson came aboard because she was able to use her organization "Katrina Relief" to get supplies and materials, whereas the fund can only deal with cash donations. She said Johnson's aggressive approach to gaining supplies has helped hundreds of people get back into their homes.
"The materials were sent to Kathleen, and she used them as she saw fit," Coleman said. "She has done a wonderful job, it's a shame all of this has happened."One of the groups which donated materials to Johnson was Free Haul Corporation, of Rillito, Az. Friday, Kristina Davis of Free Haul and other volunteers showed up at the Bay St. Louis warehouse in an attempt to get more than $150,000 of lumber she said Free Haul donated and bring it to another warehouse.
"Our goal is to get this lumber released to the people who need it," she said. "We spent months trying to get it here, and if it takes me all of next week to get it out of here that's fine."
Davis said a warehouse located at the Stennis Airport in Kiln is allowing the group to store the lumber there until it can be disbursed.
Waveland officials were also on hand to help facilitate the release.While a truck was being loaded, Davis and other volunteers waited outside the gates of the warehouse. Volunteers told the Echo that nobody was being allowed into the warehouse except a few people who were talking with Mallon.
After one volunteer returned to the gate in tears, the Bay St. Louis Police were called to the scene.
"Its a shame," Jessica Brown said. "I can look across those tracks and see people need this lumber, and we have to go through all of this to get it to them."
Four Bay officers and one from the sheriff's department soon arrived.
Mallon soon walked to the gate and welcomed all media present into the warehouse.
"Who told you you could not come in? He asked. "You are welcome here anytime, we have nothing to hide. These people (volunteers) are using you to portray a negative image of us. I am not trying to stop anything. Trucks have been coming and going, all I am asking for is the proper paperwork."
Mallon said he did not want to release the lumber unless it was to a 501(c)3 group, and he also wanted paperwork from the city of Waveland.
Davis showed the Echo a copy of Free Haul's 501-(c)3.
In the end, the first truckload of lumber left the warehouse and headed for its new home at the airport.
Davis said she believes it will take four or possibly five trucks to get all of the lumber out of the warehouse.
Chris Lagarde of Rep. Gene Taylor's office said in the future he would like to see governmental entities have a say in situations like this.
"Frankly I'm confused," he said. "What we should be concerned about is the people. We need to get over these petty battles. This is a recurring problemthroughout the coast. I would like to see the county or the city be able to have some oversight. I'm not saying anything was done wrong here, but there needs to be some accountability."
Davis said she will not be able to retrieve the rest of the lumber until Monday.

And history on this:
http://hancockcountyrelief.blogspot.com/2007/01/waveland-police-enter-bsl.html

Community Gardens

2007-01-29T06:11:00.000-08:00

Some history:
Several of us "virtual volunteers" have had this idea of get some community gardens established in the Gulf Region. The soil should be far less toxic to work with and to grow edibles in, so we are working toward getting some established.
Lynn, the program director of Katrina's Angels has stepped up to the plate and is working very hard to make this plan a reality. She has a lead on some financial assistance to bring in containers and soil, an expert in Southern horticulture to assist in teaching folks and assisting throughout the growing season.
What we need now is the donation of land. If you or a civic organization has some land they would be willing to donate - and it needn't be a lot - please contact Lynn. Her email is in the msg below. Thanks!

Hello: We have an expert from Mississippi State University willing to work with groups to help get a community garden started. I don't have all the details yet but I think there will be expert advice on how to get the highest yield for the least room.The people are willing to meet with locals in Jackson or Hancock counties to help get the project started and support until harvest.If anyone has land they can volunteer for a community garden or is a FEMA park and has some neighbors that would be interested as well, please let me know. This would be a great project for a community or individuals to supplement their food supplies, beautify their living space and meet some new friends.
Please email me at ProgramDirector@ katrinasangels. org and we'll get started.
Lynn

More on HC Skin Infections

2007-01-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

POSTED: 6:03 pm CST January 18, 2007
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- State Department of Health officials are investigating bizarre skin lesions and blisters reported by many storm-relief volunteers working in Hancock County.
The department's district medical director, Robert Travnivcek, said for the past several months, health officials have collected evidence and interviewed workers.
Travnivcek said epidemiologists will determine whether the lesions are part of a disease outbreak, a rise in a common infection or simply a coincidence involving unrelated volunteers, who are all working in Hancock County and bothered by similar afflictions.
A nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Hancock Medical Center, Shana Blakeny, said they've been seeing patients with rashes and sores for a long time.
Blakeny said some sores have been large enough to ooze fluid, that is then collected and tested in a local lab.
She said often the results have shown a Staph infection, which can range from a minor skin lesion to life-threatening bloodstream disorders.
The cause of Staph infections is a common bacterium that usually lives on the skin or in the nose. The bacterium gets into the body through a cut or medical incision.
She said the county has dealt with this for about five years but the situation has gotten worse since Hurricane Katrina.
Blakeny said it's likely locals are suffering from the same type of lesions, but have become more accustomed to the infection.

United Relief Foundation Article

2007-01-19T17:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.unitedrelieffoundation.com

Volunteer
847-345-2413
12 West Busse Avenue
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
mailto:volunteer@unitedrelieffoundation.com

Donate
United Relief Foundation
Post Office Box 9132
Mount Prospect, IL 60056

United Relief aids Mississippi towns
By Nadia MalikDaily Herald Staff Writer
On the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, two members of a Mount Prospect-based group are visiting towns in Mississippi that still haven’t recovered.
“It’s still horribly bad down there; I can’t even describe how bad it is,” said Frank Slove, executive director of the United Relief Foundation, which was started in February after it was apparent residents of the coast needed ongoing help.
Slove originally visited the hurricane-ravaged areas last September, just weeks after Katrina hit. This four-day trip, which started Monday, is his fourth to the area.
He and Frank Salato, president of United Relief, are meeting with the mayor of Pass Christian, Miss., and police officers and firefighters who are still homeless.
They also are meeting a school superintendent to assess just how much help is still needed in the schools.
“On the last trip down there, we were talking to a bunch of fire and police personnel,” Slove said. “We listened to their stories and decided we wanted to help the first responders.”
About 30 first responders in Pass Christian are still without homes, Slove said, so he approached firefighters back here in the Northwest suburbs to see if they would help.
Three Buffalo Grove firefighters — Lt. Phil Barry, Kevin Hauber and Jim Hauber — were willing to put in their time. They will be the leaders in raising money for that project.
However, when Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Tim Sashko heard about the project, he wanted the entire department to be involved, Slove said.
So when Slove returns with video footage and photographs, he and the Buffalo Grove Fire Department will sit down and determine the biggest needs, which will include building homes.
Slove said he’ll do the same with Bay High School and Waveland Elementary School, which needs a gymnasium, estimated to cost $100,000, and a biology and chemistry lab, at $150,000 each.
That fundraising initiative will be headed up by Mount Prospect resident Diane Frank.

Weekend collections to aid Katrina schools
Volunteers from the Mount Prospect-based United Relief Foundation along with Firefighters from the Buffalo Grove Fire Department will be collecting donations to aid in the Foundation’s Hurricane Katrina humanitarian efforts.
Wearing Foundation logo shirts or Firefighter attire, volunteers will be collecting Friday and Oct. 27 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and 9 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 28.
The intersection of Arlington Heights and Lake-Cook Roads will serve as the collections hub.
Donations collected on Friday and Saturday will go into the United Relief Foundation’s Adopt-a-School fund for Bay High and Waveland Elementary Schools, located in Bay St. Louis and Waveland Miss., respectively.
Oct. 27 and 28 donations will go toward the Foundation’s initial $320,000 goal to purchase material to rebuild Mississippi’s Pass Christian First-Responders homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
United Relief Foundation has also scheduled additional rebuilding and renewal Lifeline Missions for November and December which will include the Foundation’s Katrina Kids Holiday Express delivering comfort goods to Hurricane Katrina’s youngest victims.
Founded in February 2006, the United Relief Foundation has provided Hope and Help to Hurricane Katrina victims in the Mississippi Gulf Coast cities of Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Diamondhead, Gulfport, Pass Christian and Waveland.
United Relief Foundation is an Illinois chartered not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization and donations are tax deductible under IRS code 501 (c) (3).
Individuals, groups, businesses and organizations are welcome to participate in United Relief Foundation Hope and Help efforts and Lifeline missions.
To volunteer, make a donation or for additional information contact the United Relief Foundation at (847) 345-2413.

Girl Scouts want to help peers hurt by Katrina
Brownie Troop 414 of Mount Prospect took part in starting United Relief Foundation’s Project Katrina Kids.
Wanting to help children their own age, the Girls Scouts contacted the United Relief Foundation to find out how they could help kids hurt by Hurricane Katrina.
Through a Mississippi Hope and Help Partner, the United Relief Foundation received names of 40 girls Bay St. Louis and Waveland, Miss.
The United Relief Foundation gave the names to the Girl Scouts, which were then divided between three troops, with Brownie Troop 414 writing the first of many messages.
The Brownies didn’t stop at writing messages. They decided to collect donations of items they thought the kids would need.
The messages and collected items will be hand-delivered during the United Relief Foundation’s Relief transport to the Mississippi Gulf region this week.
United Relief Foundation volunteers will take photographs of the messages and items as they are given to the Katrina Kids in Mississippi so the Girls Scouts can see how their thoughtfulness brought some joy to children that lost some much.
For more information call Frank Slove, United Relief Foundation Executive Director, (847) 345-2413 or visit online at www.UnitedReliefFoundation.com

Plenty of Good Eggs at Saint Matthew
“Are you a Good Egg?” was Saint Matthew Catholic Church, 1001 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg, unique way to involve their entire parish, especially the children, in collecting much needed aid to help ease the suffering of Hurricane Katrina victims.
The Parish distributed plastic eggs which contained pieces' of paper that listed 2 or 3 inexpensive easily purchased items and the overwhelming response proved there are plenty of Good Eggs at Saint Matthew.
Monetary donations and relief items were collected at Saint Matthew on March 11th and 12th by United Relief Foundation volunteers and will be used to help ease the suffering of Katrina victims in the Hancock Country region of Mississippi.
“It’s very heartwarming to experience the genuine concern Saint Matthew parishioners still have for Hurricane Katrina victims,” comment United Relief Foundation Executive Director Frank Slove. “Their monetary and supplies contributions will greatly help ease the suffering of many people who lost everything.”
Hancock County, Mississippi was the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. In Katrina's wake of destruction, the lives of the County's residents in Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead and Waveland were devastated and forever changed.
Saint Matthew was canonically established on March 21, 1976 and has grown into a spiritual home of almost 3000 households or 9000 people and parishioners will be joining United Relief Foundation’s Hurricane Katrina rebuilding effort in late April

MS Home of Your Own

2007-01-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

Mississippi Home of Your Own (HOYO), an award-winning program of the University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies, will sponsor a free, one-day home buyer education workshop Jan. 27 for residents with or without disabilities in Hancock and surrounding counties.
The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hancock County Housing Resource One Stop Center at 640 U.S. 90 in Waveland. HOYO focuses on creating a support system that identifies potential homebuyers, analyzes their housing needs and financial capacity and prepares them for home ownership.
Applicants of the HOYO program must attend homebuyer education seminars to be considered for financial assistance in buying a home. For more information or to preregister for the free home buyer education seminar, call the Hattiesburg office of the Institute for Disability Studies toll free at (888) 671-0051.

Waveland Police Enter BSL

2007-01-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Waveland, relief group tussle over donations, records
By RYAN LaFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com
WAVELAND - City officials and police officers here crossed city lines into Bay St. Louis earlier this month hoping for access into a warehouse full of Katrina-relief donations, according to volunteers.
Waveland wanted possession of hundreds of files and records used to track the donations and grant money funneled to Hancock County through volunteer relief groups, Waveland officials and volunteers told the Sun Herald.
Bay St. Louis police confirmed last week that they were called to a warehouse at the old Alcan facility on Central Avenue to defuse a situation between Waveland cops and Kathleen Johnson, an Illinois native, who has been coordinating volunteer efforts here since September 2005.
Waveland police attempted to seize the files on Jan. 2, about 10 hours before Alderman Charles Piazza announced his push for a state-sponsored investigation into financial practices at City Hall.
That night, Piazza told the Board of Aldermen that he wanted the State Auditor's Office to examine the city's bankroll and use of Katrina-relief donations. Johnson plans to attend the Board of Aldermen meeting Wednesday and Piazza said he hopes to have aldermen vote on his proposed request for a state audit.
Link From Kathleen

1/31 New Article
Volunteer Kathleen Johnson, who works intimately with arguably the most important non-profit group in the city of Waveland, has served time in federal prison for charges of bank fraud, fraudulent use of social security numbers, and fraud relating to student loans. According to records from the United States Bureau of Prisons and by her own admission, Kathleen Joan Johnson, 55, was convicted in Cheyenne, Wy. in August. 1992 of the three charges.
Johnson served four months in prison and spent three years on probation, federal officials said Monday.
Johnson said Tuesday, the events took place a long time ago and there were a lot of unique circumstances surrounding it. She said she had lost her social security card and she gained another number through medical records. She said the second number was not hers and she used it for years before it was discovered when she went back to school. She said she was going through a bitter divorce and child custody battle at the time and all of these factors had a hand in her conviction. Contrary to the information given by the Bureau of Prisons, she said she only spent four days in jail, and she was held in a facility next to the courthouse and not in federal prison.
Today, she is the director of the volunteer group "Katrina Relief" and has been volunteering in Hancock County since a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Last summer, she was invited to work alongside the Waveland Citizens Fund. She has written grants for citizens and solicited supplies and materials on behalf of the fund.
Once she began working at the Waveland Government Complex, she soon got certification to operate on a database called the CAN (Coordinated Access Network) program.
According to Johnson, it is a database in which one can contact other case managers and get assistance from volunteer organizations. One of the rules of the CAN program is that it must be kept totally separate from any governmental entity, she said. She said she would use the system to assist residents in applying for grants.
"My agreement with CAN and another major grant organization is it cannot be under the directorship of any governmental entity," she said.
She is currently in possession of hundreds of files which contain personal information of Waveland residents.
Over the past few weeks, the files have been the source of a raging controversy in the community.
On Jan. 2, Waveland Public Works Director Ron Calcagno and an off-duty police officer went to see Johnson at the Anchor Homes warehouse to attempt to retrieve the files.
Johnson refused to give up the files and the officials left empty-handed.Monday, Mayor Tommy Longo said he sent them to get the files. He said the officials were simply following orders and the reason why he sent the officials to get the files is because the city was aware of complaints made against Johnson, and that he believed the files belonged to the Waveland Citizens Fund and not Johnson. He said by trying to regain the files he was trying to protect the citizens who gave their personal information.
"My motivation was that we had created the files for months before Kathleen Johnson came aboard," he said. "These files contain lot of information. We have an active police investigation, but we were asked not to talk about it."
Johnson said an attorney cited the fact that the CAN program specifies a separation from any governmental entity as the reason to move away from the city offices.
The Echo has also learned that among those files are numerous Waveland city officials, including Longo.Johnson declined to show the Echo the files, stating they are strictly confidential.
"I wish I could show you, but I can't," she said.
Waveland Assistant Police Chief Mike Prendergast said Monday his department has received complaints pertaining to Johnson, and there is currently an active investigation into these claims. He would not specify what the claims are or who made them.
Likewise, officials in the Illinois Attorney General's office confirmed Monday they have received complaints about Johnson.
"We have received complaints from our consumer fraud bureau and we are looking into those complaints," Scott Mulford said, of the Illinois Attorney General's Office said.
Johnson said she believes certain people are "shifting the blame" and her main focus is still helping people get back into their homes.

1/30 - more re: the issues surrounding this topic:
http://hancockcountyrelief.blogspot.com/2007/01/jerry-mallon-problems.html

Gang Activity Increasing

2007-01-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

From Jenni
Gang activity contributing to increased Hancock crime rate
By DWAYNE BREMER

You may have never heard of the Gangsta Disciples, Crips, Simon City Royals, or Latin Kings, but these and other street gangs have caught the attention of law enforcement officials in Hancock County.Over the past year, gang activity has been suspected in numerous crimes in the county, including drive-by-shootings, burglaries, armed robberies, and drug activity, officials said.
"The federal government says any group of more than three is a gang," Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said Thursday. While most officials do not consider the gang problem in the county a major problem, it is becoming a growing epidemic among the area's youth.
"The Youth Court has had numerous referrals on juveniles who are involved in gangs," Youth Court Administrator Chere Hayward said Thursday. "I believe parents need to be aware that there are actual gangs in our county."
Hayward said there are several signs parents can look for to see if their child is possibly involved in gang activity. She said items such as adding or deleting a primary color in a youth wardrobe, drawing signs or symbols on books or in their room, signs of drug abuse, and increased amounts of money or material possessions without any explanation, could all point to possible gang activity.
Currently, there is a feud between rival gang members in the Lakeshore and Shoreline communities, officials said.
The Shoreline group goes by the nickname "The Shoreline Soldiers," and the Lakeshore group is known as "The Posse," one youth told the Echo.
Both of the group are affiliated with major street gangs such as the "Simon City Royals," (SCR), a gang formed in the streets of Chicago decades ago.
Members of the SCR wear blue, a similar color to the "Crips" a street gang formed in California.
"Monitoring gangs is difficult," Hurt said. "The gangs are the cause of a lot of fights, and trouble making. Most of it is small groups who want to do some dirt."
Hayward warned that even though some consider gang members here may be considered "wanta-bees" they are still capable of causing considerable problems."If someone says they are in a gang, then the gang is here," she said.Gang activity has also been suspected in jail violence. Officials at the Pearl River County Jail said this week that some accusations of officers assaulting inmates are really related to violence among inmates themselves.
"There is intimidation going on between the inmates," Pearl River Chief Deputy Julie Flowers said Thursday. "It is not necessarily gang-related, although some of the members are in gangs. Some of the stronger inmates try to take over the cell, and they have to be placed in lock down."
She said separating the inmates has caused a dramatic drop in the violence.
Officials said the same principal may be true among gangs on the street, as arrests may cut the leadership of the gangs.
Hurt believes the current conditions in the county may be causing more youths to turn towards the gangs.
Hayward urges parents to get more involved.
"There are a number of websites that can provide parents information," she said. "The most important thing a parent can do is get involved in your child's life, make them feel loved and give them a sense of belonging so they don't seek it elsewhere."

Charity In Action

2007-01-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

P. O. Box 455 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0455

Charity In Action is a humanitarian and emergency services collaborative. It was founded as a grass-roots response to Hurricane Katrina. Conceived as a way to combine and leverage the commitment of many individual volunteers in coordination with established aid agencies as well as state and local governments, its goal has been to bring rapid relief to areas where there is unmet need, and to continue assistance into the recovery and rebuilding phases.
Charity In Action seeks to identify the greatest needs and to respond. We provide volunteer service work and necessary goods. We do not offer financial grants.

We try to maximize our effectiveness and conserve resources by:
communicating needs to a broad base of supporters
organizing donation drives and packing and transporting donated goods
contacting potential partners to solicit direct donations of goods or services to our beneficiaries
raising funds, and seeking discounted rates through competitive bids on goods and services we must purchase
using volunteer labor whenever possible.

Charity In Action is run by an all-volunteer staff and board.
Donate:
By check or money order:
Donations may be mailed to:
Charity In Action
P. O. Box 455
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0455
Your donation is federal income tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Please include your name and address if you would like a receipt. You may also donate (securely) through the website.

Joining Our List of Volunteers:
If you are interested in doing volunteer work for Charity In Action, please send an email to
Volunteers and you will be contacted for further information.
Becoming a Partner:We welcome other businesses and non-profits that would like to work together and share in our mission. If your organization can donate goods or services directly to our beneficiaries, or offer special discounts to us when we purchase items for them, please contact the Director, Frank Vagnone, at frank.vagnone.
Thank You!

1/30
Charity In Action is sponsoring a service trip by Bryn Athyn College of the New Church to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery. 14 students and 4 adults will go to Pearlington, MS in late February 2007 to spend a week working on the rebuilding effort.While CiA is subsidizing a large portion of the cost per student, as well as paying for tools and supplies for the rebuilding projects, the students are working hard on raising additional funds themselves.
Their main fundraiser is a raffle. If you would like to support the students making this trip, and you live close enough to Bryn Athyn, PA to enjoy the prize, please consider purchasing raffle tickets from them.
Prize: Dinner for four in the tower at Glencairn Museum (fully catered, five-course dinner), as well as a private behind-the-scenes tour of Glencairn with Museum Director Stephen Morley Ticket Price: $10 Drawing: May 5, 2007 (at Bryn Athyn College Fun Fair)
Benefits: 85% of proceeds go to C.A.R.E., the Bryn Athyn College community service organization, to support service trips. 15% goes to the Glencairn Museum Fund to help subsidize the cost of educational trips to the museum.
To purchase tickets, contact Hannah Simons at 267-502-2829 or email hannah.simons@brynathyn.edu.
To see more about Pearlington, MS, visit http://www.prcvolunteers.blogspot.com/
or read a recent Washington Post article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/27/AR2007012701154.html
For more information on Bryn Athyn College see http://www.brynathyn.edu/
To learn more about Glencairn Museum visit http://www.glencairnmuseum.org/.

12/5
We have continued to supply needed items for the Hancock County Distribution Warehouse. In September we purchased a truckload of bottled water – a total of 36,480 ½-liter bottles! These are used both for volunteer workers and for residents whose well water is unfit to drink. In October we bought 400 sheets of drywall with jointing compound and tape, 37 doors, and 30 insulated windows. These are distributed to people trying to rebuild their homes. Case managers coordinate the process, examining the circumstances of individuals and deciding where the need is greatest.
Unfortunately the Warehouse has lost its government funding and has to close in December, which puts some of the people who worked there out of a job. Several of these people plan to transfer their center of operations to the PowerHouse of Deliverance Ministry in Bay St. Louis, so that they can keep up the good work.
Charity In Action’s newest project for the future is helping young people to get involved in service. For the next three years we plan to support Bryn Athyn College in sending student service trips to work in the hurricane-damaged area. The next trip will be in spring 2007, and Charity In Action has pledged to subsidize a large portion of the cost per student and to give additional funds for building materials.
Charity In Action remains an all-volunteer organization. In this way we minimize our operating costs although we must still cover legal, tax accounting, insurance, information technology, and miscellaneous expenses. By maintaining our structure we can be ready to mobilize and respond quickly in the event of another major disaster.
Our donors and our volunteers make this possible. Thank you!

Camp Victor

2007-01-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Donations to Katrina relief are tax deductible. Make checks payable to "LSSDR." Donations are used to purchase building materials, tools and supplies as well as donations that directly benefit those displaced by the storm.
Mail To:
Camp Victor
Attention: Jon Biggs
1515 Government Street.
Ocean Springs, MS 39564-3825

Christus Victor Church, located in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, became a hurricane disaster response center for communities along the Gulf Coast from Pascagoula to Ocean Springs to Biloxi within days of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in August 2005. The hurricane caused damage to thousands of homes along the Mississippi coast. They were damaged, destroyed or made uninhabitable. There continues to be a great need to provide interim services to hurricane victims (food and supplies) and to aid in the clean-up, repair, and re-construction of damaged homes.
During the months that followed Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the church's walls were stretched trying to accommodate the regular church services and activities, as providing office space for case management and housing and feeding thousands of volunteers.
In June 2006, we moved our operations to Camp Victor, a new facility inside a former factory. The larger space allowed us to consolidate all our departments under one roof.
Camp Victor is a ministry of Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response and Lutheran Disaster Response.

Camp Victor (a ministry of Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response) has a number of services to help those displaced or otherwise effected by Hurricane Katrina. If you have specific needs, come talk to one of our case workers, who will attempt to help you in whatever manner we can. We also have a number of more general services, including:
Distribution of Food and Supplies
House and Yard Cleanup, Drywall Installation, Repairs

Our Distribution Center provides supplies to about one hundred and fifty families per day, with an expenditure averaging $10,000 per day. If you are able to help with this cost, please see our current needs page for information on donations.

For donations of physical goods contact Bob Montgomery in the Distribution Center at 228-860-7266, or bbmonty@mindspring.com
Food Kits
With the following items, you can create food kits that will feed a family of 4 for 3 days. Items not currently listed here are already well-stocked (cereal, cookies, peanut butter, box milk). We will add these items to your food boxes
• oatmeal (1 med canister)
• breakfast bars 2 boxes
• juice: 2 ea 46 oz. jugs or 10 pack of juice boxes
• 4 cans canned fruit
• 4 cans/packs chicken
• 2 cans meat
• 1 bottle grape jelly/strawberry jam
• 2 boxes pasta
• 1 bag rice
• Mac & cheese
• rice mixes
• canned meals (i.e., Chef Boyardee)
• 4 cans soup
• 6 cans vegetables
• 2 cans baked beans
• snacks: box of bars, crackers, puddings, etc.
First Aid Kits
• adhesive bandages
• antiseptic ointments
• cortisone cream
• OTC medications
• triple antibiotic cream
• aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen
• tweezers
• adhesive tape
• gauze pads
Hygiene Kits - Adult
• deodorant
• shampoo
• razors
• shaving gel/cream for men and women
• liquid hand soap
• hand & bath soap
• feminine hygiene products
• hand sanitizer
Hygiene Kits - Infant
• diaper wipes
• baby shampoo
• diaper rash cream
• baby wash
• baby lotion
• baby powder
• Vaseline jelly
Other Needs
• face, hand & bath towels
• disposable tissues
• paper towels
• toilet paper
• insect repellant
• sun block
• 1/2 liter bottled water (for volunteer work crews)
• cleaning supplies - bleach, laundry detergent, liquid dish soap, cleanser, all purpose cleaners

Buy A Cotton Throw

2007-01-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

Found by Karen
Eight years ago, artist in residence, Henry Gonzales created a drawing that captured the beauty and magic of Bay St. Louis. That drawing was put on a beautiful blanket that immediately became popular with locals and visitors alike. The late artist and his widow, Yvette, graciously donated the rights to his artwork to Hope Haven Shelter (http://www.hopehavenshelter.org/annual.html - scroll down)
to be used as a means to raise money for the shelter. Hundreds of throws were sold when they first came out, maybe as many as 3,000 between 1998 and 2002. We stopped ordering them in 2003 because the sales fell and the price for a minimum order was several thousands of dollars, and we just couldn't justify tying that much money up. But now, because of Katrina, we have tested the waters once again with a small order, and found that people love them as much as they did before. So many of the people who owned them before had lost them in the storm and were thrilled to learn they could replace them.
The throws come in three colors, red, hunter green and deep blue and have scenes from all around the Bay: sadly, some that no longer exist except in our memories. They are a good size and 100% cotton and make wonderful Christmas gifts or gifts for the volunteers who come to help rebuild. Throws are available for purchase at C.J.s. restaurant in the historic Depot District or you may contact us directly. The total price is $45.00 each or $40.00 on multiple orders. I have several that I purchased when they first came out and I still use them to cuddle up with while watching TV. (from Terry)
They really are great and they honor a city that is "A Place Apart"…
Contact Hope Haven Shelter at:
PO Box 3777Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 39521
228-466-6395
Email: Children@hopehavenshelter.org

1/14 - yes, Terry said people can order through the Pay Pal Account online. $45 + 10 in shipping.
I emailed Terry to see if folks could order these through Hope Havens existing Pay Pal account. Will let you know when I know!
L

Pictures End of December

2007-01-02T17:24:00.000-08:00

A house off Pearl River, I think.

The top of someone's home from an unknown place.

Rebuilding anew in Pearlington

Someone cared for this car - the Emergency Brake is still on...

An unknown future for an apparently solid house.

What is left of the town between Pearlington and NOLA

A very nice house with very exposed pipes

Grant Assisting Building Inspection

2006-12-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

County hires 2 new building inspectors
By DWAYNE BREMER
Dec 27, 2006, 09:04

The Hancock County Board of Supervisors subscribed to the theory that two is better than one as they hired two people to lead the county building department when current building official Mickey Lagasse leaves at the end of this month.
Current county inspectors Jerry Beaugez, 36, and Anthony Cuevas, 37, will share combined duties as the top building officials in the county.
Lagasse who resigned last month, stayed on until his replacements could be chosen. He said the decision to hire two officials was recommended by the county's Planning and Zoning Board.
Supervisors agreed to promote both Beaugez and Cuevas and give each a $10,000 a year raise.
Lagasse had received a $21,000 raise six months ago for his dual duties as building department head and head of planning and zoning.
Both Beaugez and Cuevas said they are looking forward to the new position and they will work with each other to make sure residents get the same services they have always gotten.
"There is a lot of rebuilding still to be done," Beaugez said. "We understand the fact that a lot of people need our help, and that is what we are here for."
"We want to do our best to help people get back to normal," Cuevas said.
Building departments have been in the spotlight since Hurricane Katrina. The top officials in Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and the county have all resigned since the storm.
Last June, supervisors approved the international building codes for all structures in the county. The county building department also received a $500,000 grant from the state to assist in the implementation of the codes as well as assist with personnel and salaries.

Hancock County Jail Fire

2006-12-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hancock holding facility shut down
By DWAYNE BREMER
Dec 27, 2006, 09:03
The temporary holding facility at the Hancock County Sheriff's Department has been shut down for safety concerns following a fire, which was started by inmates over the weekend, Sheriff Steve Garber said Tuesday.
"There are some safety violations we need to fix," he said. According to Garber, two inmates being held in the 8-man unit started a fire Sautrday. The fire damaged the facilities air-conditioning unit, and the state Fire Marshall has recommended the unit be shut down until improvements and repairs can be made, Garber said.
The county has had the holding unit for about a year. Garber said inmates are held in the unit until they can be transported to Pearl River County or Stone County.
He said this weekend's events and reports of possible jail abuse at the Pearl River County Jail only emphasizes the need for Hancock County to have its own jail.
Tuesday morning, Hancock County had 95 inmates held in the Pearl River County Jail, in Millard. Inmates are being held in Pearl River because Hurricane Katrina severly damaged the Hancock County Jail on Court St. To date, nothing has been done with the Hancock County jail, as Supervisors have claimed insurance settlements and structural determinations from FEMA are still on-going.
"Its time we start visiting the jail issue," Garber said. "We need to make a decision."
Garber has expressed the desire to have a new jail built somewhere in the north end of the county.
Supervisors have said if the old jail is less than 50 percent damaged then it will probably be renovated and reopened on Court St.Garber said the 8-man unit was only supposed to be a temporary fix.
"Its been 18 months now," he said. "It was never intended to be permanent."
He said inmates who have a small bond are held in the unit until they can post bond. Inmates who have to go to court are also held in the unit.
By housing the inmates in the unit, transportation and man power costs are greatly reduced, he said.
He said inmates will now have to be transported right away until the temporary unit is repaired.
Jason Duffy, 33, and Patrick Zwiefel, 21, have been charged with destroying public property in connection with the fire, jail records show.

Unemployment Down

2006-12-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

Unemployment rate in Hancock Co. dips below 7 percent
By DON HAMMACK
dthammack@sunherald.com
Unemployment rates fell below 7 percent in Hancock County for November, its lowest rate since Hurricane Katrina, according to numbers released by the state this morning.
The Mississippi Department of Employment Security said unemployment fell four-tenths of a point from October, to 6.8 percent. The August 2005 rate, the last before the storm affected the statistics, was 5.9 percent.
The November rate in Harrison County rose slightly to 8.3 percent, up one-tenth of a point. In Jackson County, the rate rose two-tenths to 6.9 percent.
The Mississippi unemployment rate was 6.9 percent, up three-tenths of a point, but 2 points lower than it was a year ago.
The national rate for November was 4.5 percent.

Manna Ministries

2006-12-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

Manna Ministries offices are located at 795 Memorial Blvd Picayune, MS 39466
Manna Ministries medical clinic and food, clothing distribution is located at 18 Stafford Road Picayune, MS

We have changed our clinic days. We are now open Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday to better serve our community.

Manna food & clothing distribution has been serving peoples physcial needs of providing them with food and clothing for over six years. We serve approximately 500 families a week with food and clothing. We also serve our community throughout the year with special days like Thanksgiving, Christmas and in times of disaster.

Manna free medical clinic began operation in 2005 a life long dream come to pass. The medical clinic was instrumental during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. We were the only medical help in our city due to our hospital being severly damage and unable to function. With the help of local Doctors and Nurses we were able to provide much needed help to thousands of people. The medical clinic provides families without health insurance medical services.

The Haven is our ministry to mentally and physically challenged people. We allow parents to enjoy a Sunday service while our staff and volunteers minister to their children in a service specifically designed for them.

Drug Assistance Program. Our drug assistance program helps people without insurance work through the paper process to help them get the medication they need for free or at a reduced price.

Benevolence. Our benevolence program helps people get back on their feet when they have gone through a tragedy, disaster or in need of emergency funding. This is run every month and we help as many as we can or until our funds are depleted for that month.

Home food and clothing delivery is for those who are home ridden and those without transportation.

Manna Crossroads is our food and clothing distribution to the Crossroads, MS area and Southeast Louisanna area.

The Pines Retirement food and clothing delivery has been added to assist those who need help but can't get to the Manna Building.

For more information on Benevolence contact Jameye or Dixie at 601-798-4511 or jameye@mannaministry.net or rdixie@mannaministry.net

Moonshine Bust

2006-12-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

HANCOCK COUNTY — Most people believed the days of rebels in overalls cooking up 100-proof whiskey deep in the backwoods of this county were long gone, at least since Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

And certainly, since the emergence of legal distilleries such as Jack Daniel and Jim Beam, all of Uncle Jessie’s secret moonshine had vanished along with his hoodsliding, bootlegging nephews, right?

Not exactly.

From June 2005 to the same time this year, revenue agents have dismantled 12 moonshine distilleries in Mississippi’s backwoods.

On Monday, the Alcoholic Beverage Control made one of the largest whiskey still discoveries in recent history, hidden in a rundown tin shack near Rocky Hill Road in an area once considered the bootleg capital of the South.

ABC agents arrested 63-year-old Willie “Junior” Necaise on felony charges of possession of an illicit distillery and possession of nontax-paid whiskey.

Agents said the whiskey recovered was between 90 and 100 proof and sells for about $20 a gallon.

In the early 1900s, Prohibition laws helped spark the boom of moonshine, and the thick woods along the Jourdan River in Hancock County offered great cover for bootleggers. Today, many locals still know the whiskey only as “Jourdan River Dew.”

Last month, the state’s only licensed brewery began bottling its beer in limited-edition growler jugs, reminiscent of the moonshine days, to pay homage to Hancock’s rich history of bootlegging.
Mark Smith, the ABC agent in charge, said the whiskey still was operational when it was discovered. Agents reportedly received a tip that led them to the homemade still.

During the raid, agents said they recovered more than two dozen, 55-gallon barrels holding more than 1,500 gallons of mash. A 100-gallon stainless steel cooker was used to distill the whiskey. Agents estimate the operation was capable of producing about 250 gallons of moonshine a month.

“Finding a still takes more than just luck,” ABC Director Mark Hicks said. “The methods used to conceal them from law enforcement are passed down just like the recipes for moonshine.”
Hicks said moonshine is often concocted under “extremely unsanitary conditions.” Agents destroyed a still last year in which a car radiator was being used as a condenser.

An agency spokeswoman said the still found this week in Hancock County was the largest whiskey cooker ABC has destroyed in the past four years.

Building Going Well

2006-12-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

Supers pleased with growth in nothern part of Hancock
By SEA COAST ECHO
Dec 22, 2006, 14:45

New homes and more businesses are popping up above Interstate 10 north of the Kiln, and no one’s happier than District 5 Supervisor Jay Cuevas.
“It seems like it has taken forever to see some real progress, but I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made in the last 16 months, and the future looks bright for all of Hancock County,” said Cuevas, as he rode around his district and pointed out where new subdivisions are taking shape. New single-family homes are being built off Road 357, on Rocky Hill-Dedeaux Road, on Fenton-Dedeaux Road and on Firetower Road, he said.
“We’re starting to see signs of people coming back, and I think the growth will be phenominal over the next couple of years,” said Cuevas. “Since the storm, any land north of Interstate 10 that is high and dry is a hot commodity. Land values are escalating. Everybody wants to go to high land.”
Recent land sales recorded in the office of County Tax Assessor/Collector Jimmy Ladner attests to the skyrocketing land costs. Five acres of land recently purchased on Standard-Dedeaux Road went for $47,500; nine acres on Firetower Road sold for $93.000. A 6.84-acre waterfront tract in the affluent Jourdan River Bluffsubdivision off Hwy. 603 went for $260,000, more than $39,000 an acre.
Cuevas’s District 5 is one of the largest and most populated of Hancock County’s five districts. The District begins at the junction of Hwy. 90 and Blue Meadow road, runs down Blue Meadow to past Joe’s Bayou, then follows the Jourdan River and takes in everything on the east side of Hwy. 603 all the way to Standard-Dedeaux Road. Latest estimates before the storm, placed the population at around 11,000, but nobody knows for sure how many residents have returned since Katrina. Approaching the Kiln, Hwy. 603 has become a bustling business corridor all the way to its junction to Hwy. 43 with retail shops, a farmer’s market, a bank, a U.S. Post office, restaurants, automotive repair shops, general hardware store, real estate and insurance offices.
“Now we’ve got a pharmacy in a new strip mall on the north side of Hwy. 603 and a Mexican Restaurant (3 J’s) will open soon on the south side of 603,” said Cuevas. Cuevas pointed out that Coast Electric last week vacated its Bay St. Louis headquarters, and moved its staff of 50 to a temporary trailer at 18602 Hwy. 603 while construction begins on their new headquarters.
“These people are going to be buying gas, eating in our restaurants and making purchases at the stores, which will give the economy a big boost,” said Cuevas.
Another major future tenant in the Kiln is the Mississippi National Guard. The Hancock County Board of Supervisors recently approved plans for the Guard to build a new Armory on a six-acre site off the Kiln-DeLisle Road adjacent to county’s Equine Center. The facility will be about 28,200-square-feet, and it will house the 155th Infantry Tank Company, made up of 63 soldiers, mostly from Hancock County.
F. Walker and Associates of Gulfport is the design company, and construction is expected to start within six to eight months. The federal government has allocated $12.2 million, and no local taxes are being used on the project, Cuevas said.
The facility is right down the road from the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center, and Cuevas said their proximity to each other will be a benefit to all citizens in times of storms or other emergencies.The construction and the eventual opening up of the Armory will bring even more people into the area,” said Cuevas, boosting the economy even further, and enticing more people to build or buy homes in the area, he said.
And added benefit, Cuevas said, is the Armory can also be used for functions, such as birthday parties or fund-raisers, he said.Cuevas added some additional recreational areas have also been made available in District 5 after Katrina. “The Board of Supervisors and the Hancock County School District got together to build a walking track at Hancock East Central, and its available for anyone who wants to use it,” said Cuevas. He said the Board used county labor to put in the track and the School District spent about $10,000 on materials.
The Fenton Community Center is also open on the Kile-DeLisle Road, and is available free of charge to anyone who might want to reserve it for private parties, weddings or any other activity, Cuevas said. To reserve it, Cuevas said people should call Sandra Edwards at 255—1140. Cuevas is especially proud of the $1.2 million Child Development Center nearing completion on a five-acre site on the east side of Hwy. 603, just past the new Lowe’s Home Improvement Store. The Bucks and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Katrina Relief Fund, working in conjunction with the Philadelphia Salvation Army, raised the money to build the 10,000-square-foot center, which will serve 130 pre-school youngsters, and also have been involved building or restoring playgrounds in Bay St. Louis and Waveland, in addition to restoring homes in the two cities.

Quilt Auction Helps Libraries

2006-12-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the article Janet!

Katrina Quilt raises $2000
Money will help damaged Hancock County libraries
By LEIGH COLEMAN
SUN HERALD
DIAMONDHEAD - Recovered fabric rescued from the wet Katrina sand and quilting supplies donated from around the country were pieced and sewn together to raise $2,000 for the Hancock County Library Foundation.
Members of the Bay Oaks Quilt Guild in Diamondhead came together with fabric and supplies from unexpected places and created a Katrina Quilt to raise money for the restoration of the county's damaged libraries.
Each block of the Katrina Quilt was pieced and quilted by the members of the quilting guild and represent the help the storm brought to South Mississippi. When the quilt was completed, it was quickly auctioned at a gala fundraiser held by the Dream One World organization in Santa Rosa,Calif.
After losing their meeting locations in Bay St. Louis to Katrina, the 30 members of the Bay Oaks Quilt Guild relocated to Diamondhead. During the storm, members lost their quilts, supplies and homes but those obstacles did not stop the determined women to pull together their resources and sew a unique creation to help the library system recover.
"We were able to get back to quilting because of the generosity of quilters from all over the country. We were sent fabric and supplies and we also used the recovered fabric that was rescued from the sand on the beach," said Gloria Burlette, a member of the Bay Oaks Quilt Guild.
To support the Hancock County Library System visit www.hancocklibraries.info or call 467-5282.

Books From Education Secretary

2006-12-23T10:42:00.001-08:00

Janet - thank you for the article!

Education Secretary helps with book donations to Coast
Associated Press
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon was on the Gulf Coast this week, joining the nonprofit group First Book to deliver millions of new books to schools and libraries in Hurricane Katrina-battered areas.
Simon, speaking on Wednesday at the Hancock County Library, said libraries and schools were the glue holding communities together.
This week national nonprofit group First Book, whose mission is to give books to children from low-income families, held its Holiday Book Donation with 200,000 new books delivered to schools and libraries here.
Simon joined Bay-Waveland School Superintendent Kim Stasny in reading to elementary students."
Some of our children may never leave out of Bay St. Louis, but these new books open the world to our children," Stasny said.
Simon also took time to praise Stasny, who was recently honored as Superintendent of the Year by the state Association of School Administrators.
Stasny took over the job of superintendent eight years ago. Previously she worked as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.
After Hurricane Katrina, 90 percent of students and faculty at the schoolswere misplaced. Stasny led the effort to reopen the Bay-Waveland schools in just 47 days.
"I can't imagine the effort it must have taken to get schools up and running in that length of time," Simon said, praising Stasny's efforts.
"There has to be true American heroes involved in that."
Despite the interruption in classes, the two schools earned exemplary status on state accreditation tests and the rest reached superior status. All schools met Adequate Yearly Progress as mandated by the federa laccountability plan, No Child Left Behind.

Toy Drive for Boys and Girls Clubs

2006-12-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

Toy campaign will benefit Boys, Girls Clubs in Mississippi
Beth Duckett
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 9, 2006 12:00 AM PHOENIX - A local woman created a campaign this week that will offer alittle holiday cheer to needy children living near the coast of Mississippi.
When Suzanne Stahl of Phoenix discovered that several Boys & Girls Clubs along the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast had no gifts for their children this season, she had to take action. Many of these children lost their homes, even their families, to Hurricane Katrina and rely on the clubs for support and a helping hand, she said.
Stahl has set up several sites around the Valley where local residents can drop off new, unwrapped toys that will be shipped directly to the clubs. The sites will be accepting donations until Wednesday, Stahl said. The clubs need at least 1,200 toys and have until Dec. 15 before they begin distribution, but donations will continue to be accepted for thousands of other victim families in need of toys this season, Stahl said.
"I know from spending the holidays down there last year that, for many of the children, the gifts that came from around the country became the light that 'lit (their) way,' " she said. Games, puzzles, trucks, dolls, sports toys, purses and makeup cases are just some of the toys being requested. The children range in age from 5 to 18, Stahl said. "Any new, age-appropriate gift would be wonderful for a kid who has lost everything," she said.
Stahl is a volunteer for a non-profit organization called Hands on GulfCoast. She spent seven months along side hundreds of volunteers in Biloxi,Miss., mending the devastation that was left in the wake of the 2005 hurricane. Besides working with children, Stahl posted 2,600 new street signs, cleaned cemeteries and rebuilt homes.
"Somehow over the past 16 months the extraordinary has become the ordinary," she said. "My life and heart have become permanently en- twined with the residents and survivors."
For information, go to www.handsongulfcoast.org or e-mail Stahl at suzanneinmississippi@earthlink.net.

Disaster Corp

2006-12-03T14:44:00.000-08:00

Disaster Corps in a Nonprofit with 501 (c) (3) charitable organization status with the Internal Revenue Service. We are a Public Charity. Member of North Carolina Center for Nonprofits and listed with GuideStar.
Federal Tax Identification Number: 20-3126496
D & B (Dunn and Bradstreet Number): 605725170
Please feel free to contact us at:
Email: help@disastercorps.org
Telephone: 252-883-1776
Disaster Corps
860 NC Hwy 33
Tarboro, North Carolina 27886

We are proud to announce the most innovative project in home building on the Gulf Coast. Our Southern States Director, Nancy, spearheaded the idea of Katrina Seavillas ™ .

All homes will be built from recycled, green and eco-friendly materials. Every home will be structurally sound to withstand hurricane force winds of over 140 mph, while also being fireproof, flood proof and offering energy savings of over 40%. Volunteers will build all the homes and each one will be recognized with a bronze plaque identifying the chronological order of completion. While this project will be a significant undertaking on the Gulf Coast, it will be a model that can be taken into future areas suffering from natural disasters. The first stage of Katrina Seavillas ™ will begin shortly along the Gulf Coast. Together, we can become a force of one and, continue our journey in "Making a Difference."

Stephanie Spencer
Founder - Disaster Corps

Individuals, Corporations, Small Businesses and/or Organizations are needed to work side by side with us. For more information, please email us at: seavillas@disastercorps.org.

Updated 11/22/2006

For Hancock County:

For new base camp: Army style tents, plywood, mess hall equipment, heaters / fans for tents, outdoor lighting, mobile shower, outdoor shower equipment, utility tables and chairs, outdoor extension cords, generator.

For home building: Concrete block, concrete, nails, wood, metal plates for foundation, torches, welding machine, paint, drywall, misc hand tools, rubber roofing materials, paint sprayer, cabinets, kitchen / bath faucets, toilets, tubs, vanities.

Tradesmen: Concrete finishers, carpenters, welders, painters, roofers, electricians, hvac, plumbers, landscapers and anyone willing to make a difference!

Claremont Harbor and Lakeshort

2006-12-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lakeshore and Clermont Harbor eye incorporation
By DWAYNE BREMERDec 1, 2006, 17:36

Residents of the Lakeshore and Clermont Harbor communities met Tuesday evening to discuss the incorporation issue at a town hall meeting held in the garage of the Lakeshore Body Shop.
The meeting was run by Attorney Donald Rafferty who gave a presentation and answered questions from the crowd of about 150 residents.
Rafferty is a defense attorney and the city attorney for the city of Bay St. Louis. He has also represented the Paradise Property group which wants to develop high-rise condos in the Lakeshore area. He said Tuesday he has been working with a group of residents from the Lakeshore and Clermont area about the possibility of the two communities becoming one city.
"We are here to see if we have enough interest to form another city on the west end of Hancock County," he said. "So many people have wanted to get involved in this so far."
He explained that before the idea of becoming a city could even get off the ground a petition must be signed by at least two thirds of the registered voters of the area.
He said election rolls show there are about 1,400 voters in the Lakeshore, Clermont, and Ansley areas.Former Supervisor Jerry Ladner said about 500 signatures have been obtained so far, and he believes the two-thirds number can be reached.
"We have to find out where these people are," Ladner said. "Once we do that I think we can get the signatures. Me personally, I would like to leave everything the same, but we can't do that. If we do not do this, then Waveland will annex us."
Despite several attempts by Rafferty and Ladner to convince residents that an annexation from Waveland is imminent, some residents did not understand the reasons behind incorporation.
"Why do we need all this stuff," Wilbur Lafleur asked. "Are we not living the life we want? I ain't signing no petition."
Resident Russell Lafontaine responded by repeating the theme of the evening.
"If we do not form our own city, we are going to be a part of Waveland."
Rafferty said he has gotten assurances from Waveland officials that the city is not looking to take over the area; however, he said the city's actions point to a different story.
He said the new Silver Slipper Casino would be attractive to a city and he said Waveland has been putting gas and water lines in the Lakeshore and Clermont areas to provide utility services
."We need to ask ourselves now, do we want to be our own city or reach into our pockets to fight them (Waveland) or just let them take it?" he asked.
Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo said Wednesday his city is not looking at annexing the Lakeshore and Clermont areas right now, and that leaders of the area are using "scare tactics" to try to convince the residents to incorporate.
"We have never been invited to one of these meetings," Longo said. "We have not had the chance to respond. We just got a whole bunch of property. We want to help the people of Lakeshore and Clermont out, but we have our hands full right now." He said the decision to put gas and utility services in the area was on request of the casino and was a prudent decision.
"The casino is our first customer," he said. "We got our certification just prior to the storm. They are in bad shape in Clermont and Lakeshore and we are just trying to help them out."
Rafferty said the area would greatly benefit from being incorporated into a city.
He said the area would receive 18.5 percent of the sales tax generated in the area, would be eligible for tidelands and road grants, and residents would see a dramatic drop in fire insurance rates.
He said if the signatures were obtained then it may costs between $30,000 to $75,000 to fund the tasks of becoming a city.
"It is going to cost money to hire a planner, an expert witness, and cost costs," he said. "If you have to fight an annexation battle, it is going to cost a lot more."
He said the community could raise the necessary money through private and corporate donations, as well as possibly having fundraisers.
One citizen asked if the area would lose county services if it were to incorporate.
Rafferty said the county is still obligated to provide services if it is requested and he pointed to D'Iberville as an example of a city with county services.
"D'Iberville incorporated in 1988," he said. "Today it is a thriving city. They contract the police service to the sheriff's department."
Rafferty also said city's are given road and bridge money from the county, as well.

Brighter Future for Hancock County

2006-12-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

From the SeaCoast Echo
Hancock’s future looking brighter
By Bennie Shallbetter
Dec 1, 2006, 17:33
Email this article Printer friendly pagePort and Harbor Commission director Hal Walters has a positive outlook for future economic growth at the port's two facilities, Stennis International Airport and Port Bienville. The two facilities suffered around $38 million in damages as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
The main thing holding up that growth now is the lack of available housing and the water and sewer services that go along with that growth, said Walters Monday."We have probably more economic development interest than before the storm-much more actually," said Walters. "But it is hard to attract business and industry without housing. When they come and look they don't see the housing, the churches. And we still only have one grocery store."
Of course, Walters says, he realizes that things are progressing and hopes that in the near future the county will have the infrastructures to attract some of the businesses that the commission sees as a future economic base for the county. That includes hoped for businesses at a planned 208 acre airport expansion just east of the south end of the runway. Walters hopes that air cargo, and maintenance businesses, as well as a limited airline service will help make the airport even busier.
For now, a maintenance business operates out of Hanger B, and Pegasus, a company that both manufactures and overhauls large aircraft, is moving into Hanger C. Pegasus will install a new generation of radar systems into Coast Guard C-130's at the airport. The company also supplies aircraft for Optech, another airport tenant.Another high tech company, Fugro Pelagos, has established a presence at the airport, Walters said. The company, which performs offshore surveying services using advanced technologies, has been involved both at the airport and Stennis Space Center for years, Walters said, but are recent tenants at Stennis Airport.Port Bienville has a major new tenant Solvay Advanced Polymers. The company bought out Mississippi Polymer last spring.
And with a channel dredged deeper than pre-storm conditions, 14 feet, Walters hopes for a business to replace shipper Linea Peninsular, a major tenant for over 20 years. The business left after Katrina.
There are no ships yet, but the port is being used, said Walters. Barge traffic brings in raw materials and supplies for Port businesses Wellman and G.E. Plastics, as well as coal for DuPont DeLisle and Calgon, and limestone for Vulcan Materials.
The Port rail line was up and running quickly after the storm, in November, Walters said, but no shipments could come or go until CSX was ready, with the first shipment leaving the Port in January.
© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

Foreign Journalists Stunned

2006-12-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Foreign journalists' jaws drop Devastation surprises them
By MICHAEL A. BELL
mbell@sunherald.com
PASS CHRISTIAN - As a journalist for German television, Otto Deppe traversed the state in 1998, recording everything from blues to the sandy beaches while making a documentary. That was during a "boom time," he said, when construction along the Coast was thriving.
On Friday, the 69-year-old returned, but to a world of contrast. "All this is now different," he said, scanning empty lots filled with debris and FEMA trailers aligning East Second Street in the Pass. He likened the devastation to what he saw in Germany after World War II. But this, he said with a shrug, "was all done by a hurricane."
Deppe and 18 other foreign journalists from Austria, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Ireland, United Kingdom and Belgium toured the Pass with Rep. Diane Peranich, D-DeLisle, in an effort to show the world how Katrina also destroyed the Mississippi Coast, not just New Orleans.
Many people "didn't know there was a Mississippi story," said Steve Richer of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitor's Bureau. He said the visitors would tour Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties during their four days here.
The 19 reporters and photographers are the biggest group of international journalists to come to the Coast since the storm hit, Richer said.
"Thank you for coming," Peranich said, hugging each visitor as they stepped off the bus, then escorting them toward Pass Christian library manager Sally James' FEMA trailer.
"All of this," Peranich said, gesturing with open arms, "was under water."
John Costello, a features writer for the Evening Herald in Ireland, said his jaw dropped when he saw the destruction.
"It's just hard to comprehend," he said. "I just can't imagine the pain and suffering (in) trying to live your everyday life."
One aspect that impressed him, however, was the residents' unity, spirit and how they are, simply, "real" people. Europeans, he said, often associate Americans as shallow, and having a "white teeth, big smile, 'Have a nice day'
" mentality.
Mississippians, he said, were different. "They pause to let a tear roll down" their cheek, Costello said.

Powerhouse of Deliverance Church

2006-11-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.phdministries7.com

Powerhouse of Deliverance Church
1278 Washington St.
Bay St Louis, MS 39520
phdministries7@aol.com

501 C-3 Non-Profit Organization
Case Manager/PHD
Volunteers/Donations/
cwillone@mchsi.com

Since joining a few news groups, I have found out there are so many more organizations doing work with the long term recovery efforts. I knew there were, I just couldn't find them when they weren't on the web.

Well, the Powerhouse of Deliverance Church is one of them. And the only reason I found out about them is because Cardia and Joe Williams announced they were moving their efforts over to this church. Wow! Finding new groups, or they finding me, is like Christmas for me.

They are working on building a website, hope for it to be up and functional by January. There is an article with their Pastor Reed contributing heavily to it:
http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/2005/10/faith_and_a_tal.html
Also - a slide show of work being done at the church to ready it for this new mission they've accepted:
http://webdesign.timches.com/katrinarelief/photos/photos.php?a=powerhouse

The church is part of the Long Term Recovery effort, and are moving rapidly to becoming a long term recovery center, doing case management, housing volunteers and establishing a very much needed food pantry.

To donate or to request more information about volunteering through them, please contact Cardia at cwillone@mchsi.com

Flu Shots and Health Screening

2006-11-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

Adult Screenings Offered:

Cholesterol
Blood Pressure
Glucose(for those adults who have fasted)
Adult screening are offered once a month for Foot Sensation and Stroke screening

IMMUNIZATIONS FOR CHILDREN UP TO AND INCLUDING AGE 18:

DTP
Hepatitis B
Hib
MMR
Polio
Meningitis
Varicella*
Pediatric DT
Influenza (seasonal)
Prevnar
Tetanus

* We administer the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine at the hospital due to the necessity of refrigeration limitations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

228-867-4246
228-867-5210

Thanks
Dianna
Case Coordinator
HCLTRC

NY Senator Disses MS

2006-11-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

Reply Found In Local MS Paper:
Congressman Rangel,

As a proud Missippian and resident of the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast I would be happy to tell you "who in the hell wants to live in Mississippi." I will not waste your time with the litany of world class writers, artists, athletes, entertainers,scientists, surgeons, astronauts, musician, soldiers and statesmen who have called Mississippi home. I will not mention the veterans who retire here nor the snowbirds who flock to our area each year. I will not list the giants in American industry who choose to locate in Mississippi.

Instead, I will tell you of the 93,000 people still housed in FEMA trailers due to the loss of over 10,000 apartment units and over 150,000 homes to Hurricane Katrina. I will tell you of the over 4,000 building permits that have been issued in Biloxi to the owners of homes and businesses destroyed a little over a year ago. I will tell you of the 13,000 casino employees who live here and serve the many who choose to visit here.

Congressman Rangel, these people went through Hell to live in Mississippi!

Wendy Barthe Peavy, Biloxi
NY congressman says no offense intended with Mississippi remark
(You don't want to know what I called him)
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON - A Democratic congressman from New York says he wasn't trying to insult Mississippi in published remarks Thursday, but a Republican colleague from Mississippi says Rep. Charles Rangel should apologize to the state.
Rangel, D-N.Y., was quoted in a Thursday article in The New York Times, saying: "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"
Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., issued a news release criticizing Rangel's words.
"I hope his remarks are not the kind of insults, slander, and defamation that Mississippians will come to expect from the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.," Pickering said.
Elbert Garcia, Rangel's press secretary in New York, said Rangel had received calls Thursday about the Mississippi quote.
Garcia e-mailed The Associated Press a response from Rangel: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone, I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."
In midterm elections this week, Democrats captured control of the U.S. House and Senate for the first time in a dozen years.
Rangel is the ranking Democrat on Ways and Means, and is in line to become chairman of the powerful tax-writing committee. The New York Times article was about how the New York congressional delegation gained political clout in the midterm elections. Rangel said, among other things, that he wants to direct more federal money to his state.
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., said he believes Mississippi will be treated fairly by Rangel and other Democratic leaders. As for Pickering's question of whether Democrats could hurt the state, Taylor said: "That's Chip."
Pickering was elected to the House in 1996 and for the first time will be a member of the minority party in Congress.
Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the nation and gets back more from the federal government than it pays for many programs. For example, Mississippi has one of the highest federal matching rates for Medicaid, getting back nearly $3 in federal money for every $1 of state money in the program that helps pay for health care for the needy, aged, blind and disabled, and for low-income families with children.
Mississippi also has received billions of dollars in federal relief since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005, destroying tens of thousands of homes and businesses and causing damage more than 150 miles inland.
Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., has been chairman of the Appropriations Committee, but will lose that position as Democrats take over the Senate majority.
Taylor, whose Bay St. Louis home was washed away by Katrina, said Rangel "was particularly helpful in the post-Katrina time" in securing money for Mississippi's recovery.
Taylor laughed as he responded to Rangel's comments about Mississippi. Taylor was stationed in New York when he was a young man in the Coast Guard. He said some New Yorkers "are stuck up about their home."
"You can tell him I want to live in Mississippi and wild elephants and tigers and bears couldn't keep me from living in Mississippi," Taylor said. "Hurricane Katrina couldn't keep me from building back here."
The Sun Herald follows this story in tomorrow's editions.

Great Tile Project

2006-11-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

By the Numbers: The Great Tile Project
Biloxi, November 6, 2006--The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art’s Great Tile Project has taken off as its concept of “art for practical use” is reaching youth throughout the Coast. To date, 547 tiles have been fired for over 400 children, according to OOMA potter Sara Miller. In coming weeks, additional projects are planned in Bay St. Louis and Gulfport.

With the project, the students are taught about ceramics and the importance of tile in design as they make individual tiles that can be used as gifts or in school murals—depending on the teacher’s request.

All Great Tile Project experiences are offered free of charge by the museum and are funded through education grants including a recent one from the Packard Foundation through the Foundation for the Mid-South. Educators working with the museum project are Miller; Kathy Bristol; Paul Dubaz; and Charles Comstock.

Classrooms and entire projects have contacted the museum for further information, and the educators foresee scheduling for the project to continue for at least two full school years. Also assisting with the project is Dogwood Ceramics of Gulfport. Recent projects have been held at Ocean Springs High School and D’Iberville High School as well as Michel Middle School in Biloxi.

For more information, call the museum at 228.374.5547 or email Sara Miller at cjjpjd@yahoo.com, or Kathy Bristol at artmom2@msn.com.

Fugitive Sweep in MS

2006-11-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Feds, local police teamed up in sweep
By J.R. WELSH
jrwelsh@sunherald.com
BILOXI - A team of law-enforcement officers from several agencies recently closed in on fugitives in three Mississippi counties, clearing 49 warrants and arresting 30 people.
The raids were part of Operation Falcon III, an undertaking by the U.S. Marshals Service. Suspects were arrested in Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties on charges related to sex offenses, narcotics and violent crime.
The operation ran from Oct. 22 to 28, said Justin Vickers, a supervisory inspector with the Marshals Service. It included sheriff's deputies from all three counties as well as city police-department members from Waveland, Biloxi, Long Beach and Bay St. Louis.
Vickers said participating local officers were temporarily deputized in the Marshals Service. "This allowed them to operate outside their own jurisdictions," he said.
Of the 30 arrests, Vickers said, 50 percent took place in Jackson County. Forty percent and 10 percent occurred in Harrison and Hancock counties, respectively.
Most of those arrested were wanted on outstanding warrants, although two people in Jackson County were being sought under criminal indictments charging sex offenses with juveniles.
Among those arrested under outstanding warrants, a number had skipped out on bail after being arrested, Vickers said.
"A lot of the warrants were issued on failure to appear for aggravated assault, narcotics and other charges," he said.
Operation Falcon III took place last week throughout the eastern United States. In total, team members east of the Mississippi River arrested 10,773 accused felons. Those included 1,659 alleged sex offenders and 364 documented gang members, the Marshals Service said.

Wachovia Grants For Hancock County

2006-11-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

Gulf Coast Community Foundation awards $5.4 million to Non-Profits
Nov 1, 2006, 09:13
Recently, during the Annual Meeting of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, a number of non-profit organizations in Hancock County and throughout the Coast were awarded funding from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation through grants and contributions received from Wachovia Corporation and other donors throughout the country.
Wachovia established the Rebuilding South Mississippi Fund with an $800,000 donation to the Gulf Coast Community Foundation soon after the storm. The fund was established specifically fo non profit organizations to address the mid to long term needs of individuals and communities as they rebuild following Katrina.
"Thanks to the generosity of donors and contributors from throughout the country, the Foundation has been pleased to disburse over $5,419,000 in funds to the Coast Community since Katrina," said Dave Treutel, Jr., president of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and owner of Treute Insurance.
"It is a joy to see these nonprofits get funding they need to fund programs and services that insurance cannot help with. We are thrilled to be the vehicle to help," he said.
"At Wachovia, we are committed to making our communities better places to live and work," said Greg Cronin, South Mississippi Market President for Wachovia. "As members of the gulf coast community, we appreciate all that the non-profit sector is doing every day to rebuilding following Hurrican Katrina. We are proud to play a role in this important work through our partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

During the Annual Meeting of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, $528,000 funds were awarded to the following non profits for the programs indicated:
Bethel Lutheran Church, rebuilding homes, $25,000
Hancock Chamber, equipment and furniture, $50,000
Hancock County Food Pantry, provide food and hygiene products, $25,000
Mercy Housing & Human Development, revitalizing homes in PassChristian/D'Iberville, $50,000
Mississippi Gulf Coast YMCA, Dare to Dream Program, $10,000
Mississippi Housing Initiative, homebuyer education/financial literacy, $10,000
Visions of Hope, homeowners education program, $20,000

During the same meeting, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation awarded $338,000 dollars to the organizations listed below. This brings the total grants awarded since Katrina to $674,000.

Alice Moseley Folk Art for repair and restorations project, $25,000
Bay Area Youth Soccer, for field restoration, $25,000
Center Stage for repairs, $8,500
Feed My Sheep for repairs and supplies, $25,000
Goodwill Industries of South Mississippi for business computer education school, $15,000
Gulf Coast Women's Center for Non Violence for repairs, $5,199
Hancock County Community Development Foundation for the Bay St. Louis Community Hall Project, $25,000
Hancock County Community Development Foundation for Small Business Development Program, $25,000
Hancock County Food Pantry, to feed the people of Hancock County, $25,000
Hancock County Historical Society, community history restoration, $15,000
Hancock County Human Resources for arts and extracurricular activities,$24,840
Hope Haven Children's Shelter for helping hands, $10,000
Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for early childhood exhibition $12,500
Magnolia Community Center for rebuilding recreation facility, $25,000
Ohr O'Keefe Museum of Art for Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition, $25,000
Pass Christian Public Library for adult educational and career resources, $12,000
St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church for Katrina Relief Efforts, $25,000
The Arts, Hancock County for Arts Alive Studio Tour, $10,000

More grants are expected following the November 30th application deadline.This third round of giving will provide more non profits with the opportunity to procure funds for their organizations. Funds will be awarded to non profits with programs targeting education, community development (such as affordable housing), health and human services, and arts and culture.
The application deadline is November 30th. For specific guidelines go on line to www.mgccf.org or contact the Gulf Coast Community Foundation at 228-575-8380.

Hancock County Members of the Board include: Dave Treutel, Jr, President, Margaret Taylor, Secretary, Dave Geiger, Vice President, and Jon Ritten, Grants Chairman. Chuck Benvenutti, CPA was also elected as a new board member. John Walton of Whitney Bank was elected as the incoming president effective January 1, 2007.
© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

Tape and Texture Sheetrock Classes

2006-11-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

Katrina Relief at the City of Waveland will be conducting classes for those interesting in learning how to Tape and Texture their sheetrock. We held our first class on Friday for a group from Phillip Morris - and it was a great success with two homes being completed that day.
There will be another on Wednesday (11/7?).
Contact Waveland City Hall: (228)467-3425.
Class is about an hour and then the group will continue to work with the instructor on a local home. These classes will be held once a week and homeowners are invited to participate.The class will be taught by Mike Smith from the Waveland FireDepartment.
If you were good with Play Dough as a child - Mike says you can learn to Tape and Texture. With the chronic shortage ofvolunteers available to do this finish work - we are offering homeowners the opportunity to learn how to do the work themselves. And -if you're in the class you may find the class being held at your home!
Donut donation required!!!
The volunteers work best high on sugar and coffee!
Kathleen Johnson
Hancock County Long Term Volunteer
Director Katrina Relief / Board Member Waveland Citizens Fund
Waveland City Hall #8,
335 Coleman Ave.,
Waveland, Ms. 39576
Office (228) 467-3425 /
http://wavelandcitizensfund.org

Honoring Kathleen Koch

2006-10-31T08:12:00.000-08:00

Also highlighted at:
Our Lady Academy - Updated 10/29 (both)
http://baystlouisrelief.blogspot.com/2006/05/our-lady-academy-girls-school.html
http://baystlouisrelief.blogspot.com/2006/05/our-lady-academy-needs.html

OLA event honors Koch
More than 300 turn out for CNN reporter
By MICHAEL A. BELL
mbell@sunherald.com
BAY ST. LOUIS - When Kathleen Koch was here covering Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, she was always too busy chasing down the next headline to relax.
But on Saturday night, Koch, a native of Bay St. Louis, had a glass of white wine in her hand instead of a microphone. She could finally relax. Well, at least for a little bit.
Held at Hollywood Casino, Our Lady Academy, Mississippi's only all-girls school, honored their former student - and now White House correspondent for CNN. More than 300 guests showed for cocktails, dinner and music from New Orleans' own The Molly Ringwalds. The event, called Hooray for the Bay!, helped raise awareness for OLA, which suffered heavy damage from Katrina.
The school, according to OLA Director of Development Anna Kalom, was "virtually destroyed." Seven feet of water flooded several buildings, one of which had to be torn down. "A school bus washed into the front of another building," she said. "(The school) was unusable."
After Katrina hit, the guest of honor returned to the Coast to do two documentaries on the damage of her hometown. "I know my reports made a big difference," Koch said, a wide smile on her face. She said that the Coast was suffering the worst from Katrina and that "too much attention was on New Orleans."
She wanted to scream to everyone: "Hello! This is the real story right here."
Koch said she wanted to attend Saturday's event because OLA and the Coast still needed help. She wanted to help the school she spent her eighth and ninth grade years at in the 1970s, and the school in which her mother taught. And perhaps more importantly, she wanted to help the city she still calls home.
"Because she is from here, she helped keep the national focus on us," Kalom said, adding she helped the city more than any other journalist. "She did wonderful documentaries on Bay St. Louis. That kind of national coverage is so important."
Before Saturday night's event, Koch spent the morning and afternoon building a playground for a school at The Kiln. (10/22 Charles B Murphy Needs and Update)She will now spend some more time with friends and family before heading back to Washington and covering the November elections.

BSL Ferry Back

2006-10-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

11/3 Schedule

BSL ------ Henderson Point
6:30 a.m.--- 6:52 a.m.
7:15 a.m. --- 7:37 a.m.
8 a.m. ------ 8:22 a.m.
8:45 a.m. --- 9:07 a.m.
9:30 a.m. --- 9:52 a.m.
10:15 a.m. -- 10:37 a.m.
11 a.m. ----- 11:22 a.m.
11:45 a.m. -- 12:07 p.m.
12:30 p.m. -- 12:52 p.m.
1:15 p.m. --- 1:37 p.m.
2 p.m. ------ 2:22 p.m.
2:45 p.m. --- 3:07 p.m.
3:30 p.m. --- 3:52 p.m.
4:15 p.m. --- 4:37 p.m.
5 p.m. ------ 5:22 p.m.
5:45 p.m. --- 6:07 p.m.

At Henderson Point, take U.S. 90 until it ends before the new bridge construction. Turn left on Old U.S. 90 and follow the signs to Third Street and the beach south of there.
In Bay St. Louis, the landing is at the Washington Street Pier.

Ferry do's and don'ts
• Form an orderly line at the ferry landings, stopping behind the chain blocking the launch and wait for the embarked cars to get off.
• Follow instructions from the crew members to let them get the maximum number of cars aboard.
• Walk-on passengers embark last.
• Stay away from safety equipment onboard.
• There is no smoking.
• Vehicles are subject to search based on the Maritime Security Act in an effort to keep explosives and hazardous materials.

11/5
Piling fails, halts ferry
By DON HAMMACK
dthammack@sunherald.com
The new ferry service across the Bay of St. Louis had a hiccup on its third day of operation.
A piling failed at the Bay St. Louis terminal on a windy day Friday, perhaps exposing a material flaw.
"The direction of wind and severity put too much pressure on the pile," said Dietrich Giles, the ferry general manager for Hornblower Marine Services. "Normally what was put out there would have been adequate for what we're doing."
Giles said they were bringing a barge in Friday afternoon to help shore up the mooring. Hornblower expects to be back in operation this morning.
He said they expect to be able to operate in most normal wind conditions here. If it gets up to 35 or 40 knots, it would create problems.
The wind's direction may also play a part in determining when the ferry can operate in the future.
"We're a little concerned about the water depth once we have a good northerly wind," Giles said. "Everybody knows how much water flows out of here. We feel that we'll be able to manage with that, but not having done it we can't say for certain."

11/1 Ferry expected this afternoon
Free service to start Wednesday
By DON HAMMACK
dthammack@sunherald.com
The U.S. Transportation secretary will check in on final preparations for free ferry service across the Bay of St. Louis, slated to start Wednesday.
Mary Peters should get to see the boat, which was expected to leave Bayou La Batre, Ala., Monday at midnight for the commute to its new 1.6-mile route and the Mississippi Department of Transportation-constructed landing sites this afternoon.
Workers at a shipyard across the state line were finishing painting the ship, dubbed the Marissa Mae Nicole after three children of staff members of Hornblower Marine Services, the ferry company that will operate the service.
"Everything was going fine," said Greg Brown, vice president of operations for Hornblower.
The Coast Guard had been conducting inspections in the shipyard and another inspector will visit today, one day before the service starts.
Peters will take the tour with U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Butch Brown and Federal Highway Administration Division Administrator Andy Hughes.
MDOT was placing wooden pilings that the ferry will tie up to.
"Everything else is pretty much done," said MDOT engineer David Seyfarth.
The ferry contract is estimated to be worth $5 million for its seven-month duration. Service will end when two lanes of the new U.S. 90 bridge of the bay are complete.
Granite Archer Western has a May 16 deadline to meet that milestone.
The request for proposals sketched out a service that would operate from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., although the schedule for Wednesday's first day has not been released.
"Twelve hours is the magic number," Brown said. "It's the amount of time one crew can operate a vessel."
MDOT also asked for two vessels capable of carrying 35 cars to run on a 45-minute schedule. That would give a total daily capacity of 1,120 vehicles.
The Marissa Mae Nicole can carry only 22 to 25 cars, Brown said, and will be a single ferry. He said the schedule is still untested but they hope to be able to get the departures down to 30 minutes, which would allow the boat to carry a maximum of 600 cars.
By comparison, the Gulf Regional Planning Commission's last traffic count on the U.S. 90 bridge in 2005 showed that 19,000 cars used it daily.

Ferry on schedule - Company says it's on target to open Wednesday
By DON HAMMACK
dthammack@sunherald.com
MDOT says it will be finished with the infrastructure construction necessary to support the Bay of St. Louis ferry service by Wednesday, its scheduled start date.
"It's coming along great," said engineer David Seyfarth, who's been overseeing maintenance crews pressed into construction duties. "Right now we're a little held up with the weather; there's a lot of wind down there... . We've just got a few things we've got to get ironed out before we get finished."
The ferry will be paid for by the Federal Highway Administration until the new U.S. 90 bridge is complete. Two lanes are scheduled to open in May.
The service is expected to transport fewer than 1,000 vehicles per day. The Gulf Regional Planning Commission's 2005 traffic count on the U.S. 90 bridge showed 19,000 cars used it daily.
MDOT says the locations of dolphins, structures in the water used to tie up the ferries, are one of the obstacles. The dolphins are clusters of wooden piles banded together with cable.
Work crews have traffic signs and gates left to install, and were pouring the concrete slabs for the Henderson Point landing on Thursday.
"We've got a few things left and I think we've probably got some details on where our new dolphins are going to go on the water. It's looking good."
Hornblower Marine Services won a seven-month contract that will be worth an estimated $5 million to provide the service. A company official said Thursday it remains on target to start service on Wednesday.

Traffic Planning Meeting

2006-10-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Kiln hot over traffic
Transit study in Gautier tonight
By DON HAMMACK
dthammack@sunherald.com

KILN - Barbara Kaiser lives about 6 miles north of the Kiln Library, where a transportation planning meeting was held Tuesday night.
She'd like to pull a Rip Van Winkle and snooze for a few years until the area's transportation problems get cleaned up.
"I see old roads that have been good for a long time, since I moved here, but now the population growth is overburdening them," Kaiser said. "The one traffic light we have in Kiln is definitely overburdened."
The Hancock County meeting for discussion of the Gulf Coast Area Transportation Study is the second of three this week. Tonight's finale will be in Gautier.
Kaiser could single-handedly talk about many facets of the picture in Hancock County. The meeting, which features stations with maps, displays, surveys and comment cards, let people walk between them after the introductory welcome.
A question-and-answer session erupted at the start of the meeting, which had 30 people attending. The questions mainly focused on the road that runs in front of the library and through Kiln's single traffic light. An MDOT representative took some venting from folks frustrated with the backed-up traffic on Mississippi 603, which is also the southern part of Mississippi 43 that goes to Picayune and connects Interstate 10 to I-59.
He said he'd go back to Jackson and relay their frustrations, saying that fixes like better traffic signals or turn lanes could help traffic flow better.
Kaiser, 55, has lived in the area for 20 years and spends much of her time in the community. She expressed interest in a Diamondhead-to-Bay St. Louis connector and wants an easier way to get to Gulfport.
Bicycle-pedestrian paths are part of the planning, as well. Until about 10 years ago, she liked to ride her bike to get around locally. An accident forced her to stop temporarily.
"Then I didn't have anywhere safe to bike after my accident," she said.
Kaiser

Housing Challenge in Hancock County

2006-10-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

From Gary - From GCN

(excerpt)
Updated 10/23/06 11:28 AM

Just over a year has gone by since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Mississippi Coast destroying almost everything along the Beach highway. But construction of new high rise condominiums is moving rapidly, changing forever the look and feel of the area.
All along the beach in Biloxi there are towers rising. The huge concrete structures will easily take the most powerful storms. (More Here)
One of the unfolding tragedies of post-Katrina life includes people that lost their mobile homes in cities within hard hit Hancock County. New flood regulations say that mobile homes that once provided houses to hundreds of residents cannot be replaced. The regulations require more substantial homes, often that are too expensive for property owners to afford. While many of these people are living in FEMA provided trailers, eventually they must move to more permanent homes.
Officials in Bay St. Louis and Waveland are trying to find a solution, as are charity groups, but the challenge is great.
In Waveland, the city has set up an office to provide help for residents with housing problems at the Waveland Long Term Recovery Office. The office is located in Trailer #8 in the city's Government Complex on Coleman Avenue. Residents having trouble rebuilding are encouraged to fill out the necessary paperwork to receive help. Yes, there is some irony that the help office is in a trailer within a flood zone. But that is the situation as all of Waveland's government offices are in trailers.

MS Development Authority Office Opening

2006-10-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

11/23 Change of Leaders at MDA
Governor Barbour Announces Leadership Change at the MDA COO Gray Swoope To Take Over
From Director Leland Speed
From: Office of the Governor Filed 11/21/06 GCN
Governor Haley Barbour announced today that Leland Speed, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority since the beginning of the Barbour Administration, is returning to the private sector and will be replaced by Gray Swoope, MDA's chief operating officer.
The change will become effective at the end of the year. Governor Barbour characterized the change as a seamless transition in the leadership ranks of the state agency tasked with creating new and higher paying jobs through economic development and business enhancement.
"Leland Speed is one of this state's most outstanding business leaders and came into government from the private sector so he could be of service to the people. He has done a fabulous job as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority and I am grateful for his service. State government needs more people like him," Governor Barbour said.
The Governor also praised the leadership that Swoope has demonstrated over the past three years in his position as MDA's Chief Operating Officer."
Gray Swoope has been the man behind the details of all of the important initiatives undertaken by MDA since the beginning of my Administration," Governor Barbour said.
"He is thoroughly immersed in all aspects of Mississippi's economic development program and initiatives, and I am delighted to say that with his elevation to the top spot we won't miss a beat."
SpeedIn a 2003 interview with Real Estate Portfolio, a national magazine, Speed described himself as a "good ole boy" from Jackson, who left to attend Harvard University. He returned with a graduate degree from the business school and set to work in his father's securities firm. On the side, he dabbled in real estate and started building Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, in 1978. Speed grew his businesses to national proportions, founding and becoming chairman of two Jackson-based companies that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Parkway Properties, Inc. (NYSE: PKY) and EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP).
In the private sector, Speed's strategy has been to maximize shareholder value and retain a strong customer base by focusing on the customer. At the Mississippi Development Authority, that strategy has translated into helping Mississippi's existing businesses grow and expand while attracting new companies to the state by showcasing how Mississippi can best help them improve their returns.
In 1998 Speed was named to the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame.Active in civic affairs, Speed has served as chairman of the Downtown Jackson Partners. He is past chairman of the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill Industries and the United Way of the Capital Area. Currently, Speed serves as chairman of the Jackson State University Development Foundation, and as a member and past chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mississippi College.
A native of Jackson, Speed received his bachelor of science degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Speed is married to the former Bessie Sarphie. They have three adult sons and nine grandchildren.
Swoope Swoope joined MDA as Chief Operating Officer in March 2004. The West Point, Mississippi, native has more than 20 years of economic development experience including work on the local, regional and state levels. Gray is passionate about his work and focused on moving his home state forward.Prior to joining MDA Gray served as president of the Area Development Partnership (ADP), a three-county economic development agency based in Hattiesburg. He has served on the board of directors of the Southern Economic Development Council and as president of the Mississippi Economic Development Council. Prior to joining the ADP in 1997, Gray worked for the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission (AIDC). He first joined AIDC in 1991 as an international project manager and in 1993 was promoted to director of the Community and Industrial Development Division.
Swoope received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration from Mississippi State University. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute. In 1990, Site Selection magazine recognized him as one of the nation's Top Ten Outstanding Young Economic Developers.Gray and his wife, Mary, have two daughters.

10/25 Thanks Kathleen!
http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnewsHomeownerGrantProcedures.htm
MDA CLARIFIES GRANT APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR HOMEOWNERS WHO SOLD THEIR HOMES

The Mississippi Development Authority Homeowner Assistance Program (MDA/HAP) has clarified the grant application procedure for eligible homeowners who have sold their homes since August 29, 2005. MDA has also opened a new service center in Hancock County to provide more efficient service to homeowners in the area. With the clarified procedures, MDA is attempting to provide eligible homeowners with a means to meet the requirements necessary to receive an HAP grant, even if they have sold their homes. HAP grant eligibility requires that all homeowners attach a covenant to their damaged property. These covenants are to be attached permanently to the property in order to reduce the chances of severe flood damage in the event of another major hurricane and to ensure that the property has ample flood insurance coverage in the future.
These covenants require homeowners to:
• Obtain and maintain flood insurance on their property;
• Rebuild or repair their homes in accordance with all applicable building codes and localordinances; and
• If rebuilding, do so in accordance with FEMA advisory flood elevations.
The newly outlined HAP procedures provide homeowners who have sold their homes with a way to meet these requirements. Specifically, if an eligible homeowner who sold his or her home obtains a voluntary covenant agreement from the current property owner, the original homeowner may thereby meet the grant requirement that a covenant be attached to the damaged property. MDA has sent notification letters to known homeowners who sold their homes and are eligible for the grant program informing them of these procedures.
However, MDA encourages all homeowners who sold their homes after Hurricane Katrina and who believe they are eligible for HAP to go to their nearest service center, regardless of whether they have previously applied for a HAP grant. The service centers will provide these homeowners with the necessary documents and instructions to enable them to obtain the required covenant agreement from the current owner and any current lien holders and lenders with a legal interest in the property.
In addition, any homeowners who are eligible for an HAP grant but have not applied previously because they had sold their homes may apply for the grant at the service center. In addition, MDA has established special booths within each service center where MDA representatives, including notaries, will provide support to applicants in understanding this process.
There are now three service centers located on the coast, including a new center in Hancock County.
Locations are as follows:
Hancock County Service Center
3068 Longfellow DriveBuilding 6A
(Hancock County Gov’t Complex)
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
Monday – Friday
8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Jackson County Service Center
Singing River Mall
2800 US Highway 90
Suite 1382
Gautier, MS 39553
Monday - Friday
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Harrison County Service Center
Prime Outlets – Gulfport
10000 Factory Shops Blvd
Gulfport, MS 39505
Monday - Friday
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Staff at the service centers can answer any questions regarding HAP eligibility requirements, including those pertaining to homeowners who have sold their homes. In addition, more information about the HAP can be found online at www.mshomehelp.gov.

New local office will help homeowners with MDA Katrina grant questions
By BENNIE SHALLBETTER
Oct 18, 2006, 09:06
With offices to help process state homeowners grants already open in both Jackson and Harrison counties, Speaker Pro-Temp J.P. Compretta took it upon himself to urge the Mississippi Development Authority to open one in Hancock County. The office will open today or tomorrow in a Quonset hut located next to Jimmy Gouras Consultants at the Hancock County Government Complex. The huts are in a line in the front section of the complex. Compretta said the office should open either today or tomorrow.
Help will basically be given on a first come, first served basis, said Compretta, and will hopefully be a tremendous help for local property owners who find themselves hopelessly ensnared in red tape.
"People can't find out anything," said Compretta. "Paperwork is put on a desk when a problem could be solved with a phone call. Hopefully this office will help with the process."
The office should be manned with ten to twelve people, Compretta said, who can help with common problems experienced by grant applicants, such as insurance, mortgage and homestead conformations which are slowing down the award process. People who applied for the first round of funding and have not received a packet indicating an award should also seek help. Property owners who applied for a second round of funding may not find the help they are looking for just yet, said Compretta. The logistics and funding for the second round of grants have not been completed, he said.
© 2006 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

New Blog Being Established

2006-10-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

9 Families from Hancock County So Far
Pearlington
William
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/10/william.html

Waveland
Terry and Hamilton
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2007/01/terry-g.html
Schonda and Family
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/11/schonda-s.html
Richard and Barb
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/10/richard-and-barb_28.html
Robb and Rod
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/10/robb-and-rod.html
Debbie and Family
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/11/debbie.html
Lee Ann and Family
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/11/lee-ann-m.html

Bay St Louis
Pat
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/12/pat.html
Yvonne
http://realpeoplerelief.blogspot.com/2006/12/yvonne-t.html

Questionnaire For Inclusion On Real People Relief

Information Posted on Your Page
Name: - I would like first and last, but please note what you feel comfortable having posted for all to see.

Email: - only contact information public will have about you. You will decide if you want them to know your full information by emailing them.

Location: - where you were; where you are; where you plan to be in a year.

Number in Household: - Please include pets. First names, sex and age of each person.

Situation: – brief paragraph of what you’ve been through, who you’ve applied for help with, what has happened in the last year.

Current Living Arrangements: - FEMA Trailer, Apartment, House, Tent?

Help: - what help, if any, have you received thus far?

Photos: - Up to current photos – can be rotated through as new images are sent.

Needs: Please list preferences; if you’re going to want, you might as well want what you want! Below are examples and in the categories to be listed under.
Foods – non-perishable only
Paper Products – Napkins, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc.
School Supplies – notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, etc.
Computer Supplies – paper, ink (give specific cartridges)
Clothing – list sizes and style color preference
Cleaning Supplies – Windex, Dishwashing liquid, Laundry detergent, etc.
Household Supplies – light bulbs, kitchen supplies (pans, pots, etc.)
Stores you shop at – for possible gift cards or gift registry

Information Not Posted
Full Name
Mailing Address
Phone Number

What I Need from you
Twice monthly updates: - The more often I can update your information, the more frequently your information will be reviewed. People view blogs like an ongoing story. They get hooked on new little tidbits. If I don’t receive regular updates, the information will be pulled after 8 weeks.

Pickin Up The Pieces - GA

2006-10-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

You can contact us at linda@pickinupthepieces.org
Pickin' Up the Pieces Relief Corp
P.O. Box 9634
Savannah, Georgia 31412

1.12 - They ended up having more donors than Angels to adopt! How wonderful! 240 children taken care of. Woohoo!
It was great. We ended up servicing 280 with the help of the Stennis Rotary Club. All of our Angels got adopted out and we also had 6 families. We ran out of Angels to adopt:-)

12/2
Hi Again...
Some of you have asked about whether we were planning a trip over the holidays...the answer is YES!
December 26 - 30. Anyone wishing to finish out the 2006 year making a difference in the lives of those affected by Katrina are welcome to join us. Please visit our website under "How You Can Help" at http://www.pickinupthepieces.org/ for more information.
Linda Edwards

Volunteers Wanted to Help Rebuild a Town
Pickin' Up the Pieces (PUP) is working in conjunction withWalton County Florida's Habitat for Humanity and New Hope Construction (NHC) to help rebuild the Town of Pearlington, MS and other areas of Hancock Co. Hancock County is ground zero of Hurricane Katrina. Both organizations are currently working to provide for the citizens of that county. Pickin' Up the Pieces is assisting Walton Co. Florida Habitat for Humanity and New Hope Construction by organizing groups of volunteers to travel to the devastated area to help in this effort.
We are currently seeking both skilled and unskilled volunteers that are interested in participating in one week rotations. It has been a meaningful experience to those who have come to the area and served in the many different capacities. It is very humbling to work along side with someone who has lost their homes. People who have been involved with Katrina disaster relief say that their lives will forever be changed. We are committed to giving our brothers and sisters hope. We plan to continue working in this area to help these precious people rebuild their lives.
If you are interested in serving in Hancock County, please contact us. In the weeks and months ahead we are going to need skilled people in almost every area.
You can contact us at linda@pickinupthepieces.org .

Our Spring Basket Project netted 79 Baskets!!!
We had 9 volunteers participate in our May trip. While there we worked at the volunteer center in Kiln, MS (http://www.campcoastaloutpost.org/ ) dismantling a hardware store next to the camp and salvaging materials to be re-used in reconstruction, finishing off the construction of a "pole barn" used to house donated goods that were previously covered only by tarps, helping the camp with "kitchen duty" in preparing meals to be served to other volunteers and gutting a home in Pearlington, Ms. In addition to our volunteer work, we also delivered 79 Spring Baskets filled with hand held vacuums, tool kits, gift cards, toys, pamper products, cookbooks, utensils, etc. to the staff and families of Charles B. Murphy Elementary school in Pearlington. The recipients of our baskets were very grateful, and it was truly a blessing to see their faces as they were picking up their goodies. I want to extend A HUGE THANK YOU for all that participated and donated items to make this project the success that it was.

Hancock County Volunteer Resources Site

2006-10-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Resources in Hancock County
Sorrow looks back. Worry looks around. Faith looks forward
Comment found scrawled on a wall at the Fortier High School in New Orleans during restoration

Adult Screenings Offered:

Cholesterol
Blood Pressure
Glucose(for those adults who have fasted)
Adult screening are offered once a month for Foot Sensation and Stroke screening

IMMUNIZATIONS FOR CHILDREN UP TO AND INCLUDING AGE 18:

DTP
Hepatitis B
Hib
MMR
Polio
Meningitis
Varicella*
Pediatric DT
Influenza (seasonal)
Prevnar
Tetanus

* We administer the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine at the hospital due to the necessity of refrigeration limitations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

228-867-4246
228-867-5210

Thanks
Dianna
Case Coordinator
HCLTRC

Their leader, Kathleen, is writing a series of articles regarding the needs of the recovery community and very pragmatic ways to achieve successful recovery.

Their Events Calendar

I hope, as a volunteer, that you find this site helpful for your work here in Hancock County.
I have been working here, in Mississippi, since the onset of the storm. Initially, the work was "online" and very soon thereafter, I headed to Waveland for my first stint as a volunteer and returned shortly thereafter as a fulltime volunteer. I work as the Director for Katrina Relief at Waveland City Hall overseeing Case Management, doing assessments, recruiting volunteers, and cordinating construction.
If you would like to volunteer in Hancock County or need assistance with your home re-construction project - please feel free to contact me at anytime. Contact Information
Kathleen Johnson
(228) 209-8822
Kathleen Johnson is a long term volunteer who has been working in Mississippi since just after the storm. Currently Kathleen is working at the City of Waveland City Hall under the umbrella of the Waveland Citizens Fund a 501 ( c ) 3 as the Director of Katrina Relief.

Leadership Needed

2006-10-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Posted by: "wavelandcitizensfund" wavelandcitizensfund@yahoo.com wavelandcitizensfund
Thu Nov 2, 2006 5:15 am (PST)
Developing The Katrina Workforce – a new phase in recovery
Kathleen Johnson
In order to continue to meet thedemands of housing we need to move away from some of the tradition waysof delivering services and develop a new model for disaster recovery inthe reconstruction phase.
A number of factors are influencing the rate of reconstruction in this area – enormity of the volume of damaged or destroyed homes, falling numbers of volunteers, lack of planned orchestrated national marketing on area needs, new building codes, shortage of materials, recent large annexations, workforce housing issues, staffing retention issues, politics, and equipment shortages at local government offices, difficulties in recruiting and retention of both skilled trades workforce and volunteers, and integration of free enterprise and a volunteer workforce.
With up to 80,000 homes to refurbish or rebuild in Gulf Coast Region– residents are now facing the reality that contractors are short in supply as are volunteers. There is now an even more urgent need to develop a work force in the face of 15,000 Phase I grant recipients coming down the pike with enough funds for materials and, in some cases, enough to hire contractors. Traditionally this area has built only 1500 new homes per year. We now need to think outside the box to meet the areas critical needs – housing not only for residents but for workers needed to construct that housing.
No home at the Inn
The issue facing contractors, employees, and volunteers alike is that there is no home at the Inn. Housing is critically short in supply for people wanting to move to the area to work for local contractors. Many of the contractors have complained about the need for more employees to increase output. With the only alternative being a long commute from outlying areas – the time benefit of cost versus travel time makes it a long term retention problem. Employees tire of the travel and theturn over of employees is high.
With many volunteer organizations exhausting their funds – housingoptions are becoming increasingly short in supply for volunteers wanting to come down to assist in the construction effort. The latest phase in volunteer housing is that the free accommodation for volunteers is rare anymore. Instead you will find a $10 - $25 a day charge from organizations willing to accommodate volunteers. This charge is necessary to cover the utility and maintenance costs of these facilities as donations wither on the vine from a public whose interests have waned due to lack of news coverage on the continuing urgent need.
Goals to aid in development of an effective diverse workforce
* Fundamental to recovery is a flexible appropriate-skilled workforce which is able to deliver effective solutions to a diverse set of construction requirements.
* Identify the factors influencing recruitment and retention problems for volunteers, contractors and subcontractors.
* Ensure the skill mix accurately meets the needs of the residents
* Improve the quality of workmanship delivered by contractors and volunteer contributors through training of staff to work differently, in new ways and in new settings.
* Develop new and different rolls within the Disaster Response community to provide more effective integration of licensed contractors, subcontractors and volunteers
* Volunteer organizations need to support a balanced shift of skills and services into the contractor arena in order to not to interfere in the free enterprise system
* Develop training avenues for residents who are currently in a role redesign mode as they become the contractor on their own homes.
* Develop a region wide marketing plan to attract an appropriately trained volunteers and skilled workforce.
Conclusion
The analysis of the workforce requirements needs to be fully understood in order to develop a sound solution for recruitment and retention.
Documenting exact current needs would fall on a comprehensive and accurate needs assessment – which we currently do not have completed. Hancock County, at last report, only had 1,400 assessments in an area where there are 46,000 residents. This data should be developed quickly in order to realize accurate predictions on needs for recruitment, housing needs, and allow for accurate predictions on recovery timelines.
If a comprehensive plan for workforce development is not addressed in short order – we are going to find residents waiting on long lists lasting months to years for assistance to start rebuilding their home seven with funds in hand from Phase I grants and ultimately Phase IIgrants.

Resource Brokering - A Katrina Enigma
(written and) Posted by: "Kathleen Johnson" grannywyo@yahoo.com
Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:30 am (PST)
Kathleen Johnson is a long term volunteer who has been working inMississippi since just after the storm. Currently Kathleen is working at the City of Waveland City Hall under the umbrella of the WavelandCitizens Fund a 501 ( c ) 3 as the Director of Katrina Relief.
Disaster Relief Organizations, in long term recovery, often speak different languages. This is because their mission statements are gaps in an effective bridge to recovery when the focus is on the differences and not the ultimate goal – recovery for the client impacted by this disaster. These gaps affect the ability of long term recovery entities and case managers to provide services when providers of resources fail to understand the implications of the practice of information and resource brokering.
What is Information Brokering?
Information brokering, the business of buying and selling information as a commodity, has been around for a long time. The common practices seen here on the ground, in the aftermath of Katrina, shows a need for professional accountability and other issues that surround questions that have been raised about the ongoing issue of the lack of resource lists and true accountability for "where is the beef". Where arethe 2x4's, the sheetrock, the insulation, the wiring, thevolunteers, and the available grants.
Who is responsible for managing this information and how do you get on those lists? There is a great need for effective information and resource dissemination for those working in long term recovery in the aftermath of Katrina. Teamwork should be the goal with their sights set firmly on building a network among themselves and their colleagues and on aiding struggling homeowners. Unfortunately, what I am seeing is "Information Brokering" and"Resource Brokering" in a struggle for "power and control" in an arena where ego has become the driving engine.
Information on manpower, money and materials is shared sparingly or on a need to know basis.
Professional Accountability
We must require professional accountability to improve the accessibility of relevant materials and information to all Case Managers, Resource Managers, and those working directly in re-construction. Decision maker's actions affect the availability of long-term care services and the ways in which they are organized and delivered. The current standard is that you must show up to the numerous and multiple meetings of the various committees where information is verbally given with minimal handouts. Minutes are not provided for these meetings on the resources discussed, training available, and votes taken on policy and practices.
At the last General Meeting of the Hancock Long Term RecoveryCommittee - the attendees were told to call the office of Long Term Recovery every time they missed a meeting so they could be told, verbally, of everything that transpired at the meeting they missed. Someof these meetings can be two hours long. Given the number of volunteers and Case Mangers can number into the hundreds at any given time - this is not a solution at all but problematic.
This limiting data sharing technique is typical of a pattern that is evolving out of the HancockCounty Long Term Recovery Committee
Conclusion
There needs to be minutes of meetings, held under the umbrella of theHancock County Long Term Recovery Committee, to share relevant data that is not privy by privacy issues related to personal information. This should include all available training, resources, grants, and updated information on the status of grants the Long Term Committee has pending for operating expenses, funds for clients, and new employees such as the proposed Construction Coordinator. These minutes need to be delivered to all of the Case Mangers and DRO's known to the Hancock Long Term Recovery Committee that are operation, or have operated, in HancockCounty. The information needs to be published on the official website of the Long Term Recovery Committee DRO's who have resources meant to be "shared" need to become part of the recovery team and deliver their information in the same manner.
The circle of "favorites" needs to be expanded to include "all" and not "some". Current information practices are akin to information and resource brokering and it is creating a disjointed delivery of services due to lack of information, misinformation due to word of mouth dissemination of information, and lack of service to those most in need – those affected by Katrina.
Recovery is paramount on teamwork. We have 15,000 plus grants coming down the pike here in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We need to fine tune our engine sooner than later. Now would be a good time.

In Hancock County: After The Vines Of Summer – The Need For A Master Plan
Kathleen Johnson 10/10/06 Special to GCN Filed 10/12/06
Kathleen Johnson is a long term volunteer who has been working in Mississippi since just after the storm. Currently Kathleen is working at the City of Waveland City Hall under the umbrella of the Waveland Citizens Fund a 501 ( c ) 3 as the Director of Katrina Relief.
The reality in the Gulf Coast of Mississippi can be seen in the building permits in the front window of almost every home fading fast due to the hot summers sun analogous to the hopes of the occupants battling insurance companies, waiting on long promised grants, and waiting on volunteers to complete work when materials become available.
It is impossible to reconcile the incongruity between volunteers helping the people of Waveland and developers seeking to profit from reconstruction. And added to that dilemma is the reality that neither money nor an updated building code is going to save the area from the next devastating storm with a 20 foot tidal surge. It happened before in 1969, it happened in 2005, and it will happen again. The rest of the world believes this is all “fixed” and have moved to other endeavors and interests.
We, as volunteers, toil on as this is all part of the long term recovery plan for those that have chosen to stay. Owners of 80,000 homes in Mississippi want to get their homes built in the next six months. Reality dictates it will take up to five years. Someone will be first, someone will be last. All are on one waiting list or another. All believe they are at the top of the list somewhere and no one wants to burst their bubble and suggest that we might have to go to a lottery for volunteer assistance in order to make this equitable.
Summer has hidden a lot of the remaining debris in the vegetation. Winter approaches fast and nature will reveal all that long lost debris from under the vines of summer. FEMA is left to track down and haul off the dwindling elusive debris one piece at a time and note the spiraling unit cost of cleanup. Now it’s down to “hunt and peck” whereas before it was everywhere and within easy reach.
The Long Term Recovery Committees battle politics – both internal and external brought on by the lack of true leadership, funds, the never ending grant writing saga and a critical shortage of Case Mangers – paid or volunteer. Post traumatic stress is showing clearly on the long term volunteers who have remained steadfast despite the overwhelming demands on their time and dwindling volunteer resources due to lack of preemptive marketing. No one allowed a budget for a marketing plan to recruit volunteers. No one is truly marketing on a National scale as there is no entity in charge of that part of the equation. Nor has any organization stepped in to take on that task although many have suggested it would be a “good idea” at the never ending meetings coordinators and case managers attend on a weekly basis. The Hancock Long Term Recovery Committee can not even agree to give its participating members a list of the homes they have accepted into the program – the net result some organizations find themselves working on a home that is on the LTRC list by accident and not by design thus complicating the LTRC response. Of the 46 projects the LTRC have accepted that fit their stringent guidelines – only one has been completed and it has been weeks since any of the Case Mangers have been given an update. Any complaints are ignored and emails remained unanswered with the committee leaders believing the problems will go away if they avoid the issues.
And the success is measured one house at a time – and events are truly a joyous. No one really knows how many – no one entity is collecting the data. Prior to the storm Waveland had 10,000 residents. At the anniversary of Katrina in 2006 it was estimated that 2,500 had come back home. No one really knows – the needs assessment for Hancock County has only returned 1400 complete responses for the entire County. By design the method of data collection for the Needs Assessment was going to reveal a hit and miss response as there was no follow up on the non responsive addresses. Paperwork is so overwhelming that most have long tired of requests to fill in forms – so a non responsive address does not reveal a true result.
Nor do we know how many volunteers are on the ground, the organizations they represent, or their long term plans on continued assistance. There never was a mandate to register the volunteers or the organizations. The structure of assistance is a conglomerate that forces the home owners to go from church to church, disaster relief organization to disaster relief organization – registering on each and every list they can find.
The lack of an overall plan for reconstruction is clearly showing in the end result – slow return of the region to its former population levels, and the fact that only 12,000 trailers have been returned in Mississippi alone in over a year since the storm.
It is time for a Volunteer Summit with all participating Volunteer Organizations invited in order to develop a comprehensive plan and elect a panel to oversee the volunteer response and develop a marketing plan to attract more volunteers. This panel needs a true leader; consisting of members with a comprehensive vision and the patience and wisdom of Job who truly have worked in the trenches on the ground and know the nuts of bolts of what it takes to get the job done. They must be able to separate themselves from ego, overwhelming personalities, personal agendas and individual mission statements of the participating organizations and work towards an end result that benefits all the victims equitably despite their varying fiscal abilities to recover. It is time to develop a comprehensive recovery Master Plan.

Kathleen Johnson
Hancock County Long Term Volunteer
Director Katrina Relief / Board Member Waveland Citizens Fund
Waveland City Hall #8, 335 Colemane Ave., Waveland, Ms. 39576
Office (228) 467-3425
http://wavelandcitizensfund.org/

Gulf Coast Recovery Corp

2006-10-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

From the great folks at WQRZ

Contact: Patrick Fitzgerald
NASCC
(202) 737-6272
pfitzgerald@nascc.org

GULF COAST RECOVERY CORPS LAUNCHED WITH DEPLOYMENT OF MINNESOTA CONSERVATION CORPS CREW TO KILN, MS

Additional Crews to Deploy from Utah, Vermont and Florida Next Week

Kiln, MS, October 3, 2006 – Corpsmembers and staff from the Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC) arrived last night at the Kiln ballpark volunteer camp, where they will be based during their four week deployment to Hancock County, MS.

The crew of ten will join other volunteers to restore the William H. Kelley Retreat Center on the grounds of the St. Augustine Seminary in downtown Bay St. Louis. The rehabilitated Retreat Center will later be used to house other volunteers to the region. The MCC crew will also work on projects identified by the Hancock County EOC Long-Term Recovery Committee.

This crew from Minnesota is the first of about 30 crews from the nation’s Service and Conservation Corps that will be deploying to Hancock County over the next 6-9 months as part of the NASCC Gulf Coast Recovery Corps. The National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC) is operating the Gulf Coast Recovery Corps thanks to an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Crews from Utah, Florida and Vermont will be deploying to the region on October 9th, bringing the total Gulf Coast Recovery Corps number to 33 Corpsmembers and staff on the ground. These additional crews will complete a variety of projects, including restoration work at Buccaneer State Park near Waveland, MS, and Big Branch Marsh federal wildlife refuge in Lacombe, LA. Over the next year, the Gulf Coast Recovery Corps will send nearly 300 young people to the region to help residents in the recovery efforts. NASCC also seeks to create a permanent Corps program in the region.

According to Sally Prouty, President of NASCC, “Corps have a long and proud history of working with communities on disaster preparedness and quickly responding to natural disasters when they do occur. This new Gulf Coast Recovery Corps initiative will create an infrastructure for NASCC Corps to expand upon their successes in providing relief to the region by bringing experienced, skilled crews to Mississippi to assist in the long-term recovery efforts.”

About the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC)

NASCC is the voice of the nation’s 108 Service and Conservation Corps. Currently operating in 40 states and the District of Columbia, Corps annually enroll more than 23,000 young men and women who contribute about 13 million hours of service per year. In 2004, Corps mobilized 124,000 community volunteers who contributed over 2.4 million additional hours of service.

Established in 1985, NASCC was at the forefront of the national service movement and remains so today. Corps are state and local programs engaging primarily young adults (ages 16-25) in service. The majority of Corpsmembers come to Corps looking for a second chance to succeed in life. In return for their efforts, Corpsmembers receive guidance by adult leaders who serve as mentors and role models, a modest stipend and a wide range of member development services including significant educational opportunities, employment and training, life skill development, and the opportunity to invest in their communities.

For more information, visit www.nascc.org or contact: Patrick Fitzgerald, National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, at pfitzgerald@nascc.org or at 202-737-6272.

###

Patrick Fitzgerald
National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC)
Government Relations Coordinator
666 Eleventh St., NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20001
(P) 202.737.6272
(F) 202.737.6277
NASCC: Strengthening the Fabric of America
“…by revitalizing communities, preserving and restoring the environment, preparing youth for responsible productive lives and building civic spirit through service.”
www.nascc.org

Sheriff's Raise Disputed

2006-10-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Supers reconsider raises
By DWAYNE BREMEROct 4, 2006, 09:03

Employees of the Hancock County Sheriff's department will have to continue to wait for raises requested by Sheriff Steve Garber, because for the second time in three weeks the board of supervisors delayed a vote on the issue on Monday.
The board cited concerns about other departments not receiving raises, and the possible long-term financial effects of the raises, as reasons for the delay.
"I'm not going to single out one department," Supervisor Steve Seymour said. "We need to sit down and look at the rest of the county.
"Several months ago, the sheriff's department received a grant of $2.549 million from the federal government. The Bay St. Louis and Waveland police departments also received money from the grant.The money is to be divided up over a three-year period. Some of the money was earmarked for overtime pay, and for salary supplements to allow local law enforcement agencies to recruit new officers and keep old ones.
Last month, the sheriff's department's administrator Ronnie Cuevas, asked the board to consider a $1 per hour raise for each employee of the sheriff's department. Cuevas said the money would be paid directly out of the grant for the next two years. He said the raises were necessary because other local agencies have used their grant money to give raises, and the sheriff's department needed to keep its qualified people. Currently, Waveland is paying $2 per hour more than the county and Bay St. Louis is paying $1 per hour more, he said.
He said the sheriff's department has $560,000 in grant money at its disposal. The raises would cost about $130,000 and there is additional money allocated for overtime. Several months ago, the board approved a raise for building official Mickey Lagasse. One of the reasons the board agreed to the raise is because the building department received a $500,000 grant, and the grant will pay for the raise, as well as new employees over the next two years.
"Mine is coming out of money that is available," Cuevas said. "If you don't use it, you lose it."
The board did not vote on the sheriff's raises at the September meeting, because board members Jay Cuevas and Steve Seymour had taken a trip to Green Bay, Wi. to attend a football game.
It did, however, approve the 2006-2007 budget at that meeting, with Jay Cuevas and Seymour voting by telephone.
The 2006-2007 budget featured a 12-percent cut across the board for all departments. Several departments, such as the building and sheriff's departments, have its grants added on to the money which was budgeted from the general fund.
The budget has no raises for county employees this year; however, several employees received raises prior to the budget, because they worked in departments in which the board had no control over the finances.
The raises caused a widespread uproar among county employees and supervisors alike, who felt it was unfair for some to get raises and not all. Board President Rocky Pullman said even though the requested raises are on a grant now, the grant will eventually run out.
The county comptroller told supers it would cost the county an estimated $300,000 to give all county employees a raise.The board agreed to look at the issue again at the Oct. 18 meeting.
Currently, Mississippi State University is conducting a salary analysis with the current job market in Hancock County.
"I would like to have a decision by next meeting," Seymour said.
© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

MS County Relief Estimates

2006-10-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

You can put multiple projects (claims) on one worksheet (Lost equipment from same department, but different areas) Supposedly large projects were reviewed more quickly and more reliably than small projects - so having a FEMA person make the project worksheet as pricey as possible was a good thing.

My apologies for the way the counties are laid out. The table didn't translate well. #'s are accurate, just not in alpha order. Eyes aren't up to fixing it today.

It's also interesting to note that you don't have to know the lay of the land to see where the most damage occured and roughly where they are in relation to the coast, just by the numbers.

FEMA-1604-DR-MS
Number of Projects and Total Public Assistance Funding Obligated by County as of 09/27/06

County Name # of Claimants # of PW's (claim sheets) Money Promised

Hancock 33 781 $287,566,110

Adams 5 24 $309,825
Marshall 3 4 $47,398
Alcorn 3 4 $259,173
Monroe 7 9 $74,079
Amite 5 25 $181,097
Montgomery 5 10 $66,916
Attala 7 13 $194,721
Neshoba 8 58 $1,574,980
Bolivar 8 9 $198,877
Newton 13 73 $671,341
Calhoun 5 10 $36,319
Noxubee 5 17 $162,949
Carroll 2 4 $20,745
Otibbeha 4 13 $293,803
Chickasaw 6 19 $119,296
Panola 5 17 $183,511
Choctaw 6 14 $125,044
Pearl River 12 258 $108,916,804
Claiborne 6 27 $766,545
Perry 13 143 $654,111
Clarke 11 64 $979,911
Pike 17 98 $3,236,861
Clay 4 16 $214,882
Pontotoc 4 5 $25,439
Coahoma 2 5 $111,222
Prentiss 3 2 $7,682
Copia 10 59 $793,659
Quitman 3 3 $23,363
Covington 18 117 $3,393,180
Rankin 17 106 $4,658,235
DeSoto 14 12 $466,850
Scott 7 39 $838,801
Forrest 20 649 $14,332,252
Sharkey 3 7 $52,410
Franklin 6 15 $70,567
Simpson 14 69 $5,386,740
George 6 138 $2,392,433
Smith 9 42 $1,159,754
Greene 14 207 $14,151,729
Statewide 136 2,692 $456,304,521
Grenada 2 6 $111,781
Stone 7 87 $31,733,183
Hancock 33 781 $287,566,110
Sunflower 9 16 $154,402
Harrison 41 1,714 $476,665,767
Tallahatchie 8 16 $59,285
Hinds 19 146 $9,503,192
Tate 1 1 $8,059
Holmes 8 37 $397,952
Tippah 3 3 $23,073
Humphreys 5 23 $439,258
Tishomingo 3 3 $16,171
Issaquena 2 2 $0
Tunica 3 3 $38,647
Itawamba 2 5 $21,213
Union 1 0 $0
Jackson 19 1,019 $148,694,915
Walthall 7 78 $2,327,025
Jasper 11 85 $9,799,785
Warren 7 33 $572,482
Jefferson 4 7 $64,605
Washington 8 11 $146,620
Jefferson Davis 9 74 $4,706,511
Wayne 11 147 $29,273,024
Jones 31 373 $37,892,690
Webster 5 9 $146,973
Kemper 7 28 $182,204
Wilkinson 6 16 $238,151
Lafayette 5 6 $251,582
Winston 6 16 $327,250
Lamar 10 245 $1,848,048
Yalobusha 2 2 $35,410
Lauderdale 17 123 $7,563,333
Yazoo 6 13 $348,236
Lawrence 8 49 $3,736,531
Leake 11 20 $176,959
Lee 11 24 $220,961
Leflore 5 10 $333,617
Lincoln 7 25 $651,703
Lowndes 8 19 $559,654
Madison 6 46 $3,409,637
Marion 15 76 $16,698,234
Grand Total 835 10,493 $1,700,402,258

Evacuation Registration

2006-10-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Officials take evacuation transportation registration
Emergency operations officials in all three coastal counties are asking people with transportation problems that would prevent them from evacuating to preregister for their planning efforts.
A prior survey by MEMA did not retain information from its respondents. To register, call:
Harrison County: Coast Transit Authority, 896-8080;
Hancock County: Emergency Operations Center, 228-466-8200 or 228-463-1035;
Jackson County: Erin Lee, 762-2455

School Funding

2006-09-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

10/10 From Gary
The Sea Coast Echo reports that the Hancock County School Board voted unanimously Thursday evening to evict a FEMA trailer park from school-owned property at the former site of Gulfview Elementary.
Since last October, nearly 100 trailers have been housed at the site, and hundreds of displaced residents are living in the park. The agreement with FEMA to house the trailers was made in the confusing days after the storm when housing for hurricane victims was critically needed. A county official signed the right-of-entry to the property under an emergency declaration, and FEMA soon moved the trailers onto the property. The school board contends, it never signed a lease with FEMA and the trailers are hindering the school districts rebuilding plans. As to where to put the residents in the park, that will have to be worked out.

Found on Katrina's Angels Newsgroup:

BILOXI, Miss. -- Of the $8.9 billion* in federal disaster grants awarded to Mississippi in its recovery from Hurricane Katrina, nearly $176 million has been obligated for public and parochial school repair and construction in Mississippi's three coastal counties.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the breakdown of grants to date in those counties is as follows: Hancock County, $48.9 million; Harrison County, $61.1 million; Jackson County, $44.3 million; and $21.4 million to schools in the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi.
The grants are part of FEMA's Public Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to state and local governments and certain non-profit organizations for disaster-related cleanup and rebuilding efforts. The grants help rebuild or restore buildings and infrastructure to pre-Katrina condition. While these grants are aimed at governments and organizations, their primary goal is to help a community and all its citizens recover from devastating natural disasters.
FEMA continues to work closely with applicants, local and state organizations and voluntary agencies in rebuilding Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Grants are being approved and disbursed through the following programs:
More than $1.2 billion to individuals and families:
216,280 individuals and families have been approved for Housing Assistance totaling about $840 million;
133,699 Mississippi Katrina survivors have been approved for $409 million in Other Needs Assistance.
More than $1 billion has been approved in the following Public Assistance categories (not including debris removal). To date, Mississippi has disbursed $782 million to public assistance applicants for rebuilding projects including bridges, public buildings and utilities. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) administers the funds.
$309 million for emergency protective measures;
$327 million to repair public facilities;
$288 million to restore public utilities;
$53 million to restore public recreational facilities such as state parks;
$25 million to repair roads and bridges; and
$1.6 million to repair water control devices such as reservoirs and irrigation channels.
About $1.3 billion has been approved for land-based debris removal.
About $231 million will be disbursed for marine debris removal:
Nearly 45 million cubic yards of eligible land-based debris has been removed from public and private property in 79 of 82 counties; FEMA has given a six-month extension for the removal of debris in the inundated areas of the three coastal counties; there are approximately 790,750 cubic yards of debris remaining in that surge area;
The U.S. Coast Guard has cleared 23,749 cubic yards or about two percent of marine debris. Marine debris removal will be 100 percent federally funded until May 15, 2007. Other assistance:
More than $2.4 billion was paid by FEMA through its National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to 17,013 policy holders;
Nearly $3 billion* was paid by FEMA to other federal agencies to complete specific tasks or mission assignments during response and recovery such as emergency medical assistance and debris removal;
Nearly 35,000 FEMA-provided temporary housing units are currently occupied.
In addition, about $2.6 billion in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans have been approved for Mississippians:
More than $2 billion in loans to 30,880 homeowners and renters;
More than $517 million to 4,279 businesses;
About $18.7 million to 325 small business owners for working capital.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 22-Sep-2006 10:07:17

Favre Suggests Consolidation

2006-09-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Favre urges merging permit departments
By RYAN LaFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com
BAY ST. LOUIS - Among a crowd that spilled outside Tuesday night, two contractors stood up to defend embattled building official Bill Carrigee on his final day as head of the city's permit department.
Local contractor Mike Bell blasted Councilman Jim Thriffiley, accusing the state's longest concurrently serving councilman of "running Bill Carrigee out of town."
"Regardless of what people think of Mr. Carrigee," Bell said, "he was still an asset to this city."
Carrigee officially resigned Tuesday, ending more than a decade as the city's top building inspector just three days after published reports that Hancock County recently paid him $389,474 for work his company was doing for the county on the side.
"Mr. Carrigee's decision to resign was his decision, no one on this board made him leave," Thriffiley said. "The city has spent tens of thousands of dollars educating him and he chose to leave on his own."
Carrigee had become one of the most qualified building officials in Mississippi. He was the 59th person in the nation certified as a floodplain manager and much of his education was funded by the city.
Carrigee told the Sun Herald last week he did not moonlight on city time, nor did he use a city vehicle. Thriffiley said residents have complained for months about the sluggish process of getting a building permit.
"People have asked me how he could be working for us and still be doing all this work for the county," Thriffiley said.
Since Katrina damaged or destroyed more than half of the city's homes, locals cram into the short-staffed building department almost daily seeking approval to rebuild. The department has issued more than 15,000 permits since the storm, far more than double what it turned out last year.
Mayor Eddie Favre read from a prepared statement, addressing what he called an "unsubstantiated attack on the credibility of city employees."
"For those who have been on a mission of encouraging the resignation of Bill Carrigee," Favre said, "you have finally succeeded."
Favre said the "real losers in this situation" are the city's residents and he pleaded with the council to refocus its efforts on rebuilding Bay St. Louis.
Favre said Carrigee has offered his company's services to the city on a contract basis, at a rate of $28 per hour. The mayor suggested the council push to merge the building department with the offices in the county and Waveland as a way to fill the void.

Animal Crisis Occuring

2006-09-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

12/22 An accurate view of the Coast, not just NOLA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5ssfTOIu4

10/12
The Associated Press
Hancock County has stopped providing funds to the Waveland Animal Shelter after learning the shelter had refused to accept stray animals collected by the county, officials said.
The shelter has been funded mostly through a joint effort between Waveland, Bay St. Louis and Hancock County, but the Hancock Board of Supervisors recently voted to stop providing its portion of the money.
Last week, supervisors began a search for available land to build a shelter.
"We're not going to pay for something that we can't use," Supervisor Lisa Cowand said.
County officials said the shelter has been declared a no-kill shelter, meaning animals are held for months while waiting to be adopted or transported to other shelters throughout the country.
Shelter director Renee Lick said the facility is not a no-kill shelter, but she conceded there have been times when the shelter was full and could not accept county animals.
"Yes, there have been some times when that's happened, but we are going to have to start putting animals down again," she said. "We just can't keep holding them as long as we have been."
Carol Strohmetz, president of Friends of the Waveland Animal Shelter, said animal activists who came to help after Katrina struck last year turned the shelter into a no-kill facility, which has contributed to the overpopulation of stray animals in the county. "Even though I hate euthanasia, we can't afford to be a no-kill shelter; it's just not practical," she said.

Suzzie Pollard
412 Old Spanish Trail
Waveland, MS 39576
Main Phone: 228 342 3218

There's a woman in Hancock County, that if you work with animals, you know who she is. Her name is Suzzie Pollard. She, along with dozens of others, fosters animals from the overflow of local shelters.

The problem is the number of animals was too great to begin with and is growing exponentially on a monthly basis. Between already feral animals reproducing, there are the once-domesticated but now feral animals reproducing. So in this single year of uncontrolled pet population, the numbers are beyond staggering and becoming a health crisis for all - animals and humans alike.

Heartworm
Heartworm is infecting dogs at a record pace. With virtually no financial resources to treat infected dogs, they are euthanized as soon as they are diagnosed. In MS, to treat a dog with heartworm starts at $400. For that same money, 8 dogs could be immunized for a full year. This is why triage is occurring. They simply can't afford to treat dogs once infected when they can prevent it in so many.

Rabies
A health crisis that no one is speaking of, but which looms dark on the horizon is rabies. With this many animals, along with an exploding rat and racoon population means the threat for rabies is growing daily. All it will take is a single animal to infect a dozen or more, and the epidemic is off and running. Add that the dogs are running in packs and living in condemned homes, the threat to humans is very real.

Spay/Neuter
To effectively treat both of the above problems, there is a very real need for volunteer vets to come in and assist with their spay/neuter programs. Most, if not all, rescue and SPCA-type organizations have left, having done all their budgets allow. Vetrinarians, like physicians, are at 1/3 to 1/4 staff due to relocating from the storm. So the need and the crisis is very real.

Suzzie
Suzzie has seen this threat and is doing all she can to help prevent it. She has been collecting and distributing up to 1,400 pounds of food daily to shelters and other foster homes, soliciting assistance from all areas she can think of and is on the verge of bankrupcy because of this crisis. She has also sacrificed her health. She has pneumonia and is sidelined for an unknown period of time. This makes the crisis that much more dire.

The entire Gulf Coast needs assistance.

Her needs, which are indicative of the region, are as follows:

Food - Any and all types of animal food. While dogs and cats are the main issue, there are other domestic and exotic animals in need as well.
Crates - all sizes of animal crates for housing and to give when an animal is adopted.
Food pans - disposable is best for feeding the house pets.
Litter pans
Cat litter - any amount of these will be a very welcome addition
Have a Heart Traps - since so many are feral, trapping is necessary
Medications/vaccinations - Flea, distemper, heartworm, tapeworm, Feline Leukemia, rabies are all in very short supply
Bedding - straw is preferred
Cleaning supplies - Bleach, Windex, Mops, Gloves, Goggles, Masks, Sponges, Scrub Brushes, SOS Pads, Paper Towels, Rags, Garbage Bags - BIG, etc.
Walmart Gift Cards - it's the closest store that has a steady source of supplies.

9/9
I have written a letter to the editor for this crisis. Please use it to send to your paper. It is under 200 words, which is necessary for most papers and is not a solicitation - also a requirement of most papers. So should get through the editors with little or not problem.

An animal crisis is occurring along the Gulf. As with any community, the unwanted pet population was already high prior to the storms and now the numbers are exploding. Feral and once-domesticated animals are all reproducing. So in this single year of uncontrolled pet breeding, the numbers are staggering and a health crisis for animals and humans has begun.

Heartworm is epidemic with triage occurring. Treatment is about $400, which can immunize 8 dogs for a full year, so dogs diagnosed with heartworm are euthanized.

The health crisis of which no one speaks, but looms dark on the horizon, is rabies. With the exploding pet, rat and raccoon populations, the rabies threat grows daily. One animal can infect a dozen or more, starting the epidemic and making the threat to humans very real. Most animal rescue organizations left, having done all their budgets allow. Veterinarians, like physicians, are at 1/4 to 1/3 staff due to relocating from the storm, so the need and the crisis is growing.

Last year’s hurricane season is far from over in so many ways.

9/12
THE FREE CLINIC DATES FOR SPAY/NEUTER AT THE WAVELAND CITY SHELTER ARE SEPT.15-16-17TH. PEOPLE NEED TO CALL 228- 216-PETS. AN APPOINTMENT MUST BE SET UP .

Americorp Staying

2006-09-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

AmeriCorps pledges two more years of support in Hancock Co.

By DWAYNE BREMERSep 6, 2006, 09:13

One of the largest volunteer groups in Hancock County has pledged two more years of support to the community. Officials of AmeriCorps West Senica N.Y. branch said last week they are committed to helping residents in Hancock County return to their homes, and being here has made them aware of the continued need for their assistance.
"If I would have not been here in November, then I would not have the passion to stay," Director Mark Lazzara said.
AmeriCorps members from around the country will be assisting Hancock County residents for two more years.

Pictured are some of the volunteers helping in the area. Dan Kivel, second from left, tragically drowned near St. Charles Street in May. Fellow volunteers have said his death has given them inspiration and a special bond with the community.
Over the past year, more than 1,000 volunteers have passed through St. Rose De Lima Church in Bay St. Louis, with more than 150 being AmeriCorps members, Lazzarra said. AmeriCorps is a volunteer group made up mostly of college-aged-youths from across the country. The West Senica group has served Bay St. Louis, while other AmeriCorps teams have been stationed at the former Morrell Camp in Waveland, and at the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center in Kiln.Volunteers can spend from one week to six months in the area, he said.
Most of the volunteer work done by AmeriCorps members has been in helping rebuild homes in the area. "This is the right thing to do," he said. "We don't do this for any glory, we just want to help people get in their homes."
He said his group feels a special bond with the community, one that was strengthened with the tragic death of volunteer Dan Kivel in May.
"It is still emotional to talk about," he said. "We just really feel connected towards Bay St. Louis.
"Some of the volunteers have signed up to come back to the area, after going home for the summer.
"This is like a second home," Michele Kmentt said. "This is really personal to me, it hits my heart."
Other volunteers see progress, but they say the job is far from done, and the government help is moving too slow.
"It is gratifying, but frustrating at the same time," Mike Rechtien said. "I find myself having to find new goals, I can only imagine what the people feel."
© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

Covering A Hometown Disaster

2006-09-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

By Kathleen KochCNN
[Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences covering news. Kathleen Koch, who grew up on the Gulf Coast, covered the devastation in the area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.]
(CNN) -- I am a journalist. Tough, unemotional, detached. Until Katrina. It was my worst childhood nightmare come true.
One year ago I covered the devastation of the Gulf Coast, including Bay St. Louis, the Mississippi town where I grew up. I saw the desperation of people who lost everything -- their homes, their businesses, even loved ones. I felt helplessness at its core. There is no worse feeling than seeing people you know and love suffering and being powerless to help them.
The year since then has been the longest of my life. (Watch how the people of Bay St. Louis have struggled for a return to normal -- 2:24)
The dreams came first. For weeks after returning from Katrina's destruction, every night I returned to the rubble, climbing through the debris-covered streets, guiding my producer Janet Rodriguez on foot as she navigated the SUV through the destruction. They weren't nightmares: It felt comfortable, it felt right.
I've made more than a dozen trips back to Mississippi over the past year, reporting, working on two documentaries and gutting houses as a volunteer. Every trip I see progress, tiny, baby steps forward. And I leave frustrated that more isn't being done to help.
The calls and e-mails still come. Some still ask for help. Most just want someone to listen, understand and care.
I go back and do what I can. Each trip is like ripping open an old wound. There's new loss each time; finding that a place that was special is now gone, that someone you knew has lost everything.
My parents, three sisters, brother and I moved to Bay St. Louis three years after it was devastated by Hurricane Camille. Barren lots still dotted the beachfront; driveways and steps leading up to nothing. Our home had a pile of bricks in the yard -- all that remained of the previous house.
When a hurricane neared, we always evacuated. It was the same drill each time. Pull out the ladder. Push the plywood over the windows. Carry small furniture upstairs. Drive away with your most precious possessions. Memorize every detail of the house as it disappears from view. Pray that you won't return to a driveway and empty steps to nothing.
On Monday, August 29, 2005, Bay St. Louis was in Katrina's bulls-eye, and I wanted to be there. I watched with dread as Katrina followed Camille's path. Bay St. Louis was my hometown, and it was where I belonged.
But reporters don't get to choose assignments in a natural disaster. I was assigned to report from Mobile, Alabama, on Sunday and Monday as Katrina roared in. Mobile was hit hard: left with no power, hundreds of downed trees, damaged roofs and three feet of water in parts of downtown.
At the height of the storm, incredibly, my cell phone rang. It was my brother, Mark, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He, his wife, Maureen, and four young children were riding out the hurricane at the Keesler Air Force Base hospital in Biloxi, where Maureen worked.
"We're OK," he said. "But the power's out. The generators are in the basement, and it's flooded. Water's coming up on the first floor now, so they're moving us all up to the higher floors. ... Maureen and the nurses are keeping patients alive using batteries and whatever they can ...But don't worry ..." Click.
The line went dead.
Tuesday, we raced west. With every mile, my heart sank. I noted the damage as we drove, until we got to Gulfport, Mississippi, and turned south toward the water. I stopped writing. There was not enough paper or ink. That's when I realized that if Gulfport was this bad, Bay St. Louis was gone.
As unreal as the scene was, even eerier was the reaction of the survivors. They walked calmly through the rubble, around the smashed cars, the 18-wheelers stacked like toys in the middle of Highway 90, over roofs that now blocked sidewalks. Their clothes were dirty, torn. They wandered emotionless through the devastation -- storm zombies.
Using the phone and computer in the satellite truck, we managed to reach CNN, check our messages and e-mail. That's when it began. Pleas for help, desperate family, friends, old classmates, strangers, all looking for loved ones, some crying. The Gulf Coast was cut off and I was the only lifeline they could reach. The e-mails were so poignant I couldn't bear to erase them:
"I unfortunately have not heard from my fam. They live in Bay st. louis and ...its bad there..."
"James (my Uncle), lives at 2 Gulf View Dr, in Ocean Springs. My mother spoke with him at 7am Monday morning, and we fear he didn't get out..."
"I'm particularly concerned about Dad since he is a stroke victim and is wheelchair bound. I am grasping at any lead or contact to try to find information about him..."
"Do you have communication with the police or sheriff's office? We are trying to find out if my home is still standing..."
So we did our job -- interviewing victims, reporting live from before dawn until after dark. As soon as we were done, we went looking. Wednesday night we made it to a senior citizens center. We were able to let a frantic woman know that her grandmother had been safely evacuated.
The next morning CNN freed me to go to Bay St. Louis, and we headed out.
Devastation seven miles inland
I was stunned after we turned off the interstate. We were seven miles inland, yet every building was flattened. Crushed cars littered the roadway. I imagined the drivers inside, fleeing as the winds buffeted them, before the storm surge swept over them.
I took the camera on a tour of my hometown, what little was left of it. Strangely, the camera helped me keep myself together. I was working. It was my fragile link to sanity.
I ran into high school friends. Each time, the story was the same. We hugged. Our eyes welled with tears. They had nothing left but the clothes they wore. Yet they refused everything I offered and asked only that I let their families know they were alive.
I found an old classmate, Kathy Cox, in our destroyed church. She'd lost everything, but begged me to let the country know that no help was getting through. "There are people getting sick, because they don't have food. I mean, they're getting sick ... vomiting and diarrhea," she explained, horrified at her own words.
I nearly lost it. I wanted to rip off the microphone, commandeer the SUV and start driving and handing out the food and water we had left. But I knew I couldn't do that to Janet, to my crew. If I did, we'd be the victims. We'd already had close calls with people desperate for gasoline or transportation.
"I'll do what I can," I assured her, knowing full well that nothing could be enough.
I was consumed with the calls, the pleas to find the missing. I looked for a roster at my damaged high school, now a shelter. No luck. I asked people on the street, quizzed police officers. But I was just one of many on a desperate search.
We found a shelter run by citizens at the Second Street Elementary School. They had not just a list of occupants, but of survivors. Every resident who walked by was asked to sign in, so someone would know they were still alive. No luck there, either.
One voicemail kept ringing in my ears: Lydia Schultz's. She was my mom's best friend, and had lived around the corner from us with her husband, Van. Growing up I regularly babysat her daughters.
"Kathie, I have not been able to get in touch with Van in any kind of way ... and was just wondering if there was some way you could possibly help me."
But the sheriff's department told us the roads there were blocked. Even if I could get there, streets signs were gone. Mailboxes were gone. Near the water, most houses were gone. I only found the house where I grew up because I recognized the driveway. It was a driveway and empty steps to nothing, a pile of bricks in the yard.
I found someone who had talked to Van around 8 a.m. He already had six inches of water in the house then. From the stories we'd heard about how fast the water rose, I knew he was probably dead.
Help the living or look for the dead?
Saturday morning, the day we were to return to Washington, we had a terrible choice to make: Help the living, or look for the dead. We chose to help the living.
Friday night, one store north of I-10 had reopened. I had been appalled that the people at the Second Street citizens shelter were sleeping on the ground. There were no pillows, no dry blankets, no sleeping bags.
Janet and I hit the store as soon as it opened, buying all the blankets, socks and underwear we could carry, as well as lanterns, batteries, games and other supplies. There were kids in the shelter. One little girl named Hope. I wanted to give her some.
We took everything to the shelter 40 miles away, took a dog we'd rescued from the rubble to a vet, and dashed to make our flight in Mobile.
Oddly, I was not happy to be home.
Having water, power, beds, intact buildings and plenty of food and drinks felt alien. I sent an e-mail to my friends:
"I'm still adjusting to being back ... feeling oddly out of place... It's as if I'm a citizen of a strange foreign land and no one here speaks my language."
The call I dreaded came eight days after the storm: Van was dead. Brooke had made it to their home and found him while digging through the rubble.
I was consumed by guilt. Somehow, I felt I had let them down.
The other friends and neighbors I'd searched for had all survived, as had my brother, his family and their home. Of my high school friends in Bay St. Louis, only three had houses they could live in.
My Katrina dreams are fewer now, but more powerful.
On July 29 the approaching anniversary was on my mind. That night, in my dream, I was back in Bay St. Louis and a hurricane was roaring in. Tornadoes dropped from the clouds. We hit the dirt, clinging to anything to keep from being blown away. After the first one passed, I stood up looking at the roiling, blackening sky with the mayor, Eddie Favre. "I feel like I'm looking into the belly of the beast," I told him.
Hurricanes will always threaten my town. And I know I can't control the forces of nature, any more than I can walk away from the place I still call home. So on this one-year anniversary, I do what the brave people there do. Keep moving forward. Refuse to give up. And never forget the past.
I made a vow to the survivors that Saturday as we pulled away from the Second Street shelter. "I promise I won't let anyone forget what happened here!" And I won't.

Weed Growing In Hancock County

2006-09-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

From Sea Coast Echo

High Times
By DWAYNE BREMER
Aug 28, 2006, 08:53

Cutting the grass in your own yard may result in a surprise these days, as mystery plants being found throughout the southern part of Hancock County may indeed be grass, but not the type you would would expect.

County narcotics officials said this week several residents have called to report strange plants growing wild on streets, sidewalks, and in back yards. Upon further investigation by officials, these plants have been identified as cannabis, better known as marijuana.
"We have been seeing some marijuana growing in the wild," Narcotics Agent Abe Long said Wednesday. "It is popping up all over the place."
He said the increase in wild plants is probably a result of Hurricane Katrina. He said homes which had marijuana in them were destroyed and carried all over the place by Katrina's storm surge. With so much destruction and displacement of property, marijuana seeds could have ended up anywhere in the south part of the county, he said.
According to Wikipedia, the cannabis plant grows in the wild in may places around the world. Dry or humid climates can make for favorable growing conditions.
The cannabis plant is described as a long, thin, and airy bud, with a christmas tree shaped structure. In warm climates, the plants can grow up to 20 feet high.
Wednesday, Long and fellow agents confiscated several pot plants growing on the side of the road on Sears Ave. in Waveland.
Agents were tipped off to the site as a result of a search warrant served the day before.
Long said a search of a trailer in the Shady Acres trailer park yielded nine marijuana plants plus more than a pound of packaged marijuana, thousands of dollars in cash, and a sawed-off shotgun.
Two subjects were arrested in the bust. One of them, William D. Wilson. 54. of Taklequah, Ok. was also wanted in Missouri and Oklahoma for drug related offenses.
While questioning the subjects, Long learned the location of the marijuana.
"It is a common excuse when suspects say they found it on the side of the road," he said. "This time they were telling the truth."
Long and other agents went to the Sears Ave. site and discovered several additional marijuana plants growing along the side of the road.
Bay St. Louis and Waveland officers assisted in the search, he said.
Long said reports of wild marijuana have been coming in at a steady pace. Last year, the sheriff's department only received two or three calls about wild marijuana all year, he said. This week alone, he said, the narcotics department has three calls.
"If anyone sees any mysterious plants growing, please call us," he said. "Residents do not have to fear getting in trouble if they report wild plants. We will come out and identify the plants and dispose of them."

© 2005 Bay St. Louis Newspapers, Inc.

Artifical Reef Rebuilding

2006-09-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

MLS-06-59 August 30, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHO: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR)
WHAT: Loading approximately 500 concrete culverts stored at Pass Christian Harbor onto barges to rebuild artificial reefs damaged by Hurricane Katrina
WHERE: Pass Christian Harbor
WHEN: Loading Friday, Sept. 1, 2006 at 9 a.m.
BACKGROUND: The DMR will begin loading barges with approximately 500 concrete culverts donated by the City of Pass Christian (from the front beach drainage system in Harrison County, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. On Sept. 5, Mathews Marine of Pass Christian will begin distributing the culverts on Fish Havens 1 and 2, which are reefs located in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles south of Biloxi.
Hurricane Katrina damaged about 80 percent to 90 percent of Mississippi’s nearshore and offshore artificial fishing reefs on Aug. 29, 2005.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the State by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at www.dmr.state.ms.us.

—END—
Marti Schuman Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Public Affairs Representative 1141 Bayview Ave. Biloxi, MS 39530 (228) 523-4052 (228) 297-9870 (cell) marti.schuman@dmr.state.ms.us

Waste Water Issues

2006-09-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDATE RELEASEWASTEWATER ISSUE VITAL FOR REBUILDING HANCOCK COUNTYWhy do people want to live in Hancock County, even in spite of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina? People come for the coastal living and recreational opportunities. Yet, the environment and the quality of life are the very things which are endangered by development and population growth. Like all other coastal areas, Hancock County is facing the pressure of population growth and must formulate a plan that will serve the community that will exist in 25-30 years.

The volumes of water required to treat waste are so large that increasing populations create challenges to what to do with treatment discharges. The amount of freshwater needed to treat one person’s waste is 8 million cubic feet. Or, put another way, water equal to 12 football fields each 10 feet deep. There is one wastewater treatment plant in Hancock County for the entire population south of I-10. This facility is located in Waveland and each discharges 4 million gallons of treated wastewater into Edwards Bayou - - which, in turn flows into the Bay of St. Louis.

Because the treated wastewater flows into the Bay, shellfish harvesting has been off limits in for the last 40 years. Just south of the Bay, Square Handkerchief Reef accounts for 99% of all the oysters harvested in the state of Mississippi. There is additional threat from bacteria in water discharged from water treatment systems, leaked from faulty septic systems, or found somewhere in storm-water runoff which captures bacteria and pollutes the recreational waters of the coast. Even before damage to infrastructure from Hurricane Katrina, there were 63 identified point source discharges of contaminated water flowing into Hancock County waterways. When there is rainfall of more than two inches, the reef is closed to harvesting because of bacterial contamination from runoff.

The bottom line is that as Hancock County grows, the infrastructure must be in place to support the quality of life everyone wants to have. The infrastructure must be created to remove the sources of contamination and water quality will improve. With improved water quality comes better health, improved opportunities for economic development and strengthened tourism and recreational offerings.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has been charged with creating a six county regional master plan for water and wastewater to carry out the requirements of legislation passed in the 2006 session of the Mississippi legislature. With creation of this master plan, each of the utility authorities in the six counties can apply for funds from the $500 million from HUD Community Development Block Grants being managed at the state level. Three public coastwide meetings will be held to hear comments on the master plan in the near future. To keep abreast of the progress of the master plan, go to www.msgulfregionplan.org and subscribe to the newsletter.

The Public Services Committee of the Hancock County Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal has been working closely with the Gulf of Mexico Program and the MDEQ on the water and wastewater situation, along with the drafting of the master plan. For more information call Angela Sallis at 467-9048 or you can email angela@hancockchamber.org.
--
Mary M. PerkinsPublic Affairs/Development Officer
Hancock County Library System
312 Highway 90Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

Telephone: (228) 467-6836 Fax: (228) 467-5503
www.hancocklibraries.info
Email: mmperkins@hancock.lib.ms.us

One Year Later Calendar of Events

2006-08-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Video Clips of Some Events
http://www.wlox.com/Global/category.asp?C=83746
Gulf Coast News Reflects:
http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNkatrinaALookBack.htm

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/15337925.htm

August 25
The Pearlington Community invites you to come and share in their Volunteer’s Reunion Appreciation Gospel Musical on Friday, August 25, 2006, at 7 p.m. The event will be held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Pearlington, MS.

August 26
Reunion of Volunteers, hosted by Coalition of Disaster Relief Agencies in Pearlington, 4 p.m. on the property of Susie Sharp, a Pearlington resident. The event is open to all volunteers who have worked in Pearlington since the storm, as well as invited members of the community who also have volunteered in their own recovery.

Welcome Home Bay St. Louis tailgate party, 5-9 p.m., Historic City Hall and Depot District. Special volunteer recognition and Katrina memorabilia. Entertainment by the Pat Murphy Band. Bring lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Details: Hancock Chamber, 467-9048.

August 27
St. Rose de Lima Parish, Bay St. Louis, 11 a.m., after the 9 a.m. Mass, trees to be planted in memory of those lost in storm, in memory of Dan Kevil, a volunteer who drowned, and in appreciation for all volunteers and assistance received.

Hands Across the Coast, 3 p.m., be in location by 2:30 p.m., along U.S. 90 from Pascagoula to Bay St. Louis/Waveland. Participants will join hands for two minutes of silence. Details: Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 436-3123.

Kids' Day in Pearlington, 3-5 p.m., Pearlington Mobile Library. Katrina anniversary event will celebrate the area's progress. Free books and activities for children. Sponsored by the Hancock County Library System. Details: 467-6836.

Hancock Chamber Art Gallery Opening, 5-7 p.m., old Chamber Office, 412 U.S. 90, Suite 6, Bay St. Louis. This is the first public art gallery to open in Hancock County since Katrina. Event will feature the work of 200 resident artists and the post-Katrina traveling art exhibits held at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark., Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, Minn. Sponsored by the Hancock Chamber and The Arts, Hancock County. Details: Gwen Impson, 263-6530.

August 28
Candlelight prayer vigil, 7 p.m., City Park, Bay St. Louis, hosted by Holy Trinity Catholic School. Candles will be provided, or bring your own. Vigil will include song and a moment of silence. Details: Holy Trinity School, 467-5158, or Phoebe Thriffiley, 466-6606.

August 29
Katrina memorial sunrise prayer vigil, 6-7 a.m., Gulfside Methodist Assembly, 950 S. Beach Blvd., Waveland. Sponsored by the Steps Coalition. The public is invited to participate in the event, a solemn gathering for survivors, volunteers, clergy, officials and friends. Details: 832-8806.

Hancock County church services, 7-9 a.m., at churches throughout the county based on each church's time schedules. Hancock County remembrance, 9 a.m., moment of meditation or silent prayer to remember Katrina and lost loved ones; and 9:01 a.m., church bells and sirens ring throughout the county.

Ecumenical Service on the Beach, 8 a.m., Coleman Avenue, Waveland. Details: Kathy Pinn, 332-2270.

Our Lady of the Gulf Parish, Bay St. Louis, 10 a.m., Our Lady Academy, St. Stanislaus, Holy Trinity and OLG Parish prayer service in the OLA gym. Afterward, OLA, Holy Trinity and OLG will plant a tree on one side of the street and SSC will plant one on its side.

Seventh Street Park dedication, 10:30 a.m., Bay St. Louis. Recognition of North Carolina volunteers who have given so much during the rebuilding process. Details: Mike Cuevas, 463-7120.

Luncheon to recognize Hancock County officials, 11:30 a.m., Daniel's Restaurant, Bay St. Louis. Invitation only. Sponsored by Hancock Chamber and the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. Details and tickets: Hancock Chamber, 467-9048.

Hancock County Health Department dedication ceremony, 1:30 p.m., at Longfellow Drive Government Complex, Bay St. Louis. New facility dedication and reception in recognition of the combined efforts of state and local officials, donors and public health teams. Modular unit donated by GE Plastics. Details: 467-9048.

Parade, 4 p.m., down Coleman Avenue, Waveland.

Katrina Memorial dedication, 5 p.m., Coleman Avenue, Waveland, on the beach. Also, recognition of volunteers.

Celebrate Life in Waveland!, 5:30-7 p.m., tailgate party and live entertainment. Details: Kathy Pinn, 332-2270.

Memorial prayer service, 7 p.m., St. Rose de Lima Church, Bay St. Louis, with nationally acclaimed gospel choir.

Coastal Clean Up Day

2006-08-15T05:14:00.000-07:00

1/15
The 18th Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup took place on Saturday, September 16, 2006. About 3,200 volunteers collected over
Volunteers collected 63,111 pounds of trash—that’s more than 31.5 tons of marine debris—
including 4 dump truckloads of marine debris too large to fit in trash bags, such as the two
refrigerators found on Deer Island along 147 miles of MS Gulf Coast and barrier islands. Other items collected were: tires, a car battery, a television, two riding lawn mowers, tires, 8-track tapes, a kitchen cabinet door, ceramic serving dishes, a bundle of foreign mail, a swim fin, wooden pallets, Princess Diana Royal wedding commemorative coin, two cars, a Tennessee Williams novel, and boxer shorts. (2006 final results) The cleanup, which usually focuses on the Coast's mainland and barrier island beaches and waterways, has expanded to include lakes, rivers, marshes, bayous, estuaries, and other watershed locations in the marine waters extending as far north as Interstate 10. This year's cleanup included more than 40 sites in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.Cleanup zone captains supply volunteers with trash bags, data cards, pencils, and plastic gloves. Each zone captain wears a yellow zone captain T-shirt so that volunteers can easily spot them on cleanup day.
Please feel free to print out the data card and read it over. On cleanup day, each pair of volunteers will receive a data card like this to identify the trash they pick up. You must complete the data card and turn it in to your zone captain to receive your thank you gift. Zone captains may also wish to have a look at the Zone Captain's Handbook (14 MB!). We also have a data card in Spanish for our Hispanic volunteers!
If you are interested in advertising the Cleanup, we invite you to print out and post these flyers and posters. Please remember to obtain permission before advertising on someone's property!
Take the pledge to help clean up our coast next year on September 15, 2007! Download the official pledge form, fill it out, and fax it back to us! This pledge form is required for those under the age of 21. It is optional, but encouraged, for our adult volunteers.
9/1 - Update From WQRZ
Paddlers Wanted at Grand Bay Reserve for Coastal Cleanup

Bring your canoe or kayak and get ready to paddle for a cleaner Coast on Saturday, Sept. 16, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), as part of the 18th annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup. Participants who bring their own canoes and kayaks will be provided with the equipment needed to pick up trash along Bayou Heron.

A limited number of canoes are available for volunteers (7 years of age and older) to use. Volunteers must call 475-7047 and sign up in advance to reserve a canoe. Cleanup participants who do not have access to a boat are also needed to clean up the area adjacent to the Bayou Heron Boat Launch. People of all ages are invited to join the staff of the GNDNERR in the cleaning up of the reserve. Children 12 and under are reminded that they must wear a life jacket if they are cleaning the bayou from a boat. Please bring insect spray, sunscreen and a pair of work gloves, if possible. Wearing closed-toed shoes is also recommended.

BILOXI, Miss.–Calling all boaters! The Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force is searching for volunteers with boats to aid in the island portion of the 18th Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup to be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Private boaters are needed for cleanup of Petit Bois Island, Deer Island and the west end and southern tip of Cat Island. Boaters must sign up in advance to participate. To volunteer for Cat and Petit Bois islands call Terry Wildy at 875-9057, ext. 111 or Carol Loew at 875-9057, ext. 108. For Deer Island call Susan Perkins at 523-4051.

Participants in the Grand Bay NERR cleanup should meet at the Grand Bay Reserve office, located at 6005 Bayou Heron Road in southeast Jackson County 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. on the day of the cleanup to sign in and receive their cleanup supplies. Participants are encouraged to call the GNDNERR office at (228) 475-7047 to pre-register and to receive additional details regarding the cleanup. A free drawstring backpack and “Stash Your Trash” awareness bracelet will be given to everyone who participates in the cleanup while supplies last. Children are welcome and encouraged to participate in the cleanup but must be accompanied by an adult.

After the cleanup, there will be a picnic for all Jackson County Coastal Cleanup participants at The Shed Barbeque in Ocean Springs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., only on the day of the event. Cleanup participants will need to show their lunch ticket to receive a free lunch.

The GBNERR is located near the community of Pecan in southeast Jackson County and includes wild lands and waterways from Bangs Lake to the Alabama state line. A major goal of the reserve is to provide for research coordination and dissemination of scientific data to the community and local decision-makers to provide sound information on which to base management decisions.

The 18,000-acre reserve is home to several rare plant and animal species and serves as an essential nursery habitat for numerous important commercial and recreational fish species. GNDNERR is managed through state-federal partnership between the DMR and its local partners: Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi State University, The Nature Conservancy, The University of Southern Mississippi and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

—MORE—

The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup is sponsored by the Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force, which is made up of representatives from Allied Waste Services; Chevron Pascagoula Refinery; Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve; Gulf Islands National Seashore; Hancock County Chamber of Commerce; Hancock Insurance; Harrison County Beautification; Harrison County Sand Beach Department; Home Depot; Jackson County Solid Waste; Keesler Air Force Base; Mississippi Air National Guard CRTC-Gulfport; Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium; Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality; Mississippi Department of Marine Resources; Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College; Mississippi State University Coastal Research & Extension Center; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Naval Construction Battalion Center; Naval Station Pascagoula; Office of Congressman Gene Taylor; Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State; Outback Steakhouse; Rotary International District 6840 and Sea Coast Echo.

Co-sponsors (in-kind donations) include: Allen Beverages, Inc.; Applewhite Industries; The Bay Press; Beverage Association of Mississippi; Cellular South; City of Biloxi; Coast Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Consolidated; The Dive Shop; First American Printing and Direct Mail; K99FM, Magic 93.7, 92.5 Hallelujah, and News Radio 104.9; Lamar Advertising of South Mississippi; Macland Disposal Inc.; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Mississippi Media; Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce; Rainbow Water; The Shed Barbeque, Ship Island Excursions; The Ocean Conservancy; The Sun Herald; and WLOX-TV 13.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the State by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at http://www.dmr.state.ms.us/

Received in Email

Hello All,

Through my work with MSU Extension Service in Hancock County, I have joined the Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee, which is coordinating the Coastal Cleanup for Hancock County. I would like to ask you, or a group/organization to which you belong, to consider signing up to be a volunteer/s for this year's Coastal Clean-up which will be held on Saturday, September 16, 8am-11am.

This year's Coastal Clean-up will concentrate on the beach from the mouth of Jordan River to Bayou Caddy. Of course, this will be a coast-wide effort so if you would like to volunteer in a different area that would be great, too.

I know some of you are out-of-towners, but I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for you if you have been wondering how you could help the Gulf Coast recover from Katrina, but don't have a great amount of time to do it.

I know most of you are locals and are quite busy with your own recovery efforts, but I think this is a wonderful chance for us all to give a little back. We have all been so blessed by the efforts of the volunteers who have come to help. Don't you think it would be awesome if we had a record-breaking number of local volunteers to show our support of our own community!

For more information visit the Coastal Clean-up official site http://masgc.org/cleanup/
or give me a call or email.

Have A Blessed Day!
Marcia
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I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phillipians 4:13

2 Tax Articles

2006-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hancock County Historic Homes and Businesses

Owners of historic homes and businesses in Hancock County turned out Tuesday to learn more about the tax incentive programs available. Representatives from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History explained to residents how to apply for the preservation program.
The goal is to help property owners save as many storm damaged historic buildings as possible.
"There is a 26 percent federal tax credit with the Internal Revenue Service for historic properties which renovate and repair the storm damage for income producing properties - which is everything from commercial buildings and home offices in your historic house. There is a state tax credit of 25 percent for everybody, homeowners and businesses, for the restoration of historic properties," Barbara Bacot with the Mississippi Department of Archives & History said.
The preservation workshop heads to Jackson County Wednesday afternoon. It will be held at 1:30 at the Pascagoula City Hall. If you can't be there, you may contact the State Department of Archives and History at (601) 576-6940 for more information.
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=4885813

Income Tax Help

Taxpayers still cleaning up from last summer's hurricanes got some help from the IRS on Monday with their tax deadlines and loss calculations.
People hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina can take extra time to file their tax returns, the IRS announced. The tax agency also gave taxpayers in the path of last summer's destructive hurricanes some alternative ways to compute their damages when claiming losses on their tax returns.
President Bush has already enacted special laws allowing taxpayers to recoup more of their unreimbursed and uninsured losses caused by the storms. The deadline change gives taxpayers hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina an extra seven weeks to file their 2005 tax returns. They now have until Oct. 15 to file that paperwork.
Taxpayers who need additional time can apply for an automatic six-month extension, which would give them until April 15, 2007, to file. The new deadline also applies to people who had requested an extension of time to file their 2004 tax returns.
Taxpayers hit by Hurricane Katrina already had a specially extended deadline that had given them until Aug. 28 to file tax returns that were due April 17 for most people.
The IRS also gave taxpayers some new methods for estimating damages to their homes and personal property, so they can use laws that allow taxpayers to recover some losses not reimbursed by insurance.
The changes do not apply to taxpayers whose businesses or rental properties were damaged. They're designed to help people who may have lost necessary records or can't otherwise meet the requirements for proving their losses to the IRS.
The changes give taxpayers hurt by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma several optional methods for calculating how much damage their homes and property sustained. They can be used instead of the methods already permitted, such as an appraisal.
The IRS said it will accept calculations made by an insurance company or a contractor. It also provided mathematical formulas for estimating the cost of damage done to homes. The formulas vary according to the size of a house and the extent of damage done.
The IRS gave taxpayers an additional formula for estimating the damage done to personal property, excluding vehicles.
Click here for more information from the IRS on help for hurricane victims http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=5050816

Insurance Article - wind pool

2006-08-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

3/16
Both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature on Thursday approved a bill designed to provide stability for the wind pool -- the insurer of last resort for homeowners in high-risk areas. The bill heads to Governor Haley Barbour.

It is designed to give every wind pool policyholder an estimated $500-a year price break on the premium. The relief would be given for four years, and money to cover it would come from a fund created by the premium taxes paid on insurance policies statewide.

Lawmakers say $20 million a year will be taken from the fund -- that's $80 million over the four years.

Coast leaders say providing stability to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association, often called the wind pool, is an important step in spurring redevelopment nearly 19 months after Hurricane Katrina left a broad swath of destruction across the southern end of the state.

Any insurance company that writes policies in the state must pay an assessment to the wind pool, which provides coverage in the six southernmost counties. Companies that offer policies in the high-risk areas can write themselves out of the assessment, but many have chosen not to do so.

After Katrina, policyholders statewide saw rate increases as companies tried to cover their costs for the wind pool. Officials say rates on the coast more than doubled in some cases, and the
prohibitively high cost of coverage has put the brakes on redevelopment.

1/12
Plan To Shore Up 'Wind Pool' Advances At Capitol
POSTED: 7:03 pm CST January 10, 2007
UPDATED: 7:10 pm CST January 10, 2007
JACKSON, Miss. -- Trying to keep a lid on rising commercial insurance costs along the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi House approved a bill Wednesday to put $30 million into the wind pool program.
The House vote was 119-1. The proposal moves to the Senate for more debate.
Gov. Haley Barbour has said he wants to spend federal money, rather than state money, to shore up the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association.
The association is the insurer of last resort in the six southernmost counties, and it's often called the wind pool. It assesses companies throughout the state to provide coverage in areas most insurers deem too risky.
Since Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, 2005, the wind pool's rates have jumped 268 percent for businesses and 90 percent for homeowners.
Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Dean Kirby said last week that mitigating the commercial rate increases would help drive economic growth on the coast and speed up recovery from the unprecedented storm.

Request For Fed Help With Wind Pool
Gov. Looks For More Federal Money For 'Wind Pool'
POSTED: 12:36 pm CST November 20, 2006
UPDATED: 3:13 pm CST November 20, 2006
JACKSON, Miss. -- Gov. Haley Barbour is looking for a way to pump more federal dollars into Mississippi's "wind pool" insurance program to cope with premium rates that could derail Hurricane Katrina recovery.
Wind-pool premiums were recently increased 268 percent for business owners and 90 percent for homeowners. The increases would have been far worse had the governor not received approval to cushion the blow with $50 million in federal Katrina-relief money.
Even with the rate increases, more Mississippians are being forced into the state-sanctioned wind-pool insurance because private companies are refusing to write policies after Katrina.
The wind pool was created after Hurricane Camille in 1969 to provide wind-damage coverage in areas in the six southernmost counties where companies don't want to write standard policies.
Home and business owners pay the premiums. When damage exceeds the money collected in wind-pool premiums, the more than 500 insurance companies that do business in the state have to pay the difference.
Those companies have had to pay more than $545 million in wind-pool losses from Katrina.
Even with this year's rate increases, the wind pool is nowhere near sound.
The wind pool since 1987 has taken in $188 million in premiums and paid out $778 million.
Dale Approves 90 Percent Increase In Wind Pool Rates

Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale on Friday approved a 90 percent rate increase for homeowner policies provided by the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association. The association, commonly known as the wind pool, had requested a rate increase of almost 400 percent as a result of the devastation caused in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. Dale said a rate increase of that size was unacceptable.

http://www.wlox.com/global/category.asp?c=71755

Depression On The Rise

2006-07-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

11/7
The alternative number for those in crisis is 1-800-273-TALK. This number will put callers in touch with the federally funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service that has been in operation since January, 2005

WAPT.com
Experts: Gulf Coast Residents Battle Storm-Related Depression
POSTED: 10:22 am CDT July 25, 2006
UPDATED: 10:26 am CDT July 25, 2006

GAUTIER, Miss. -- Some Gulf Coast counselors said they're receiving a lot of calls from people dealing with depression associated with Hurricane Katrina.

Linda Jones of Pine Grove Counseling Center in Gautier said people are feeling stress while living in FEMA trailers or rebuilding their homes. She said those effects are spilling over to local teenagers, who respond by using drugs or alcohol.

Hurricane Katrina prompted the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to begin the program Project Recovery. There are 371 crisis counselors with the program who give Mississippians everything from telephone counseling to actual visits to the person's home.

Organizers said each month the number of suicide calls to the hot line increases.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.