November 10, 2009

Eleven Valhalla UMC members arrived in Biloxi, MS to a wonderful warm 75º on Saturday, November 7th. However, in 24 hours the weather turned and we were threatened with a hurricane. We had come down to help those devastated by Hurricane Katrina, not to experience it. As Sunday turned into Monday the hurricane was downgraded to a storm. Folks here don’t treat this kind of weather lightly though, so throughout the area precautions were put in place.

On Monday our team was sent to two of the houses currently being worked on to help take down the scaffolding in preparation of high winds and heavy rain.

After that was finished we went to the home of Derek and D’Anette Smith in D’Iberville, just over the bridge spanning the Back Bay. There was an urgency about going to help Derek and D’Anette even with the rain because their FEMA trailer was to be taken away this coming Friday! They welcomed us with smiles and open arms. They showed us pictures of the house before Katrina. It was beautiful. Then they showed us the pictures of the rubble left by Katrina in August 2005. As in 90% of the cases in the Biloxi area, the houses that are now being built are from 4 to 10 feet off the ground, depending on the topography. Theirs is 10’ high - that’s a lot of steps! They have been working on this house for three years. The first two years they couldn’t do a thing for lack of money. In 2007 their insurance money finally came through and they started to work on their home. Of course, the insurance money was not enough to finish the home so they have both been working on it when they could buy the supplies and find the time in between working.

When our team left yesterday Derek and D’Anette were so thankful for the work that our team did. We finished sheet rocking one bathroom and had started on another. We had three women who did an amazing job of insulating the roof by moving plywood about on the rafters, lying on their backs and poking and prodding the insulation over some straps. Awesome job! We had two people who taped the kitchen, dining area, and part of the living room, while the homeowner stood on scaffolding taping the ceiling.

In our orientation with Brian Rivers of Hope Coordination he explained that there is still approximately five years worth of recovering here in Biloxi. Last year they helped 86 families move back into their homes! Hope helps the residents who are currently renting in the area to think again about moving back into their homes. Some think that they could never be able to build a home. Hope is taking property that is sitting idle and trying to find the owners and make the area productive again. They are giving people in Biloxi hope and a way to get back to the way they were before.

Of course, my reporting would be amiss if I did not also acknowledge and thank St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Rev. Lindsay Robinson and Loyce Searight for their help in making our staying here so easy.

Please remember Biloxi in your prayers. They still need our support.