This is what people are living through, two years after the storm.

Click here to read the article.

For reasons of confidentiality, I cannot tell you the shocking details of the stories of folks down here who are dealing with contanimated FEMA trailers, but let me say this-

Two years after the storm, more than 17,000 households in Mississippi alone are still living in FEMA travel trailers and mobile homes. These trailers are making people sick. Hopsital sick. Families are taking extreme measures just to survive. Two years later. People are living in tents on their property. 82 year-olds are taking out mortgages. 72 year olds are rebuilding their own homes with mis-matched cabinets and doors found at scrap yards. Volunteer teams and funding sources continue to dwindle.

There's an agency down here called Drop In The Bucket. I think they have the right idea. But some days, I see only the bucket and not the drops.

Saturday Night in Mississippi

You've got to see my pal Becca's blog entry (click here) so you'll know how much fun it is living in a PDA trailer park in Mississippi!

TD Ten

It was a beautiful sunny, busy, scary day.

The Mississippi sunset was perfect.

But Tropical Depression 10 was lurking just off-shore. We're still not sure what kind of weather we're in for tonight and tomorrow. We're grateful that it never strengthened to a Tropical Storm or Hurricane. But they ordered mandatory evacuations for people living in trailers and low-lying areas anyway. They opened shelters. They started the free busing of people without means to travel out of their trailers/homes. My friends strapped down my trailer. I strapped down pods. We obsessed over the NOAA website all day!

I was nervous. For me, for our camps, for our staff, for our pets, for our homeowners, for our neighbors, for friends who work for other agencies, for local officials, for all who began to prepare. Mostly, though, I was worried about all those who survived Katrina and all that they must be feeling today. I wasn't here when the big ones have hit. I can't know what they feel hearing the warnings and evacuations come over the news. It's scary.

May the wind be gentle, the rain be light, and the storm move quickly on by us.

I'm back in Mississippi

And it is just another day at the office, as evidenced by this email I received today:

TO: Mississippi VOAD Board General Membership:


Greetings:

According to the National Weather Service the tropical wave that is
currently dumping copious amounts of rain on the east coast of Florida,
causing flooding in Jacksonville and at least one tornado (last Monday) is
expected to become a surface low by tomorrow morning. The National Weather
Service believes that it is possible that this surface low will move its
way across the Florida peninsula over the next day or two and re-emerge in
the Gulf of Mexico. If this occurs it is possible that a sub-tropical or
tropical cyclone will develop in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. If
this happens, it is possible that this system will develop very rapidly
from a mere surface low to Tropical Depression 10 to Tropical Storm /
Category 1 Hurricane Jerry. Remember that we saw this happen just last
week when a small low pressure system developed into Category 1 Hurricane
Humberto in less than 24 hours. Therefore, it is possible that this system
may (or may not) develop into a storm that could affect the ALM Division by
as early as Friday or sometime this weekend.

According to MEMA, the National Weather Service preliminary reports say
that the area at risk from landfall stretches from Pensacola, Florida, to
Galveston, Texas. Unfortunately, the center of that risk area is the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. At this time, MEMA reports that the six coastal
counties are concerned about the effect of high winds and torrential rains
(flash flooding) on an area largely populated by FEMA trailers at this
time. The coastal counties are currently preparing a total of 23 shelters
in the event they are needed. This is currently a precautionary
preparation; they do not want to be caught by surprise as Texas was as a
result of Hurricane Humberto.

As a result, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is
tentatively planning to open the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC)
tormorrow, Thursday, September 20, 2007. If it does open, MSVOAD will be
asked to staff its' desk at the SEOC in Pearl.

Finally, it should be noted that there is nothing certain about any of
this. It is possible that this system may dissapate over the Florida
peninsula and never re-emerge into the Gulf of Mexico or re-emerge so
weakened that it dissapates there. However, they are concerned enough
about the possible development of this storm that they believe it is
important to alert the appropriate authorities now.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at
your convenience.

Respectfully,
William H. Feist III
WILLIAM H. FEIST III, WB8BZH, MNCEM, NDCEM
President (2007), Mississippi Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
(MSVOAD)
Emergency Disaster Services Director
Alabama - Louisiana - Mississippi Division
The Salvation Army, Southern Territory


==============================================

MAPS and ADDITIONAL INFORMATION







Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook
Note: This product is updated at approximately 11:30 AM and 10:30 PM EDT
Place your mouse cursor over areas of interest for more information
(Embedded image moved to file: pic13694.gif)

000
ABNT20 KNHC 190211
TWOAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1030 PM EDT TUE SEP 18 2007

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A LARGE AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC...
NORTHERN BAHAMAS...AND THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA IS ASSOCIATED WITH
A TROPICAL WAVE INTERACTING WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW. THERE ARE NO
SIGNS OF ORGANIZATION AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...SURFACE PRESSURES
ARE GRADUALLY FALLING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS APPEAR FAVORABLE
FOR A SUBTROPICAL OR A TROPICAL CYCLONE TO FORM OVER THE NEXT DAY
OR TWO...AS THE DISTURBANCE MOVES WESTWARD OVER FLORIDA AND INTO
THE GULF OF MEXICO. REGARDLESS OF DEVELOPMENT...THIS SYSTEM WILL
LIKELY BRING SHOWERS...SQUALLS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS OVER
PORTION OF FLORIDA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

2. DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM THE
LEEWARD ISLANDS NORTHWARD FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES ARE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE REMNANTS OF INGRID. UPPER-LEVEL WINDS REMAIN HIGHLY
UNFAVORABLE FOR REGENERATION OF THIS SYSTEM.

3. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY REMAINS DISORGANIZED IN ASSOCIATION
WITH THE TROPICAL WAVE LOCATED ABOUT 600 MILES EAST OF THE LESSER
ANTILLES. UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE UNFAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
THIS SYSTEM.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

$$

FORECASTER RHOME

==============================================

180
ABNT20 KNHC 191520
TWOAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1130 AM EDT WED SEP 19 2007

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

A WEAK SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST AND
AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW ARE PRODUCING A LARGE AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER
OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC...THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS...
PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA...AND THE EASTERN GULF MEXICO.
THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BRING SHOWERS...SQUALLS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS OVER PORTIONS OF FLORIDA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THE LOW
IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO OR REDEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF
MEXICO DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO...WHERE A SUBTROPICAL OR TROPICAL
CYCLONE COULD FORM.

DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NORTH OF
THE LEEWARD ISLANDS NORTHEASTWARD FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF INGRID AND AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH.
UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT FAVORABLE FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF THIS
SYSTEM.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

$$

FORECASTER BROWN/BEVEN

Tonight I struck up a conversation with a random man at a random bar on 6th St in Austin:

Austin Man: Pot a squat. (said while pointing at an open seat next to him)
Me: Ha, ha. (sit down anyway)
AM: Sure is nice out.
Me: Yup.
===random awkward banter about the weather in Austin ===
Me: What are the winters like here?
AM: Well, yew ever have chicken soup?
Me: Yes.
AM: Yew ever have bad chicken soup?
Me: Actually, no.
AM: It's like the chicken jest walked through it.
Me: I don't understand.
AM: Yer used to winter being cold?
Me: Yes.
AM: Folks are used to chicken soup that tastes like chicken. Austin winters are like if a chicken wore galoshes and walked through the soup. Doesn't really taste like chicken soup then. Ain't really winter here.
Me: Oh.

During my first 24 hours in Texas...

We drove through a hurricane.
We marveled at the sight of some seriously huge crickets.
We toured the state capitol.
We tried to climb the UT Tower.
Lauren played with the UT Turtles.
We toured Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
I bought some Longhorn gear.
I two stepped with a Sweedish guy at a honkey tonk called The Broken Spoke.
I fell in love with a new country song called, "It ain't love, but it ain't bad."
I haven't been to bed before 3 am.
I ate about 4 cupcakes.
I got to meet some of Linda's family.


And I've still got two more days with these great friends to explore more!

On the road again

I'm headed to Austin, TX tomorrow. I am taking this not-so-quick road trip out to visit two great friends who've just moved to this great town! I've never been to Austin before so I am pretty fired up about getting a chance to check it out. And I needed a break from Mississippi. I didn't take any time off between my YAV year and my new job, so this long weekend is the perfect opportunity to create some space and refresh for the work ahead.

And we get to drive through a tropical storm!

More from the road....

Spread the word!

From The Mississippi Press
Pascagoula couple gives meaning to $1 donation
Thursday, September 06, 2007
By SARA FRYE
PASCAGOULA -- Sitting in the remnants of what used to be her shed, Mary Jones, 65, waits with the possessions she has left.

Her Pascagoula home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, and it had to be demolished. All of her clothes are stored in a makeshift shed assembled from the remains of an existing structure and pieces of plywood. The small, open building is where she and her husband sit and watch the neighbors go by.

"We don't have no bad neighbors, that's one thing good about it," Mary Jones said. "We just sit out here and watch. That's what we're used to."

Mary and her husband, Oliver Jones, 64, can no longer stay in the Federal Emergency Management Agency travel trailer near the slab of their old house. Oliver Jones' pre-existing poor health was made worse by the formaldehyde in the trailer, Mary Jones said.

"My husband's been sick ever since we've been in it," Mary Jones said.

Oliver Jones suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and Lupus, said Mary Jones, and he has had three heart attacks since the storm. He had one heart attack before the storm.

Mary Jones is in the process of taking her possessions out of the FEMA trailer and putting them in her shed.

"The hardest part is I ain't got no house," Mary Jones said.

The volunteer organizations still working toward recovery in Mississippi came together to start a fund that would help the Jones' and the entire state recover from Hurricane Katrina.

The Finish the Job fund began on Aug. 31 to raise $1 from every American to finish the rebuilding of safe, sanitary and secure housing in Mississippi.

"If everyone in America gave a dollar, that would equal about $300 million," said Michelle Wilson executive director of Rebuild Jackson County Long Term Recovery Agency. "We figure that would be enough to finish the job in Mississippi."

The fund is designed to fill in the gaps from other funding sources, Wilson said, including furniture, utilities, surveys and elevators.

The Jones will need an elevator or a lift installed, when their home is built. The house will have to be elevated six feet off the ground and Oliver Jones will not be able to climb up stairs to his new home.

The funding sources that do exist will soon be moving on to help people suffering from other disasters, and so will the volunteers, Wilson said.

"We're running out of time, and we're running out of money. We need to get people back in their homes," Wilson said.

"Two years after the storm we're still finding families that have given up on finding funding or repairing their homes," said Vickie White, case manager supervisor for the United Methodist Disaster Response Team. "There's still a great need here for not only funding, but volunteers as well."

Before Rebuild Jackson County began helping the Jones, three weeks ago, they were waiting for a grant to come through.



PDA is working with Rebuild Jackson County and other Long Term Recovery agencies along the Mississippi Gulf Coast to spread the word about this fund! For more information about the Finish the Job Fund click here!

Lunch, maybe

The other day Becca and I were trying to make lunch. With no volunteers at the camp right now, food is slim pickings, unless we actually get off our butts and go to the grocery store. That doesn't happen often.

So we found this in the freezer:


And we tried to make it, but it came out like this:


So we tasted it:


It was not good and we did not eat it. Ick. We need those volunteers to come back. Now! To rebuild the Gulf Coast, yeh, yeh, but also so that Becca and I don't have to eat gunk like this.

Read This

http://www.sunherald.com/411/story/128363.html

2 Years After Katrina (August 29, 2007)

It's taken me a few days to post this, because as everything else down here, I'm a bit slow right now. Not because I am lazy or tired, but because we've been so busy.

I decided the night before Aug. 29th to do a photo essay of the day. It was the only way I thought I'd be able to describe what I saw, what the coast saw that day. So I took the photos you'll see below. I planned on posting them that very night with some profound thoughts about the day, but after getting up early for a sunrise service, working hard all day demo-ing the church that will become PDA's 6th work camp, praying and eating with friends/co-workers, and settling in for the night, I realized I hadn't brought my camera cord with me. Work teams who come to the coast learn early on most Monday mornings that missing one small tool can change your whole day. I packed for that day at 5:30 in the morning, intending to spent one night away from my lovely new trailer. I just got home about an hour ago, 4 days later.

Living on the coast after Katrina I've learned that great plans fail. Bad plans and worse, no plans, sometimes succeed. Great and poor plans change. All the time. What I thought I'd do today (go to the office and catch up) fell second to what needed to be done today (destroy a village in order to be ready to build again). And, the kicker is that all this could be done with or without me. At any moment. But since I choose to be here, I've got to be ready for the changes, the failures and the surprise successes. Huh, I guess that's life anywhere.... good one....

So please click here to see my day, August 29th, two years post-Katrina:

Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Click here to see what they're doing on the Gulf Coast.

Click here to see what's going on in New Orleans.

Click here to see what PDA has been up to and how you can get involved.

Click here to see how you can be prepared for a disaster in your area.

Photos of my new home!

Click here to check them out!

Transitions

After weeks of goodbyes, two closing retreats, two moves, five states, a weekend full of precautionary evacuation preparations, one new office, and a whole new but still the same life back and starting, I thought it was about time that I throw something up on the ole blog. Bear with me though, because my head is still spinning and I am typing around boxes to procrastinate unpacking.

As the three people who read this blog know, I have completed my year as a volunteer with the Presbyterian Church on the Gulf Coast and I have started a year working with the Presbyterian Church on the Gulf Coast.

It's a change. It's not a change.

It's a transition. It is hard and lovely and confusing and exciting and terrifying and fun.

Just as there is no way to sum up an entire year's worth of feelings, memories, learnings, relationships, etc., there is no way I can properly describe how this transition is going for me, so I've avoided it. And I've re-written it fifteen times in my head. I so want to share every bit of this experience with you who love me, but I can't come close to finding the words to explain it. I have had no free time to sort out my feelings, but I have had too much time talking with friends to sort out my feelings. I've processed and avoided and run those laps around several times over.

Here's what I can figure, what I can admit, what I can offer and what I can share:

Leaving the apartment sucked. I miss my roommates terribly. I miss our random chats and eating meals together. But I am loving some quiet and alone time in the trailer. I love having my own space! And on my first day at Orange Grove I received a package of artwork and well wishes from the kids back at DMPC (my home church) that made me feel so loved, right off the bat. I'm not used to the bugs yet, though. Seriously, the cockroaches?!

Leaving the Presbytery was complicated. I'd struggled so much working there, but I loved the I homeowners I worked with dearly, I believe in what is getting done, and I'd put my heart and soul into that place for almost a year. It wasn't a pleasant goodbye and that still breaks my heart. My spirits were wiped when I arrived at my new post. Completely drained. But coming to PDA has been incredible. They have been so supportive and excited to have me on board. I'm just getting my feet wet and there is so much to learn, but they trust that I will learn and figure it out and that support is remarkable.

Leaving Handsboro Church/St. Peter's By The Sea isn't happening, but it is. I'm only living a few minutes away, but I'm not there every day and already I feel like a stranger when I drive by the church. Edward and Sarah, the priests at St. Peter's and my two great rocks of spiritual support this past year have both moved in the past two months. I was so blessed to have their love, support, advice, friendship and example in my life this year and I really don't know how to live on the coast without them. They are my models of God's Love down here, and while I know there are a million other angels working on the coast, many of whom I already know and love, transitioning out of the Edward and Sarah days has brought me to tears quite a few times already.

With my volunteer program ending, many of my friends have moved away. Brenna and Linda have been gone for weeks and I miss them all the time. Sarah Ann's departure had me crying in the McDonald's parking lot last weekend. It's been more than a week since I spoke to George and I no longer have funny morning conversations with Kerry before we go to work. I have no idea when I will see some of my dear friends (Linger, Sue, Jaymie) again. On the other hand, I've already gotten to know Becca and Melodie better, Lauren is about to move to within 30 miles of me, and the three of them welcomed me to trailer life with a rockin' girl's night party that I really believe will set the tone for the next few months! And, I am ready to be done with some of the drama and to receive a real pay check again. Soon the new volunteer batch will be here and I will transition into be a has-been. Yay, my crow's feet are thrilled!

This transition is full of little changes and big changes and no changes and I'm still in the middle of it. The beauty is that there is beauty on both sides. I have lovely memories to smile about and plenty of opportunity to look forward to. Thanks to God, indeed.

If I could just force myself to unpack those last few boxes......



Photos above:
1. Hiking at our YAV closing retreat in New Mexico with my roommates.
2. PDA party.
3. and 4. Girl's night in my new trailer.

MOVING!

much more to come....

Some photos from our closing retreat in Pensacola

Thanks to Linger and Laur for sharing these pics!

A letter to DMPC

I sent this letter to my church this morning to be read by my sister during worship, as she does with all my updates. It got me thinking, though, that I have so many people to thank. To all of you who've been there this year, I love you! This letter is for you too...(more personal notes to come, as soon as I get done with all the airplanes!)


Dear Friends,

Good morning! I am writing to you this morning from the sunny beaches of Pensacola, Florida. I am here on my volunteer group’s closing retreat. We’ve enjoyed a weekend full of worship, fellowship, fun and sun. It is really just the first step, however, in processing the closing of our year of service. The next few days will be very busy for each of us, and me in particular. I suppose that is where I should start today: with the big news!

When my program ends on Aug. 15th I won’t be packing my car and hitting the long road back to Maryland. That trip will now be delayed as I have accepted a call to stay on the coast and serve our great church for another year. Actually, I am leaving Florida this afternoon to head out to Louisville, Kentucky to attend orientation at the PC(USA) headquarters. I will start my new position as Case Management Liaison with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance on August 16th. I am overwhelmingly thrilled about this new opportunity to continue doing work I love with people I love and be able to contribute God’s Gulf Coast recovery plan.

But before I get too far ahead, let me first back up… The only way I could even consider signing on for another year in Mississippi was because of the incredible support and love you shared with me that made my first year here so great. I’ll never be able to thank each of you properly for all that your words, thoughts, prayers, financial contributions, packages, notes, emails, and visits meant to me. I’ve always found it so easy to give. One of the many lessons that you and the great people of the Gulf Coast taught me this year is how to receive. I’ve never been comfortable receiving prayers, donations, or well wishes, but this year I really needed that care and it felt wonderful to accept your love and generosity. It is because of that love and generosity that I have the energy, heart, and strength to continue on in service here, knowing that you will lift me up so that I may lift up others, and God will carry us all. It’s amazing! Thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving the coast.

As I turn to the next steps- orientation in Louisville, one day back at the apartment to pack, a closing retreat with all of the PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteers in New Mexico, moving, saying goodbye to friends and homeowners, and starting the new job- please keep me and my fellow Gulf Coast Mission volunteers in your prayers. And look for many more updates to come from a displaced Dickeyvillian who’s missing you dearly….

All my love,
Erin

Hairspray!

Have you seen the new movie yet? I'm loving it. Tonight I saw it for the third time. I never do that. It is too fun. And Lauren is a doll and gifted me the soundtrack. So now, instead of speaking, I sing Hairspray. Instead of walking, I dance Hairspray. It is good stuff.

This movie has been making me smile for a few days, but that's not it. Today I realized that I've been down-right giddy lately, and not just due to the joy of the return of the screen musical....there's a lot of excitement and hope going on down here.

I've got a new job and a plan for the next year. My friends all found out where they'll be living/serving on the coast for the next several months. They are staying close! I made a great new contact at a Long Term Recovery meeting today. Then, at the same meeting, they announced two new grants available to help homeowners rebuild. I met with a homeowner who saved almost all of her FEMA money and so we'll be able to start her rebuild ASAP. Lauren's moving to Mississippi. Em and Nick are moving to Mississippi. I'm smiling. I don't remember the last time I was this excited about anything down here. It is a new feeling.

And I'm diggin' it. Almost enough to make up a catchy song and dance.

Love.

Click here to read about my boyfriend.

Follow this!

Girls Night Out on Frenchman St followed by great girl talk on the floor of the Jenna St. shot-gun followed by several hours of uninterrupted sleep followed by more girl talk on the floor while staying in jammies until noon followed by a tasty lunch on Magazine St followed by the incident with the door at the Walgreen's followed by the incident with the bird at the A&P followed by the incident with Kerry attacking me in public in broad daylight followed by the purchase of new sunglasses at the French Market followed by walking all over the French Quarter in the late afternoon Louisiana heat interspersed with browsing old book stores and local music stores and authentic voodoo stores followed by frozen drinks and beignets at Cafe Beignet followed by a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's with my cousin and his friends followed by dinner at Snug Harbor laced with fammered humor and wild hysterics followed by the clown car ride to Tipitinas and hours of amazing live local free music accompanied by raucous dancing with my favorite booty-shakers and several Abita Restoration Ales and one serious crush on a man named Trombone Shorty followed by a late car ride home chatting with one dear roommate followed by a very few hours sleep followed by a worship service and then reception honoring a man who's worked in the recovery efforts on the coast for over a year and a half and is now headed to seminary followed by several chocolate covered strawberries and just as many brownies followed by a lazy afternoon at home reading the paper followed by a movie slash nap with friends followed by football and dinner on the beach with my roommates including some much needed and enjoyed reminiscing time followed by the start of the great Mississippi packing adventure of 2007 hopefully followed by some serious zzzzzzzzzs.