Monday, November 06, 2006
Crofton POP Disaster Relief
Hello everyone. It's Jennifer Patrizio and Cathleen Donnelly writing this first blog of POP's 3rd trip to D'Iberville, MS for Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief. It's Monday, Nov. 6th at 8:45 p.m. CT. Today was our first work day. Roger Weller worked in the volunteer office entering all the volunteers' data into the computer.
Tom Frank, Terry Puls, Stephanie Jamieson and Barbara Gross did home assessments, which consists of obtaining information via questionnaire's from home owners/citizens of the city to see what, if anything, they need done to their homes/properties. Cathleen and Bill Donnelly, Jennifer Patrizio, Roger Shull and Rebecca Lambert (Seton) worked in homes that needed minor repairs such as attaching trim, hanging doors, painting, installing light fixtures, etc. While we were working on these homes, doing the final touches to complete these homes, the home assessors discovered people who had never even heard of the D'Iberville Volunteer Foundation. They have had no help whatsover since the storm 14 months ago. They have either done the work themselves, did no work at all, or paid a contractor to do the work, which sometimes led to the contractor taking their money and never returning. This is heartbreaking for us to even imagine. This city is about 8,000 people strong, and the DVF has been here since Day 0. How could they have not heard of the organization that has helped so many citizens of this community? It breaks our hearts.
Two of D'Iberville's citizens are now members of the DVF. Their homes and lives were restored with the help of DVF and in their gratitude now devote their time to helping the foundation help the rest of their fellow citizens restore their homes and resume their lives. We have heard their stories firsthand and we are not able to even imagine what they went through. We do know, however, how grateful they are. In the past 3 nights, they have told their stories, the same stories, and each time they had tears in their eyes, as did we. It doesn't make a difference how many times we hear their stories. The impact is the same. Pure heartbreak. We know we are here to help, but are we doing enough? Are light fixtures and baseboards really what this is all about? Are light switch plates and closet door knobs really that important? Yes, they are. You have them, don't you? Would your home be finished without them? Would your life be easier with handles on your bathroom drawers? Sure it would.
Although the clean up is about finished and homes are being restored, these people's homes will never be the same. We are here to bring them back to "normal", or as normal as they can ever be.Sunday night, after dinner and devotions, we met the mayor of D'Iberville, Rusty Quave. He told us how this entire foundation was formed, simply by asking Irene MacIntosh, his neighbor, for help, this town has never been the same. DVF was started the day Katrina hit. And it has been going strong ever since. This camp is so organized, so well run, so faithful and so devoted. It's hard not to shed a tear at least once a day (otherwise known as a 'sawdust' moment).
We'll sign off for now. It's getting late and it has been raining all day. We're tired, cold and wet. But we are humbled, happy and lucky. We are blessed. May the people of D'Iberville be blessed as well.
God Bless you all,Jennifer and Cathleen
Hello everyone. It's Jennifer Patrizio and Cathleen Donnelly writing this first blog of POP's 3rd trip to D'Iberville, MS for Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief. It's Monday, Nov. 6th at 8:45 p.m. CT. Today was our first work day. Roger Weller worked in the volunteer office entering all the volunteers' data into the computer.
Tom Frank, Terry Puls, Stephanie Jamieson and Barbara Gross did home assessments, which consists of obtaining information via questionnaire's from home owners/citizens of the city to see what, if anything, they need done to their homes/properties. Cathleen and Bill Donnelly, Jennifer Patrizio, Roger Shull and Rebecca Lambert (Seton) worked in homes that needed minor repairs such as attaching trim, hanging doors, painting, installing light fixtures, etc. While we were working on these homes, doing the final touches to complete these homes, the home assessors discovered people who had never even heard of the D'Iberville Volunteer Foundation. They have had no help whatsover since the storm 14 months ago. They have either done the work themselves, did no work at all, or paid a contractor to do the work, which sometimes led to the contractor taking their money and never returning. This is heartbreaking for us to even imagine. This city is about 8,000 people strong, and the DVF has been here since Day 0. How could they have not heard of the organization that has helped so many citizens of this community? It breaks our hearts.
Two of D'Iberville's citizens are now members of the DVF. Their homes and lives were restored with the help of DVF and in their gratitude now devote their time to helping the foundation help the rest of their fellow citizens restore their homes and resume their lives. We have heard their stories firsthand and we are not able to even imagine what they went through. We do know, however, how grateful they are. In the past 3 nights, they have told their stories, the same stories, and each time they had tears in their eyes, as did we. It doesn't make a difference how many times we hear their stories. The impact is the same. Pure heartbreak. We know we are here to help, but are we doing enough? Are light fixtures and baseboards really what this is all about? Are light switch plates and closet door knobs really that important? Yes, they are. You have them, don't you? Would your home be finished without them? Would your life be easier with handles on your bathroom drawers? Sure it would.
Although the clean up is about finished and homes are being restored, these people's homes will never be the same. We are here to bring them back to "normal", or as normal as they can ever be.Sunday night, after dinner and devotions, we met the mayor of D'Iberville, Rusty Quave. He told us how this entire foundation was formed, simply by asking Irene MacIntosh, his neighbor, for help, this town has never been the same. DVF was started the day Katrina hit. And it has been going strong ever since. This camp is so organized, so well run, so faithful and so devoted. It's hard not to shed a tear at least once a day (otherwise known as a 'sawdust' moment).
We'll sign off for now. It's getting late and it has been raining all day. We're tired, cold and wet. But we are humbled, happy and lucky. We are blessed. May the people of D'Iberville be blessed as well.
God Bless you all,Jennifer and Cathleen
