Swarthmore - Rotary Club Katrina Relief Project

Tuesday 9-20

2005-09-21T08:11:00.000-04:00

see pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/457070314zNEquX

Tuesday September 20, 2005

Today, we drove down to Biloxi to help clean up the Church where we dropped off the supplies donated in Swarthmore. We started by cutting dry wall, necessary because of the flooding. This also involved either moving various items from room, or just demolishing whatever was ruined by the storm. We worked with a group from Hattiesburg, as well as the Naval Construction Battalion from Gulfport.

After lunch, I was switched over to help Dave Sr. with the women and children responsibilities in the distribution center. It was awesome to see all the work spent the day we arrived put to good use. We constantly were moving supplies in from the staging area, and reorganizing the room to give ourselves some more room. I helped a couple of old ladies carry supplies to their cars, but afterwards spent most of my time cutting boxes, moving supplies in, and disposing of trash.

I have to admit, the work was significantly easier than the previous day, resultant from the fact we had air conditioning. We left the distribution center around 5, and headed to help a family remove a tree from their yard. It was a taste from the day before, but we finished within an hour and a half. We were told to see the River Boat Casinos that had floated and crashed on the other side of the river. The National Guard wouldn’t let us through however, as we had to turn back.

We also went back to Saint Martin, the same place we had come on the first day. It was eerie as ever, especially as more people were coming back to their homes. As we drove, I sat in the back of the truck taking lots of picture, as is evident by the 157 pictures I posted. As it got dark, we started to distribute the funds that the Rotary Club had raised. It was probably the saddest thing I have ever seen. People would cry, hug us, and couldn’t thank us enough.

Most of the people we helped had told us about their unsuccessful attempts to get help from FEMA and the Red Cross. We met a retiree that had just took the money he had saved, and paid off his house, and as a result no longer had to maintain homeowners insurance. He said that he wanted to get around to it, but just never did (probably a result of financial issues). His house had completely flooded and moved a bit down the block off his foundation.

After this, we headed back home. We headed in the wrong direction for a good amount of time, but it all worked out eventually. We stopped at a Chicken Filet (a chain that I never heard of) and all ate like pigs. We made our way back to the Church, and everyone quickly fell asleep, except me who had the responsibility of naming all those pictures we took J

As I was in the cab of the truck calling anyone I could get a hold of, I found that I had learned a lot about the situation in Mississippi. First thing is that people need to stop sending clothes. As you can see in one of the pictures, there are parking lots filled with clothes. Feminine hygiene products are quite plentiful…which is contrary to the popular belief at the Swarthmore Hurricane meeting. What are in need are tools necessary to get the jobs done here, and people to do them. Supposedly, the Red Cross (they are coming under a lot of fire down here for their bureaucratic policies) trains volunteers for three weeks. This is time that many people do not have to donate. Instead, some sort of network/database should be created to give Parishes (Churches often spearhead relief operations down here) the ability to post projects available. That way, people can come down with either their own equipment, or some provided by some future organization, for a weekend and help out. Another thing is that people don’t realize that many people don’t want to leave their homes, and as they aren’t always required to do so, many leave. For those who stay, camping supplies would be very beneficial. I think miniature cooking stoves would be especially beneficial. Sorry about that rant, hopefully it sparks some interest in thinking outside the box, and to avoid relying on conventional wisdom in such times.

David Qasem

9/20/05

Spent the day in Biloxi. Jay and the crew spent the day doing drywall, while I worked in the distribution center. Unlike Sunday when we were here last, today it was packed with people. A constant stream.

There was lots to do. Move mountains of water, clothes. Breaking tubs of detergent into Ziploc bags. It’s always the little things. I picked managing the inventory of boxes so that when people came in they there ready to go, crushing ones that were beat, or too flimsy, and taking them off the hands of the volunteers stocking shelves so they could be recycled and given to new customers. A lot of women came in with a baby in one hand, in which case I would hold boxes and follow them around the distribution center. A lot of people needed so much that they filled air conditioner sized boxes in which case we would carry them out to the parking lot and load their car.
The lot was so full of relief workers that the customer cars were parked the over yonder, naturally . . . .

If you know anyone who wants to send down supplies, tell them to forget the clothes and to send cleaning supplies: liquid dishsoap, mops, buckets, scrub brushes . . .

About four we left to go into Biloxi proper to take a tree out of a back yard and rake up the debris. No pictures of this. By this time our crew was hot, bothered and tense. No Kodak moments.

We then went back to St. Martin, which we visited on Sunday which seemed to be the epicenter of the destruction to hand out some of the cash we brought down. Some wouldn’t take it, others told us who to give it to, others cried through their tears thanking us, and others just wanted to hug us.

Then we got lost going back to Hattiesberg, and arrived home late, took showers and went to bed.

--
David Evanson

Monday 9-19

2005-09-20T08:39:00.000-04:00

PICTURES: http://community.webshots.com/album/457060882dhkJlz

On the Road from Hattiesburg to Biloxi 7:50 AM

I was writing about yesterday’s activities last night. Then, I took a nap. Those who know me best know would have predicted that I wouldn’t wake up. We were up yesterday by six o’clock. Most of us had showered the night before, but I had to get up extra early and we were sharing one shower with another group of at least seven.

We left Biloxi, and met with Pastor Dwayne, who led us to our first job. We were needed to clear up a women’s drive-way. We weren’t prepared for what we saw. The drive-way was situated in a forest where numerous trees had fallen. It was quite the endeavor. We started working right away, while Jay went to get some additional supplies. Jay proposed that we “get our feet wet.” Big Dave and I thought that was a great idea. Jeff and John said nothing. We soon found out why. It took Jay nearly four hours to get back. It was time for lunch.

I learned how to use my first chainsaw that day. Chainsawing was the best job, as it kept the hundreds of love bugs surrounding us away. Often, we had two people doing that, while the rest of us cleared the braches and logs. With the large amount of work, the chain saws started to dull, get stuck, and break. Of the three chainsaws, we were often down to one working machine. The times for repair provided a nice break, in which we all drank a Gatorade and plenty of water, and swatted away at the love bugs. (Eventually, we all got used to being surrounded by hundreds of bugs who seemed to constantly be having sex)

Jay still had plenty of energy when he came back in the early afternoon, as he had spent most of the day driving around in his nice air-conditioned truck. The rest of us were dying. We were taking breaks more often and for longer amounts of time. The Pastor brought us some pizza. I chowed down four pieces, while the more experience Jeff and John only ate two. As a result, they were able to keep going, as I got a headache, stomach-ache, and became pretty much useless. I just fell over onto the tarp and took a nap. When I woke, Jay was back from a second trip. It was the home-strech.

We got everything finished. in the next couple of hours We used the trucks to drag the logs out of the drive-away onto the side of the road, where FEMA is to pick them up in the upcoming weeks. We then raked all the dry pines, leaves, and grass into piles on the side of the road. At the end of the day, Dave calculated that we had moved about 30-40 tons of lumber.

After we had left, we decided to get something to eat. We went to Lone Star, where everyone had a nice large meal. I ate a little of all three appetizers (Texas Rose-giant onion ring, Cheese Fries, and something else), a salad with Honey Mustard, 6 oz Steak and Shrimp, and an extra of Shrimp). It took a long while to get the food, but we kept ourselves busy with plenty of chatter. We then headed back to the Grace Temple Church. They had prepared some very nice air mattresses for us. I took a shower, and quickly fell asleep. We were up this morning at 6:15, and ready to head out by 7:00. That’s all for now. AMF

David Qasem

PICTURES:http://community.webshots.com/album/457060882dhkJlz

9/19/05

We got up in Biloxi a 6:15 a.m.and pulled into the church parking lot of Grace Temple in H’berg at 8:30. The pastor there took us to a home about 10 miles out of town. It had about 200 yards of driveway covered with downed pines, some more than 2 feet in diameter, with their roots still in the ground, others piled like pick up sticks. We had trouble with the saws all day, and the temperature was probably 95 or higher, and because we were sawing all day, the black love bugs were swarming.

Jay spent a lot of time off site getting supplies we needed, finally going to chainsaw repair place. Between 11:30 and 1::30 we worked very inefficiently, dazed by the heat. So dazed in fact that we were not sure we could finish the job. But Jay gave us the managerial spark we needed when he got back with saws in better working order. We then cut through the thickest of the trees and hauled them out by chains with Jay’s pick-up truck. The team pushed through completing the job about 5:30 or six, cleaned up the site, took a picture with a very grateful homeowner named Carol, packed our tools and went to the Lone Star Café for Dinner. All in all we probably cleared 30 to 40 tons of debris today.

We got back to Grace Temple at about 9. It took several hours to get organized for showers and to set up our temporary sleeping quarters in the ante room to the nursery school room, where I a now laying in the dark at about 11:00 pm Mississippi time.

Tomorrow we go down to Biloxi to hang drywall in the in the relief center/church we worked in on Sunday. The dry wall was cut out by the army corps of engineers while the floodwaters were still in the building to prevent swelling and mold.

Miss you so much. Love David.

(David Evanson)

Saturday 9-17 to Sunday 9-18

2005-09-19T00:30:00.000-04:00

PICTURES: http://community.webshots.com/album/455191771tmScvw

Alabama Late in the night

The drive is tiring. We’ve been taking shifts driving a hundred fifty miles or so each. Jay, Jeff, and John have been doing the most driving so far though. Jeff and Jay were both able to do 300 miles straight with just stops for gas.

Mississippi Highway 59 12:00 PM CST
We can see the first signs of the hurricane. Snapped trees, broken speed limit signs, caved-in roofs, bugs all over the place, etc.

Biloxi 2:30 PM CST

We’ve just arrived in Biloxi, as they had all the necessary supplies in Hattiesburg. The destruction here in Mississippi is overwhelming. You wonder what this place looked like before Katrina. As you drive, you see trees snapped in half, road signs bent over, and you go for miles seeing nothing but empty billboards, and debris. We’ve arrived at the Cedar Lake Christian Assembly, where they’re running a distribution center. It doesn’t seem like we’ll get much help, however. There are piles and piles of black garbage bags filled with what look to be donations. It seems like they don’t want any clothes here, and they want to go somewhere else.

Biloxi 11:30 PM CST

I’m very satisfied with what we accomplished today. This church made great use of the resources we brought in. We met Dan, a trucker from Florida, who had originally planned to take all his supplies to New Orleans. When he got here, he realized that those in the surrounding areas were in desperate need of supplies. (It doesn’t seem that the Red Cross' efforts are sufficient, as there was a very negative article written about them in the local papers.) He recommended that we stay, and offered to take us on a “tour” of the destruction.

After we unpacked the truck (Thanks to all those who helped pack, as it made our job 1000 times easier. Everyone at the center was impressed by the organization put into packing up the truck.) and helped reorganize the supplies into the center, we took him up on his offer. The pictures seen in the newspaper just can’t do justice to the situation here in Biloxi. Often, the foundations are the only remnants of the coastal homes. What you do find among the ruins tells the story of those who lived here - baby pictures, a Brett Favre sports card, and a vendor license used to belong to a family.

We saw some unbelievable things. It seemed like a scene from a movie. FEMA signs left by search and rescue detailed when the ruins were searched, how many bodies were found, how many were alive, and how many dead. Often, residents scrawled the name of their insurance companies with a number at which they could be reached.

Families left messages for each other, detailing that “all are alive and well,” or that they were rebuilding. We met a women who had come back to her home and had no idea what to do. She pleadingly asked for a jump, which we provided, and wondered if we knew how to get her and her family a FEMA trailer. Earlier, we saw the trailers that FEMA was transporting for the victims. I didn’t realize that they were being sent for that purpose. We saw Catastrophe Centers set up by the insurance companies, military convoys, a Red Cross Relief Van, among other things. Three weeks after the hurricane and this place still looks like it was hit by a bomb.

Yet, at some times, life seemed normal. Just like anywhere else, gas stations were open for business, be it with fallen signs and numerous pumps out of service. That’s about it for now. We stopped to eat at Sonics Burgers place, and it didn’t seem like anyone was in a crisis. Everyone was enjoying their food, laughing, and flirting with the waitresses. Yet, down the block, the McDonalds sign was so warped, I could barely recognize it. The houses nearby were still standing, but everything inside was a mess. Cars were upside down in garages, windows were missing, and the houses themselves were moved off their foundations. It was nuts.

We’re going to spend the night here and then head back to Hattiesburg, where they seem to have found some work for us. Hopefully we’ll return to Biloxi because the Church has a long list of widows, single parent homes, and low-income families that need help.

David Qasem

PICTURES: http://community.webshots.com/album/455191771tmScvw

9/.18.05
Hi sweetie. I am lying on a mattress in the sanctuary of a church near Biloxi, Mississippi. It’s about 10:30 p.m. We got to Hattiesberg, and since they were well stocked with supplies our contacts simply asked us to keep on driving down to Biloxi where the epicenter of the storm hit and where they needed more supplies. It was about another 75 miles, and not what we wanted to do after a 20 hour drive, but since we were here to help.

. . .

They directed us to the Assembly of God Church just outside of town which was acting s a relief center. We thought we would drive down for 2 hours unload for two hours and drive back sometime around dinner time and attend their service . . . . but we ended up working for about 8 hours at the relief center.

Supplies are pouring in, and as you know from the collection center at CVS it seems that a lot of people view disaster relief as an opportunity to empty their basement or attic. The relief center was on the verge of being overwhelmed, and people coming in for supplies were being confronted with what was becoming a garbage heap. We did a lot of work organizing, inventorying, repacking, clearing, and throwing a lot of useless stuff out – like used soap, for instance – before we got a chance to unload our truck.
A lot of volunteers here were rendered useless by the mountain of disorganized clothes they had to deal with.

We gotta hand it to you and everyone there who did such careful work packing. It makes all the difference in the world down here where the rubber hits the road.

While here we met volunteer groups from Utah, Colorado and Florida. After we were done working, a volunteer from Florida took us into Biloxi proper.

We will post pictures, but they do not do justice to the utter, total and complete destruction. Houses, boats, cars, appliances, pictures, flatware, CD cases, bottles, exercise equipment in fantastic, surrealistic and sickening jumbles. After the water receded, clothes and bags hung from the middle and upper branches, like dense clusters of ghosts. And the smell.
It cannot be described but cannot be forgotten either. So many elements to it, decaying drywall, fuel, rotting food, electrical smoke, gritty dust, all tinged with death.

We saw dazed homeowners working on properties where the structures were simply gone. Many were hacking away at the remnants of their property because they simply didn't know what else to do.

We got back to the church, grabbed some of the food supplies for dinner, organized a shower rotation, set up mattresses and went to sleep.

David Evanson