Katrina VISTAs

Restoring dignity ... is vital

2005-12-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

VISTA member David Pauling writes:

The AmeriCorps*VISTAs working with the VOA Southeast (Volunteers of America) Hq. in Mobile Alabama, have and are doing a great job helping to feed and care for many in Alabama and Mississippi who have lost their homes... but a new need has now surfaced that must be met.

In short... we need commercial grade air compressors, nail guns, a slew of power tools and hand tools... and we need a couple of closed and lockable trailers to store them in.

More than helping to feed and clothe the needy... we need to restore and/or replace their homes. To accomplish this task we need to create new jobs by turning fishermen and shrimpers into carpenters, electricians, pluimbers and masons. Restoring dignity through gainful employment and subsequent home ownership is vital to the overall health of the community.

To answer this call we are asking every reader to relay our need to everyone on their mail list... asking them to send a Home Depot or Lowes gift card for whatever they can afford... to:

The Tool Box
VOA Southeast
600 Azalea Road
Mobile AL 36609

Introduction from AmeriCorps*VISTA Paige Soehren

2005-12-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hello!

We’re here in the US South, where the hurricanes hit, and we live with it every day. Just like the North lives with blizzards and ice-storms, the mid-West with tornados and draught, the far-West with heat and earthquakes, and the Middle-East with war and terrorism. We’re all the same. As people we’re united in our sameness. Our differences, when embraced and understood, often only enlighten how much we have in common.

My name is Paige Soehren. I attended the AmeriCorps*VISTA PSO (pre-service orientation) in Atlanta, GA from November 29th through December 2nd, 2005. While in attendance, I met lots of VISTAs with similar goals. Our group, “the pink group”, was primarily focused on disaster relief. AmeriCorps would call us the “Homeland Security” group. We all work in hurricane affected states, MS, LA, AL, and FL. While at training, we discussed needs and issues surrounding disaster relief in these areas. We shared our experiences: happy and sad, tragic and funny, and all together beautiful.

One topic came up again and again: lack of information about this situation in the rest of the country! We all realized that so much of the nation has filed Katrina away as “old news”.

Katrina.

I’m going to steer clear of the pity stories you can read or hear anywhere. I’m not writing to give you a list of statistics about lack of water and power, etc. Because everyone’s tired of hearing the same old facts and figures, the same old sob stories. Heck, even we got tired of it at PSO and we were the ones telling the stories!!

This is the problem. Everyone is still saying the same things about Katrina and the toll on this country.

The truth, the now, the real pins and needles are much less dramatic than the news.

It’s real. To us, this is just like what you do every day at your office. It’s tragic and funny, highs and lows, the daily grind, nothing glamorous. The heroism is left behind to the heroes of the first weeks. Now, we’re down here just helping people, doing our jobs.

People like me, thousands of us, are sitting in front of computers working on spread-sheets to properly pay prescription bills, relocation disbursements, travel expenses, and detect fraudulent actions. How much was that check? We don’t have a file on so-and-so, but we’ve got a prescription bill for him, what happened? We have two copies of this check, one has void stamped on it; the other doesn’t! Who took the disk? Where’s my coffee?

The Boards of Education are determining the number of hurricane-displaced children that were recently enrolled in local schools, for funding.

In areas closer to shore, we’re mucking out houses. Cleaning, rebuilding, repairing, every day seeing some progress on one house, but driving back-to-base passing rows and rows of houses to be worked on tomorrow, next week, next month? And it’s messy, and dirty, and cold, and it smells bad. But it’s somebody’s house, and because it wasn’t fully destroyed, and it can be made habitable, they are expected to move back into it once we’re done working on it. So, we work.

We’re just down here in the South, dealing with thousands of people who had lives and homes and jobs three months ago. They were planning for the new school semester, for Halloween, maybe even Thanksgiving and Christmas if they thought far ahead (who does, now days?), and now the only planning is “Where will I get this necessity next week if so-and-so stops paying for it and I haven’t found a job yet?”

See, these people are now living in a community just like yours. It’s a community that has an unemployment rate with or without them. Here, just like anywhere, college kids have to compete for jobs at Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, and usually have to know somebody to get in. So, it’s not like there’s room in the job market to quickly find new jobs for all these people that can’t go home, because there’s nothing to go back to.

Where you live, if somebody’s house burns down, there isn’t much your community - as a whole - can do about it. Just provide food and shelter and basic supplies for a finite period of time. After that, well, we can only hope they have friends or family or insurance or connections. The father de-bugged programs for a software company on his home computer? Well, now they’re homeless AND jobless and you still can’t do much more for them than we can do for survivors down here. Just hope and pray and be thankful for all the random strangers who open their hearts and reach out to help.

On this site are the e-mail addresses and group information of VISTA workers in the South. Their groups all have needs that will be met eventually, one way or the other, or they’ll find a way to do without, that’s how the world works.

But, if in your community, in other parts of the country that haven’t been sucked dry by Hurricane Katrina... (There’s no money left down here in some non-profit’s reserves to even buy pens or pencils for the office; one group, repairing houses, has to ask volunteers to bring their own hammers and screw-drivers.) If you know people who have a surplus of supplies needing to go somewhere, people who have big hearts but haven’t found a cause, people who always want to take on another cause, etc. ... Let us know!

We’re not just asking for hand-outs. AmeriCorps*VISTA is a community, a team. We can help you, too, just ask!

We actually have surpluses! We can donate, if your community needs something we have. In Mobile, AL, for example, there is so much sterile, brand-new medical equipment just sitting in a warehouse. If you need bandages, syringes, dressings, medical tape, gauze, gloves, the works! We got it! I know they would trade truck-loads of it for a couple boxes of basic tools, which are in dire short-supply.

Write to these people and tell them what you need or what you have to give. Or, just write to keep up the nation-wide community experience! Heck, tell us if you don’t have anything and your community’s problems alone are too much for you to handle, without the weight of ours, but you just want us to know you support us spiritually, emotionally, and wish us good luck!

Anything we can do for one another is a start.

Katrina. The heroism is left behind to the heroes of the first weeks.

The melo-drama is over. Now it’s just regular, run of the mill drama.

Now, it’s the little people, the little things, making a hero in one person’s, or one community’s eyes.

Thank you,
And, please, feel free to write me about anything!
I spend a lot of time at this computer and I like to read.

writepaige@cableone.net

Lots of love,
Paige Soehren
VISTA, Jacksonville, AL

We’re not just asking for hand-outs

2005-12-14T23:06:00.000-08:00

We can help you, too, just ask!

We actually have surpluses! We can donate, if your community needs something we have. In Mobile, AL, for example, there is so much sterile, brand-new medical equipment just sitting in a warehouse. If you need bandages, syringes, dressings, medical tape, gauze, gloves, the works! We got it! I know they would trade truck-loads of it for a couple boxes of basic tools, which are in dire short-supply.

Write to these people and tell them what you need or what you have to give. Or, just write to keep up the nation-wide community experience!

Heck, tell us if you don’t have anything and your community’s problems alone are too much for you to handle, without the weight of ours, but you just want us to know you support us spiritually, emotionally, and wish us good luck!

Anything we can do for one another is a start.

Mudding Out Procedures

2005-12-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

Gain permission from home owner
Remove all furniture from affected areas
Separate items to be retained by owner from those for disposal
Place items for disposal in proper location for pick up
Push, scrape all mud and dirt from home
Scrape mud from walls
Wash floor when appropriate
Cut and remove dry wall one foot above flood level
Secure house from additional water damage by covering damaged windows and roof

Hurricane Relief Volunteer Materials List

2005-12-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

Items to Pack

Tools

Shovels, flat, square point
Hoes
Ladder
Wheelbarrow
Utility knives
Pry bar
Hammer
Sledge hammer
Extension cords
Chain saws
Power saws
Fans
Crowbars
Nails (8 & 10 penny)
Tarps / Large plastic sheets
Brooms
Mops
Rakes

Supplies

Face masks
Gloves (cotton or rubber underside and cotton back / multiple pairs)
Duct tape
Rags
1 X 4 strips
Garbage bags
Clorox
Lysol
Other cleaning supplies

Personal Items

Cots
Tents
Blankets
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Air mattress
Towels
Coleman stove / fuel
Long pants
Closed toe shoes
Boots (for in the mud)
Goggles
Hat
Bug spray
Sun screen
Pain reliever
Band-aids
Coolers
Water bottle
Snack food
Tetanus Booster

Warehouse Needs

2005-12-14T23:02:00.000-08:00

These items are needed for distribution in the south Alabama and Mississippi area. Items are distributed by volunteers as needed in the disaster area. Thank you for assistance.

Financial contributions may be earmarked and used to buy food for the warehouse. VOA warehouse personnel can purchase pre-packed family boxes of food from Mobile Area Food Bank for .16 cents a pound. ($2.08 can buy 13 POUNDS of food!)

Items may be shipped to the VOA warehouse at :

Volunteers of America Warehouse
755C Lakeside Drive, West
Mobile, Al 36609

David Pauling will be the new point of contact. He will be in charge of all VOA warehouses. The number to reach him at is (425) 802-3066. Please call David when delivery date/time is known so he can have volunteers available to unload and inventory the items

Personal Items

Hygiene products (women products)
Soap
Wash cloths
Hand sanitizer
Anti-bacterial soap
Visine
Hand lotion
Alcohol
Toothpaste
Tooth brushes
First-Aid items
Shampoo
Mouthwash
Paper plates/spoon/forks/cups
Flip-flops (all sizes)
Tennis shoes
T-shirts
Under clothes (men & women)
Diapers
Wipes (baby)
Onesies
Insect repellent (all you can bring)

Food Items

5 lb bags of flour, cornmeal, sugar
Salt
Dried beans (any kind in any amounts)
Canned vegetables (corn, green beans, sweet peas, etc small cans, no gallons)
1 lb bags / cans coffee
Non-dairy creamer
Canned fruit (any kind)
Canned juices
Canned meats (any kind ham, chicken, turkey, Vienna sausage)
Cereal (any kind)
Granola bars
Baby food / juice

Volunteers of America Southeast

2005-11-30T23:05:00.001-08:00

Volunteers of America Southeast, Mobile AL

These are the people with the surplus of medical supplies they no longer need! And these are the same people who need hammers and screw drivers and any other building supply you can give them. Home Depot and Lowes cards are a blessing.

The VISTA members are mucking out houses. But they’re also doing case work (all the spreadsheets). They’re driving water and ice and food to communities in FEMA trailers. They’re doing all sorts of direct service even though that’s not technically in the VISTA job description.

Seven of them are living in one house in Mobile, none of them had ever met before and only one is from Alabama. They are people from all walks of life and all parts of the country that heard about this disaster on the news and came down to roll up their sleeves and help. Write to them and learn what “the front lines” of disaster response are all about. And see what they can do for you, what you can do for them. Most recently they acquired a truckload of refrigerators that don’t work… know anybody that can fix them, trash them, use the parts?

Kelly Bunch at kjbunch@gmail.com
Anthony Curcio at Acurcio80@hotmail.com
Amber Gibson at gibbygirl25@aol.com
Christine Indovina at sonora42@gmail.com
Krista Kearney at kearneyke@hotmail.com
David Pauling at pauling1938@hotmail.com
Elizabeth Stover at Estover01@gmail.com

Most Requested Items of Need

2005-11-30T23:05:00.000-08:00

VOASE (Volunteers of America Southeast) created this list through their assessments. These are the most requested items:

Dishes
Bowls
Drinking glasses
Eating Utensils
Pots/Pans
Kitchen Utensils
Small appliances (Iron, Crock Pot, Deep Fat Fryer, Mixer, Blender)
Large appliances (Stove, Refrigerator, Washing Machine/Dryer, Hot Water Heater, Window Air conditioner)
Bedding (Mattresses, Linens, Pillows)
Towels/wash cloths
Blankets
Heaters
Winter Clothes/Winter jackets
Furniture (Bedroom furniture…chests/dresser, Table/Chairs, Sofa/Chairs for living room/den, Small tables)
Tool Box/Tools
Lawn mower/rakes
T.V.
Radio
Clock
Blinds for windows
Continued food assistance…milk/meat/fresh produce
Building Materials/Paint
Fuel assistance: FEMA trailers use propane and it is expensive
Fuel assistance for those with cars
Medication assistance
Deposit money….the city requires hook up deposits for the FEMA trailers (water)
Now that the FEMA rental assistance is running out…people are asking for rent assistance.

Other requests

Counseling
Dental Assistance...most just suffer instead of asking for help.
Some need free legal assistance
School uniforms
Seniors in High School/graduation assistance
Employment assistance
Child Care Assistance

University of Southern Mississippi Center for Adult Learning and Education (CALE)

2005-11-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

University of Southern Mississippi Center for Adult Learning and Education (CALE)

Keep in mind that many of these VISTAs are new on the job and may not have all the answers and information right away, but they are in place to help and can usually get to information to answer your questions, if they personally don’t know. Be patient. Be kind. And share the love.

These people lived through it. These people are in communities that are still suffering. They don’t want to blame George Bush or the former head of FEMA, they’ve seen local government officials without care for them or their communities. They know of mayors that have turned truck-loads of aid away, when the people needed it most. They are ready to rebuild and are going to do it with or without help, if no one can help them anymore. The spirit, the will power, the love and the labor of these people is undeniable. It radiates from their voices, their eyes, their hearts. They are full of prayer and so connected to one another as a community. Anything you have, if it’s just a truck that can move a load of something just once, not once a month, or once a week, just once and they’ll appreciate it. Prayers and words of support and love are welcome here.

Andrea Baldwin at Andrea601B@aol.com or Andrea601@email.uophx.edu

Angelo Cook and Dawn Evans at Latoya.hart@usm.edu

Kourtney Hollingsworth at kourtney_hollingsworth@hotmail.com

Alexandria Redeemer at iamaredeemer@yahoo.com

Black Belt and Central Alabama Housing Authority

2005-11-30T23:03:00.000-08:00

Keep in mind that many of these VISTAs are new on the job and may not have all the answers and information right away, but they are in place to help and can usually get to information to answer your questions, if they personally don’t know. Be patient. Be kind. And share the love.

This is another group that lived through it and has stories to tell. This is a group of people that have so much love to give, but need our prayers as they work to rebuild.

The spirit, the will power, the love and the labor of these people is undeniable. It radiates from their voices, their eyes, their hearts. They are full of prayer and so connected to one another as a community. Prayers and words of support and love are welcome here. The appreciation and gratitude of these individuals will floor you. Find out what they need and what they have too much of. It never hurts to ask or to give.

Dorothy Hawkin at hawk3420@bellsouth.net
Ilean Ward at ileantubbs@hotmail.com
Shondra Ware at shondra_ware@hotmail.com

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Mississippi

2005-11-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi

This group is helping kids in the community, both those affected by Katrina and not. They are doing wonders with school programs, social services, and after-school activities all focused on kids. You can ask them anything about their work and I’m sure you’ll hear back. The kids are such a big part of this whole equation, so often over-looked. They are dealing with the turmoil their parents are going through, as well as their own. They also need supplies. Like all of us. Big Brothers, Big Sisters may have surpluses of some items they really don’t need, as many of us do.

Rebecca Anderson, Pamela Carroll, Jenny Cummins, Scarlett Vineyard, and Jeanette Williams at clovelady@bbbsms.org

Teresa Grammer at teresagrammer@hotmail.com

Erica McKinney at ericamckinney@comcast.net or ericamckinney@yahoo.com

Bennye Moseley at bennyemoseley@bellsouth.net

Richard Thompkins at richardthompkins@yahoo.com