Salem Katrina Team Report - January 4

Today began with a trip to take Phyllis Wright (from the Hillsboro Pres) to Gulfport for her flight home. We took a few minutes to drive through the housing area of Keesler AFB which was so devastated. Block after block of empty houses.

I then went to present one of our Salem Quilt-a-Thon quilts to Mrs. Register, mother of a paralyzed veteran who's issues I've been helping on. I arrived to find her just haven fallen in her kitchen. The center of the floors of each room in her house have collapsed following Katrina, and she fell trying to fix a meal for herself. I gave her first aid, and then gave her the blanket which thrilled her!

Less thrilling, however, was the news that FEMA still hadn't put in the handicapped access for the FEMA trailer delivered six weeks ago, something which should have been done within three days of delivery. I then visited the FEMA operations center where a supervisor assured me she'd resolve the problem today! I hope so, and will follow up with Mrs. Register on Monday. She'll also need our help getting her household goods moved into the trailer.

While at the FEMA operations center, they asked me to help a lady Gulf War veteran who'd had a domestic violence situation and had been sleeping in the local woods for two nights. A wonderful angel found her and gave her shelter for one night, then brought her to FEMA. We were working on various questions when she was suddenly taken ill and we had to rush her to the hospital across the street. After three hours in the ER, we took her to the local pharmacy for various medications, and tomorrow we'll take her to the Biloxi VA hospital to see what they can do...the lady is 100% disabled and the VA has responsibility, although they suggested over the phone that we try to take her somewhere else.

I have been amazed at the time working on one person's problems can take. It was virtually the entire day, but it was certainly satisfying.

Joan continued to work on an Ocean Springs house with a young fellow from Kansas. Together, they have just about finished with the wallboard and are looking forward to getting some tape and mud up. Ben is still at the warehouse, and I was so proud when another team come looking for me to say how hard he has been working! It is wonderful having him here and I know it is an experience he'll remember all his life.