Biloxi and the Back Bay MissionOn December 2, 2006 15 Putnam County volunteers left for a week of disaster recovery at the Back Bay Mission in Biloxi Mississippi. We are here tonight to tell you about our unforgettable and perhaps life altering experience at the Mission's workcamp.In summer 2006 Cyndy Bruch suggested to the Church Council of the Granville United Church of Christ that it send a work group to the Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi to help with Hurricane Katrina relief. The church agreed, volunteers came forward and a campaign to the fund the trip began. The volunteer team included:  Cyndy and Gary Bruch - Magnolia Amanda (Hopkins) and Andy Callaci – Granville and Seattle Their dog, Mozart Harold Faletti - Granville Chris Fielder - Granville Connie Hartman - Granville Luke Holly – Granville Judy Hopkins – Granville Karen Karczewski– Granville Dave Larson – Princeton Rachel Mershon - Granville (Clear Creek Friends) Ron McNeill – Granville Krista Stokke – Granville Joe Panier - Granville Volunteers came from far and near and formed a truly an ecumenical group. Under Cyndy's leadership we raised a substantial amount of money in a short time.  Let us tell you a little about the effects of the hurricane and the work of Back Bay Mission before we share our own story. On August 28 and 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast of the United Sates. The damage was widespread and devastating and included 71 miles along the coast of Mississippi. Almost every building within a half mile to three miles from the Coast was heavily damaged or destroyed. New Orleans lost about 6,200 homes while Mississippi lost almost 70,000. Biloxi, our destination, sits on a precarious piece of land on the Gulf Coast. The Route 90 bridge going across the entrance to the Back Bay was damaged and is still not usable. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi suffered utter, total devastation from Hurricane Katrina on August 28-29, with hurricane winds, 28-foot storm surge, and 55-foot sea waves pushing casino barges, boats and debris into towns, and leaving 236 people dead, 67 missing, and an estimated $125 Billion in damages. In Biloxi, the St. Charles apartment complex collapsed, killing 30 inside.[Several casinos, which were floated on barges to comply with Mississippi land-based gambling laws, were washed hundreds of yards inland by waves. A 28-foot storm surge came ashore wiping out 90% of the buildings along the Biloxi-Gulfport coastline. A number of streets and bridges were washed away. In South Mississippi approximately 65,000 homes were completely destroyed and an additional 65,000 were extensively damaged. 50,000 residents were displaced and many have not returned home. Harrison County, the county in which Biloxi is located, has lost 30% of its businesses and 70% of the fishing industry. Two-thirds of the homes in Biloxi had no flood insurance. 43 million cubic yards of debris have been removed in Mississippi since the hurricane. The scope of the damage is really indescribable. Note the Beau Rivage Casino in the background. The Back Bay Mission was founded in 1922 as an outreach of the First Evangelical Church of Biloxi (later the United Church of Christ) Members of this early church responded with compassion and service to the needs of the poor 'fisher folk' living in deplorable conditions along the Back Bay in Biloxi. Since then the Back Bay Mission has grown its services and ministries always keeping the impoverished and marginalized at the center of its concern. Today it provides an array of social services including legal aide, health care services to the homeless, family counseling and domestic violence counseling. It is a leader in the area in establishing affordable housing for people in poverty. For many years it has provided a housing rehab program based on a workcamp model. The people who work at and support the Back Bay Mission through donations and volunteer service are striving in their daily lives to reflect these words from Micah. The Back Bay Mission was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Within six weeks of the storm it was back in operation, working out of trailers with one of its main goals to insure that the poor and marginalized literally have a place to call home. Back Bay Mission rebuilds about 40 houses a year for the needy people of Biloxi. Work groups come year around from all over the country to help. Through good insurance and the generosity of supporters in the United Church of Christ Community and through out the world, the Back Bay Mission has been able to rebuild using professional contractors. The Back Bay Mission has since its beginnings been part of the OCWM (Our Christian World Mission) work of the United Church of Christ. For many years our church has supported it through our mission donations. Workcamps are one of the Mission's trademarks. Back Bay Mission has developed a style of workcamping based on experiential learning. This program seeks to equally emphasize productivity (home rehabilitation) and learning, using an action-reflection model. Work teams perform a wide range of tasks - from mold abatement to roofing to installing sheetrock to electrical and plumbing work. Once the Mission selects a home to restore, they commit to completing the project. Often the effort requires many weeks and several different work teams. On December 2, 2006 following the big snow of the day before we were ready to go to Biloxi and wondering just what the next week would bring. Cyndy and Gary's van and a large 12 seat van which we rented were packed full of supplies. Our friends and neighbors donated snacks and a variety of work items to help get us through the week Amanda, Andy, Judy and Mozart travelled by RV to Mississippi. Do you see Mozart, our mascot, in the back window? We traveled for 14 hours through Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and the length of Mississippi. In Florence Mississippi we stopped to pick up a load of delicious donated meat, including ham, crab stuffed chicken, pork chops and Cajun sausage which Harold Faletti later cooked into delicious meals. This donation was arranged by Jack Morgan who knows the owners of this shop. We arrived at the Back Bay Mission on Sunday afternoon, December 3rd. The trailer on the left was our home for the next week. A group from St. John Evangelical Church in Collinsville used the trailer on the right. We spent Sunday afternoon exploring the Back Bay Mission site and the area known as East Biloxi. We saw the ravaged beach where restaurants and shops one stood. We saw miles and miles of destroyed housing And businesses.  This is a city street in east Biloxi. Note the Beau Rivage Casino in the background. It was damaged in the Hurricane but has since been repaired and reopened. It and other local casinos provide lots of jobs for the people of East Biloxi. It both symbolically and literally has its arms around this area. While it is open and lavishly decorated East Biloxi remains unrehabilitated. A big question in Biloxi is should this area be reconstructed or should developers be allowed to come in and build condos and more casinos. Rebuilding is difficult It is only small volunteer groups like ours that are helping in Biloxi. It is estimated that insuring any house in Biloxi will be 400% greater than it was before the hurricane. Nearly 2/3rds of the Homes in Biloxi did not have flood insurance FEMA elevation requirements add considerable costs to rebuilding and pose accessibility problems for elderly and handicapped  On Sunday evening we met with Don who was to be our liaison with the Mission, the community and individual projects on which we would work during the next week. That evening we learned we would be working on two houses: One that was being newly built for a woman named Patience and another which was being rehabilitated for a woman named Cassie and her family. We will tell you their stories later on in the presentation. Don was with us throughout the week. He showed us where to work, what needed to be done and fetched supplies. He ate with us and told us stories about Biloxi and its people. On Wednesday night he took us to a church service at an Afro-American Church. And he taught us gospel songs and showed us card tricks. Every morning and every noon the work group met with Don to discuss the day's work. At 7:30 a.m. on Monday, December 4th our week of work began. We divided into two teams: one to work on Cassie's house and the other to work on Patience's. Four of us also cleaned three other houses which were just about ready for the owners to reoccupy. This is Patience's house. Back Bay Mission in collaboration with the City of East Biloxi is building this new house for Patience. Her original house was damaged beyond repair by the tidal surges that swept the city during the hurricane. Patience received an insurance settlement for her home but was bilked out of the entire amount by a corrupt contractor. Note the FEMA trailer to the left of the house and its lack of windows. Patience is living there while her new home is being finished. While in Biloxi we learned that for six to eight months following the hurricane, all through the winter months of 2005/2006 ,the victims lived in tents or the shell of their houses with no water or electricity and no way to cook.. It took that long for FEMA to get their trailers to the people who needed them most. Now FEMA says that trailers will be provided only for the 18 months following the hurricane which means the many people who still have not found a way to fix up their homes will again be camping out. There is growing concern about the safety of the FEMA trailers . Test have shown high levels of interior formaldehyde and residents are reporting significant health issues. We saw the people whose houses we working on only occasionally and for short periods. It seemed they were told to stay out of our way. None had the capacity to help in any meaningful way. The first job at Patience's house was to install the insulation on the ceiling. Krista and Judy agree that it is no easy task!  By noon on Monday the insulation on Patience's house was completed. The group went on to dry wall the house, caulk windows and paint and repair trim. By Friday most of these tasks were completed. The red line on this picture indicates the height of the flood waters that rushed into this house. The furniture floated in the living room. Cassie told us she stayed here until just before the hurricane came and then evacuated to northern Mississippi with her two sisters, returning a week later. She is anxious for her house to be finished so that her daughter and family who have temporarily relocated to Mississippi can return to Biloxi to live with her. There is no room in this FEMA trailer for anyone other than Cassie, herself. Cassie shared pictures of the damage the flood waters and tidal surges did to her home. We cleaned three houses that were almost ready for reoccupancy. We were amused because all of the houses were painted a bright blue and all had the same distinctive floor tile. The man who lived in this house told Judy that the tidal surges came right down the street and were as high as the porch roof. When the water entered the house he and his wife climbed out the window on the left side of the house and hung onto the tree limb that you see on the left side of this photo. Most of the restored houses had kitchens like this. Another view of the inside of this Biloxi Blue. This home owner stopped by to say hi. She, too, was living with her children in a small FEMA trailer next to her house. What is poverty? Why can't these people help themselves? We sought the answers to these questions throughout the week. This is what we know today. Many of the people who live in Biloxi are living in poverty. Things were bad enough for them before the Hurricane. Before the hurricane they lived day by day just making ends meet. Then on August 29, 2005 their homes were filled with mud and water and their very lives were threatened. Friends and relatives died. Now they are much worse off than they ever dreamed imaginable. Many lost their low paying jobs. Many are elderly, disabled, mentally ill and without the expertise to navigate the complex insurance and government bureaucracy that has followed Katrina. Many family members, their support system, are displaced and have been unable to return to Biloxi. The Biloxi poor are overwhelmed and burdened with the day to day responsibilities of providing themselves with the basic human needs, of food and shelter. Poverty means being without resources: financial, mental ability, coping strategies, physical health, support systems that can help. Harold created delicious Cajun dinner dishes including Jambalaya like you ate tonight and Gumbo. We came back at lunch to find excellent soups and sandwiches awaiting us. Thank you Harold! On Wednesday night we attended services at the First Missionary Baptist Church ,an all black Church The church's building was destroyed in the hurricane and it is using a temporary facility while it rebuilds. During the church service we learned that one parishioner had donated $7000 from her saving account to the new building. We were welcomed to the service by about 40 church members who asked us to pray for them as they continued the recovery process. The service began with singing and praying by the eight male deacons. The pastor taught us how to pray in their way: kneeling, facing the pew, with head down on the pew and he gave a rousing sermon titled; "The Axe Has Lost Its Cutting Edge." And…… Don taught us two Gospel hymns which we performed for the congregation. On Thursday afternoon some of our group drove to New Orleans. We visited the Lower 9th Ward, the area which has gotten the most National coverage. This is the area that was damaged when the levees broke. Almost no one is living here and it is still without electricity. Evidence of the searches and trauma of the days following the Hurricane is still present. We visited the French Quarter and learned about New Orleans' struggle to come back. This artist was just pleased to have so many people in her gallery. Attracting tourists to the area and finding people to work in the many shops in restaurants are on-going problems We supported New Orleans by eating in one of its good restaurants, selected by our epicurean guide, Harold Friday evening we met with Don to talk about our week's experience. Best Things About the Week Working together to help the people of Biloxi Fellowship and getting to know the people in our group Understanding the impact of poverty and Hurricane Katrina on this area Attending a Black church Learning new construction skills Seeing the Back Bay Mission in action Celebrating Communion together and with our new friends from Collinsville Escaping the snow storm Our Frustrations Back Bay Mission, a little operation trying to do a very big job The impact of poverty on the people of Biloxi The hundreds of houses that still need to be rebuilt and our ability to make so little difference The inability of the city, state and national government to take a lead in helping people rebuild their homes and its unwillingness to really help the poor The incompetence and inhumanity of FEMA You Can Help! Give cash donations Write your congressmen and insist on a comprehensive governmental plan to rebuild the Gulf Coast Pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina especially those who are living in poverty Spread the word about the needs on the Gulf Coast Join our trip to Back Bay Mission in 2008 PUTNAM COUNTY BILOXI WORK GROUP Sponsored by the Granville United Church of Christ Back Bay Mission Biloxi, Mississippi February 24 through March 1, 2008 To sign up contact: Cyndy Bruch 815-869-3344 gbruch at nabbnet.com Qualifications: Be able to sleep on a bunk and work an 8 hour day on house rehab 24 places are available. Sign up soon! Thank you for coming to hear about our unforgettable experience. |
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